Chris Timson

I've never owned a Marcus though I do have a couple of other hybrids and from handling them on their stand at festivals and playing other people's I'm pretty sure they are of an equivalent quality to their peers. They are, also, very nice people. I would have no qualms about buying one of their boxes if you've tried one and like it. As for G/D I play that all the time. I find C/G frankly rather squeaky for my taste (though C/G baritone is wonderful for song accompaniment). G/D certainly suits English music well, makes a decent fist of French music and I suspect would make a better job of Irish music than current orthodoxy admits. Chris

My wife Anne wrote a dissertation on Christmas carols as part of her final year music degree (she got a first class honours, thanks for asking) and you can find it here: http://www.concertina.info/carols/files/the_english_christmas_carol.pdf. The reason she chose this as a subject was the experience we have had in bringing village carols to pubs in Bradford in Avon. This all started a few years back when a group of us decided to see if we could bring something like the Sheffield tradition of pub carols to our town. There was me and Anne and another guy representing folk musos and three leaders of local community choirs. We chose some carols from the Sheffield tradition plus more carols from Wiltshire, Somerset and Gloucestershire that Anne researched. Anne and I organised a band from our muso contacts and the choir leaders taught the carols to their choirs and we arranged with a couple of pubs to come in sing on Sunday afternoons in December and waited to see what happened. Well the result exceeded all expectations as the pubs got crowded beyond belief and the singing was loud, enthusiastic and exciting. As an aside religion is not an issue in this - it's all about the joy of the music itself. From there we haven't looked back. We've just had our fifth year and all the carol sings have been an absolute joy. Sorry to go at length about this but it's important to me. If you're interested the web site I built to support it all is here, complete with recordings and video. Here on Soundcloud is one of the carols I recorded a couple a couple of years back, the Dunster Carol from Somerset. I think it catches the atmosphere rather well. Chris

Been AWOL for a while, think it's about time I posted again and this seems a good place to start. You may think the "International" a bit of a misnomer and indeed in the beginning the organisation was almost totally UK-centric. But with two Dutch committee members at present and various Americans over the years they are trying to be international in outlook. It needs non-UK people to join in droves and then start getting involved, you'd be pushing at an open door. Chris

Anne plays English and I didn't get on with it so I thought I'd try anglo. Love at first twiddle! Chris

Both, mate. She starts on a Master's in composition this October and she's actively casting round for ideas for the second opera. Cheers, Chris

They also require a small unit intended to be attached to your belt or similar. This holds a battery to power the mics, a couple of controls to balance the relative outputs of the two mics and a single XLR output. I've had the predecessor C416 mics through my hands and they are very nice mics. The system is not cheap but gives an order of magnitude better results than Microvox. Chris

Likewise. Chris

24 fold bellows - a challenge for our makers? Chris

Thanks. Ken. Chris

Hi all, For any ICA members who used to follow Anne's articles in Concertina World about her exploits as a music student at Bath Spa University: you might be interested to know that she graduated yesterday with a first class honours degree. Chris (Her very doting husband) PS the subject should of course be Music Degree. Why won't this blasted software let you edit the thread title?

Nothing near us, unfortunately, but I note there is a space between the 6th and the 12th. If you're passing Wiltshire around then we have a session in Bradford on Avon on the 10th. Cheers, Chris

Sorry, Jim, game's over. You should have put those notes in an unmarked brown envelope somewhere discreet a couple of weeks back. Chris

I'd just like to remind you both, Irene and Woody, that as chairman I am of course completely incorruptible and my probity is above suspicion. So I would like to to disregard completely any suggestion you may hear to the effect that money can affect my position on such issues as the Post Office underground. Definitely. Won't happen. No chance. Yours in all honesty, Chris PS I prefer used notes.

It's unlikely unless Mr Sailor is a very rich man. When the error in the clause was spotted all unsold copies were pulped and the remainder went into private collections. I saw a copy sold at Sotheby's recently for 25 million yen (or about the price of a Jeffries C/G in Japan). Chris

Noted, Rod. Anyone else want to warm the place up a bit? Chris

Cor d'blimeys, that caught me on the hop. Sir, I am happy to do so. That was masterly. Earlier in the game when the action was flagging I, perhaps incautiously, wondered if we had outstayed our welcome and that this should be the last game. Well, as we all know there was a deal of sparkling play after that point. I do think, however, that it would be inadvisable to let this fine series of games die simply of old age. Unless there are heated objections I think that next year's should be the last game. This would be appropriate as this will also be the tenth (or Aluminium) anniversary of the first game. So next year at this time I shall call upon David Corner to set the special rules and principles and make the first move in the 10th Annual Charles Wheatstone Memorial Mornington Crescent game. The floor is now open for the post mortem. Chris

Yes, but not in the South. Chris

I must say it is impressive the use everyone is making of the renumbered 12(a)(i)(D)(II)-2. Keep it up! Chris

We caught the live broadcast. It made us smile that the only words we understood were "concertina" and "Ralphie". Chris

I think, Chris, that you are forgetting that Hobbs End is purely fictional (and represents Woody's usual daring but risky play). Also the precise wording of rule 7b has changed at least 10 times in the last 15 years (I had to check myself on the current wording). Blue Eyed Sailor is correct, but only in areas bordering the Baltic, otherwise the current wording is All Spanish and Portuguese moves are deprecated except crossovers and double takes." I hope that helps. Chris

No I'm sorry, Woody. Stations on the projected HS2 line cannot yet be allowed. Chris

At the metametacommunicative level I think it's safe to say you've made your point. Chris

A fair question and one which in recent weeks has been much on my mind. Quite honestly I think it only matters if Bateson's is in play. However I would welcome other opinions before I get definitive. Chris

Be aware that after Helsinki '06 the numbering has changed and 12(a)(i)(D)(II)-1 is now 12(a)(i)(D)(II)-2 while 12(a)(i)(D)(II)-2 is now 12(a)(i)(D)(II)-1. This doesn't affect play, of course (except during August, obviously). Chris Edited to note that this is seemingly my three thousand three hundred and thirty third post on this forum. Half the Number of the Beast, times ten, plus three. Were I a player this conjunction would allow me to dart a blindsider pretty well at will. Probably a good thing I'm the Chairman, then .

It's not widely known that Turnham Green used to be called Turnham Blue (a name acquired during the fiercely cold winter of 1683 - 84). It was Wheatstone's close friend Michael Faraday who petitioned Rowland Hill, the first Postmaster General, for the name change to Turnham Green precisely in order to facilitate contra diagonal moves such as the one so elegantly deployed by SteveS. So much history is encapsulated in this game that it is worth a lifetime's study. Chris