spindizzy

I've just spent the day carbonising my credit card buying spinning stuff (wool and fleeeces) at Woolfest in the UK Lake District. Some pleasant entertainment was being provided by a group of trad musicians, including an EC player (looked like an Aeola) who all soldiered on through the baa-ing of sheep, generally being ignored by people and drowned out by a thunderous downpour of rain on the tin roof. Thank you whoever you were for the music - and I'm sorry I didn't have the nerve to introduce myself (well I did have several armloads of very smelly fresh shorn fleece with me and wasn't sure how welcome that would make me!!!) Chris

My impression was that the "student" concertinas (Lachenal and Wheatstone both) were the ones with colour coded buttons (ie white and black, following piano keys) with the C's coloured red. Otherwise they were the same size, number of buttons etc as standard tina's. They may have been made to a lower spec. but not necessarily, DHs old coloured button Lachenal is a very nice playable box. Chris

I caught a brief snippet of Robin Madge last night on Radio Lancashires Folk programme "The Drift". You should be able to hear it on the listen again at R.Lancs-The Drift It was in the last 5 mins or so of the hour - to save you all listening to the over frequent and seriously irritating jingles that take the gloss off what could be a good programme. (IMHO ) Chris

Ciaran, Can you get the music to play on the computer from your NetMD? If so, Audacity should be able to pick it up. Hmmm.. I've just fired up Audacity. (WIN xp) On the top rightish there's a box with a pull down menu... only options on my laptop are Stereo Mix and Microphone. You want Stero Mix. In the middle of the top part of the screen there are level meters, the one with the mic icon is input level. If you click on the down arrow by this mic. you can select "monitor input". With stereo mix set, anything that the computer is sending to the laptop soundcard (ie speakers or headphones) should be seen on here. You can push the sensitivity up and down using the mic slider on the top right, and the speaker output with it's own slider. If the levels are showing some activity, try clicking the record button in Audacity. (red one). You should start creating a new recording, with the data displayed as amplitude (volume) against time in the main window. At the LHS of this window it tells you the recording mode, which I have as "stereo 44100Hz" (you can cut the sample rate down if you want.) I remember having a problem getting these settings to stick (it wanted to start in mono) There's a pull down in this part of the display (next to "Audio Track") which lets you change the sample rate etc. If you manage to record anything, press the stop button then play it back (press play button) and see if it worked. If it did (hurrah!) you can save it on you computer by clicking on "File -> Export as WAV (for making a CD) or Export os MP3 for playing on Ipod or putting on the tune page. If you can't get Jukebox to play the MD, you can try taking a line out from the MD to the line in/mic on the PC. Set Audacity to microphone and do the same thing. And everyone has given good advice on setting levels etc. Failing all else - send me a copy of the MD Chris (spindizzy) ps If you are using the "StereoMix" setting - beware of the others noises Windows likes to make - they'll all egt recorded too.... the beep from arriving emails, the card shuffling noises when you get bored waiting for the recording to finish and have a game of solitaire .....

If you're using Windows, ABC Navigator is good if a little less than helpful occasionally. I think it makes a better job of playing the tunes than some software, it seems to manage to give them a bit of a lilt, though they obviously still sound mechanical. You can also vary speed (and pitch). Of course, if you don't need to edit the tunes, the Concertina net Tune-a-Tron is a real gem. I use this a lot for one off printouts. Chris

Neil I've sent you a PM with phone numbers etc (and apologise for calling you nick!) ps the Harrington people are nice and friendly - and happy to let you lead out at a slower pace ... it's the general speed that I find scary! Chris

If you're a registered Noteworthy user, you can download the new version for trying out ... it seems to have stabilised now, and I would guess they'll release it soon. I can't remember if you can play as you enter (I think so) .... I don't think it does page mode editing though (I'll check this evening) - yes it would be useful - maybe we can throw that suggestion at them before they finalise the latest version! There's also a plugin for browsers to let you play nwc files, so they can be distributed, and a shareware ABC2NWC converer. Chris J

Ciaran which model of minidsc player do you have? does it attach to the computer by usb cable. with a NetMD player (earlier usb connected player) you can't upload recordings. Instead you have to play the minidisc from Sony's software (sonic stage 3.4 is current issue and if you don't have this one an upgrage is highly recommended!) and use some recording software to catch it, then you can edit and dump it to disc as WAV (for CD) or mp3 for an mp3 player. Audacity (mentioned by others) is freeware and great for doing this. Later minidisc players (the HiMD ones) will upload to computer. Then you can export from sonic stage as WAV and burn to a CD. Chris

I find the Harrington session very fast and scary (and usually very Irish)! I occasionally go to this it - there are some very good players in the regulars, but my playing and repertoire aren't really up to speed. (I don't remember seeing any anglo players) There's a Tuesday session (1st and third of month) in Mobberley - it has a more English/Morris bias but has been very quiet recently with only a small number of players. (Again, I haven't encountered any anglos, just melodeons and ECs in the free reed family) PM me if you're interested and I'll dig out contact details - the session isn't always on, especially this month, clashing with Easter and it's best to check before travelling Chris

Hi Neil, I don't know of any local anglo players, but this is just a hello message from an English player just down the road from you. (I work at that big metal dish just up the road and live in Northwich). I go way up the M6 to the Jubilee concertinas' workshops in Chorley once a month which is good for practicing playing in a group and learning tunes, but not really a tuition thing. (there's a concertina session that meets on the second saturday of the month and is usually mostly EC witha couple of anglos and a duet, and there's a mixed band session on the first sat. on the month) Chris J

who me!?! I had an email just yesterday from someone looking for a welsh weaver to weave them the Evans tartan - aargh! - what is this thing with tartan - are they obligatory for all celtic nations? The Welsh wear red flannel, black and white check and tall hats and sit in front of spinning wheels (usually the wrong way round) for photographers. Now I think I'd better go into hiding again ... I'm only about 15 miles from the welsh border here, well within range of a well thrown leek. Chris aka spindizzy (is this thread drifted enough yet )

Bellows making!

