Don Taylor

I have an Archos 70 (Froyo) and an Archos 80 (ICS) and the Google Play Store says that Englitina is incompatible with both devices

Thanks anyway. Don.

That is correct.

I have a brand "new" copy of Richard Carlin's 1977 book complete with a flexi-disk insert containing sample music for the book. But I have no means to play the flexi-disk nor do I know anybody who has the equipment to play it and copy it to some other medium. Has anybody got an .mp3 copy of this disk? Thx. Don. (Before anyone accuse me of copyright abuse, I have bought the book and the original so I am not depriving the artist or the publisher of their royalties.)

Can you please provide a link or a reference. Thx. Don.

Hi, Newbie question. I have a Jack and am working through the tutor that came with it from Wim Wakker and also the Butler tutor. Neither address my question so maybe it is something that I should not worry about except that I don't want to develop bad habits that will be hard to break. Anyway, the question I have is what do you do with the fingers that are not actually playing a note? Should I, as a beginner, try to consciously leave them where they last played, move them in anticipation, use them (esp. the third finger) as some sort of reference point or let them wave about until needed again. Thx. in advance, Don.

Thank you folks. So far, I am happy to leave the instrument as it is until I progress significantly further - then I will probably want to buy a better concertina anyway. Thanks to the advice here: http://www.concertina.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5937 I have managed to solve the other problem that was driving me crazy - occasional and erratic slow speaking on some buttons. The 'take away' for me is that I will want to play my next instrument before paying for it. Don.

Hi Folks: I am a rank beginner here with a Concertina Connection Jack EC. I have a tuner app (DaTuner) on my Android tablet that tells me the lower notes on my Jack are about 20 cents sharp, the upper notes are within 5 cents of correct. I don't think it is DaTuner that is wrong as I have tested it by playing the same notes with MuseScore on my PC and they show correctly on DaTuner. My question: is this something I should be concerned about? Thx. in advance. Don.

Even handier (and probably easier in the long run), learn to sight read. Why let the computer have all the fun? -------------------------- Edited to add: See this new post if you don't believe me. -------------------------- Not really, since that guy could already sight read. My situation is that I don't read music at all, I am going to try to learn but in the meantime I would like to know how some of the tunes in the various tutorials sound. I doubt that I would be motivated to learn the concertina if a pre-requisite is to be able to sight read.

Has anyone used an "optical music reader" [*] to learn new tunes? If so, which one(s) and how did it work out for you. TIA, Don. [*] An optical music reader is a computer program that reads scanned sheet music and then "plays" the music or generates a Midi or MusicXML file that can be read by other programs. I guess that you would not need one if you can sight read, but for non-readers I think it might be very handy.

You can hear one almost exactly like it - ebony ends instead of wood - in this cut, recorded in 1980. (Sorry for the self-promotion.) Sir Patrick Spens - http://www.compulink.co.uk/~wendyg/rosevil...trick_Spens.mp3 wg And the rest of her album is here: http://www.pelicancrossing.net/roseville.htm Wonderful stuff. And Wendy also had her Wheatstone stolen: "My concertina was stolen from a house I was renting in County Wicklow in the Republic of Ireland in 1984; it was a 64-key Wheatstone tenor-treble in great condition, very rare, and has my name and several of my old addresses stamped on the inside of the ends - " from http://www.pelicancrossing.net/folklist.htm

Thanks for all your help, it was really useful. I have ordered a Jack. Don.

On buying a better instrument: I understand what you are saying, but I think that the best I can manage right now is a Jack. Another problem is that I don't know enough to keep myself out of trouble when buying a vintage instrument. I can see moving onto a Morse Albion after I have proved to the Auditor-General (and myself) that I am going to keep at it. Don.

Thanks Leo: Hmmm... The Jackie is OK, but I still prefer the sound of the Jack so my questions about its usability for a beginner still stand.

Folks: I am sure that you must be tired of answering newbie questions about which concertina to buy, but I have searched the forums and made a tentative decision to buy a Jack so I have done some of the work. I am interested in English (not Irish except for Carolan) tunes, hymns and WWI and WWII soldier's songs (which are often set to hymn tunes). I like the sound of the English concertina especially in the lower registers. The sound samples of the Jack on CC really appeal to me (it is hard to judge the Jackie sounds on CC because they were sampled at such a low bit-rate that they sound as if they are being recorded underwater). But. There have been a few postings that hint that baritone English concertinas, including the Jack, are not easy for beginners to use - and I would be a rank beginner who would have to be self-taught. My questions: - Would I be hobbling myself by buying a Jack right away, or should I buy a Jackie instead even if I find its sound not quite to my taste? (Just how 'honky' is the Jackie anyway?) - If I do buy a Jackie now and later want to buy a Jack as well then would there be any re-learning required? I understand that they are an octave apart so if I learn some tunes on a Jackie then can I later pick up a Jack and play the same tunes in the same key in the same way on a Jack or would other adaptations have to be made - different key and/or different fingering? Thanks in advance, Don.