And DH has Lachenal English 60325 ! Chris Algar reckoned that was the highest serial number he'd seen so far .... so has he got the final box to go out of the door? Resurrecting an ancient thread ... I noticed that there's a lachenal on ebay with a serial number 60497 (item 7402715053). It looks to be of the same era as ours, synthetic buttons, same fretwork and solid colourd bellows and papers (this is blue, DHs is green) Chris J

Ooooh, I wish you hadn't said that. I'd managed to ignore the temptation of thinking about buying it ... now with a (minimum) price dangled before my eyes I find myself assessing my goods (and chattels) for their emergency sale value ... and I'm sure I read that you had 2 !!!!! Chris J

Thanks for the link .. I'll be waiting for that new disc. It was probably Steve Turner that started me playing concertina (in an indirect way!) We put him up for the night when he did a gig at our local folk club (more than 25 years ago!!) and by the time he left my husband wanted to play english concertina (he'd dabbled with an anglo but it hadn't clicked). He bought a Lachenal and did a little bit with it then eventually started on fiddle and finally found his instrument. I got given the Lachenal and told to try it ... I've been hooked ever since Chris J

Whoa - that was a cool idea, Henk - I've looked at it, but how do I pinpoint the exact geographical spot? I mean the town/place is "big", in relation to the resolution you have on the satellite maps. I'll come back to it later. But is adds yete a new dimension to c.net. /Henrik You can modify your entry after you've got somewhere close with the town/city thing. It lets you click on the exact place. Chris J

Sounds fine to me (but I play EC) and DH plays fiddle (fiddlers like A) I'll print it out and see hoe it goes. ps I see you use Noteworhty ... nice software and the ABC2NWC is useful too. Chris J

I think these discussions have been useful .... I feel more confident now in my playing (and hopefully my sociability!) and will look at another trip to Whitney if I can ... I rather like the Village Band w/e - but I've left that a bit late this year! Chris

Exactly! - I went there a few years ago and haven't been back .... the tuition was good, but everything is so concentrated that you don't get time to strike up acquaintances and I spent a very solitary saturday evening wondering whether anything was happening anywhere, and trying to find somewhere to eat that wasn't booked solid. Chris

If you're better than me you can probably play anything on anything, but when you're starting out .... Anglo tends to play in a naturally bouncy way beacuse of the changes in bellows direction and it's easier to put some chords in your playing. They are designed to play in a few particular keys which is fine for trad music. English is good for playing fast smooth runs and arppeggios (you don't have to change bellows direction to get a particular note so you can play smoothly ) Chords are harder. All keys are possible. Duets have the smooth and any key playing of an English, with easier chords. (melody can be played with the right hand, accompaniement on the left.) That's for when you're starting out........ With practice, you can bounce and play chords on an English, play smoothly and in peculiar keys on an anglo and do pretty well anything on a Duet. Choice often comes down to what your hands and brain feels best with. I couldn't get going on an Anglo, but found that an English clicked straight away. I've only had a few tries on a Duet (Triumph) and that made sense to me too. If you've played harmonica or melodeon you might take to an Anglo like a duck to water. Cheers Chris ps I remember my little fingers causing a lot of pain when I started playing EC...... it goes away eventually, most of us don't need strong little fingers. pps As a Londoner, I would understand "nonce" to mean "In a while" ... it's a bit Shakespearian perhaps, so maybe misunderstanding is an age thing rather than a UK/US thing. (now ponce and nance are different ... )

Have a look at The Session website (Go to Sessions and you can do a search) It's pretty good about giving locations - when you find something, read the comments as well, it'll tell you more about the session (ie level of play, styles etc) also vital info such as whether the sessions been closed down! Chris J.

I'd follow this with my story of playing the Morpeth rant at what I hoped was a moderate speed in a workshop session with Alistair Anderson and getting the comment at the end that he'd never played it THAT slowly before..... 'Twas kindly said, but I've hardly dared play it since ... every so often I go back to it and check how fast I can manage, and decide whether I dare bring it out in public again. Apparently it's also much easier to dance fast. Chris

It's been spotted and is under discussion here ..... Edeophone repair

Yes it's a midi concertina ..... and it really is purple! It look a lot like the photo might have been taken at the Four Fools Festival 2004 (Lancashire) where I first saw this beast (the stuff on the wall looks familiar) .... Edited to say "No - we didn't have a candelabra there, must be some place else" I reckon if you're going to go midi you might as well go purple as well Chris Jordan

Hi, Lars - I have checked the site on IE (on Mac) - certain text details differ, like the top menu - I will look into that, but otherwise it behaves OK. I'll check it on IE and FireFox on a PC later today - I have done that earlier, but not after the changes yesterday. /Henrik It seems Ok in Firefox, once you'ld explained that the top line takes you to a new section, but pictures don' t appear until you click on the links down the page. Fascinating project though - really brings home the amount of work in making a concertina!