maccannic

Hi Dirge, make that "+2". I met you at Kilve in about 1998/9 (I think we even shared a dorm). I was just starting on my Maccann journey, and I think you were a few months ahead of me. I reached peak Maccann about 2012, since when I've been going gradually backwards owing to increasingly arthritic finger joints. So sadly, much as I would like to get my hands on the 81-key, I can't justify spending any more on concertinas.

I find it hard to imagine anyone playing concertina for any length of time and reaching a reasonable standard without also playing, or having played, one or more other instruments. But maybe that's because that's not the way I did it. Born in 1948, piano lessons from about 1955. First guitar in 1963 - I was going to be the next Beatles, but I soon changed to the next Bob Dylan. 1974 borrowed a piano accordion, inspired by the playing of Garth Hudson, and bought my own one in 1977 (I still play it). Never liked concertinas much, but then I didn't know about duets until I saw Tim Laycock in concert in mid-1990's. Bought a 64-key Lachenal Maccann for Christmas 1997, replaced it with a 67-key Aeola in 2009 which is what I play now. I no longer have a piano (except a little electric one), and arthritic fingers mean I no longer play guitar much. But I still play accordion for song accompaniment (can't do barn dance gigs any more), and tune sessions on the concertina are what I like best.

What is the range (left-hand and right-hand) of the two 72-button Maccanns please?

I have owned: Lachenal New Model 64-button Maccann duet, serial no. 1865, from 1997 to about 2014 (sold via this website, donation made). I own: Wheatstone Aeola 67-button Maccann duet made in November 1914, from 2009 to date. I have tried numerous other Maccanns, basically every time I encounter a Barleycorn stand. (Also one horrible German 20-button anglo, which I couldn't get on with at all.) And that's it.

A player of the Maccann duet, no less! And quite encouraging to this beginner about 25 years ago.

Yes, 'diatonic' doesn't mean that, and as a duet player who has never played English or Anglo I would say there are more than two main types of concertina.

Thanks for posting that, Daniel. Now I can just about make out the words of the verse. (On the record they only sing the refrain.)

I must admit I tend to avoid the flat keys. Prof. Maccann found sensible places for 11 of the 12 notes, but D#/Eb obviously was the sacrifice.

No Maccann group that I know of - we plough a lonely furrow. And please spell it Maccann, it makes searches more reliable. The late David Cornell used to run a website for Maccann players, but I don't know if it's still going. And I play with 4 fingers. 4 note chords sometimes. Also, shocking habit, I tend to jump between two buttons in the same column, as quickly and smoothly as I can. Good luck with it. The world needs every Maccann player it can get.

Mine is a photo of an angel playing a concertina (actually a stone carving in Bath Abbey, UK).

Can't remember, but it was probably mentioned on Mudcat.

That's made my day.

When my wife acquired her first (English) concertina, after showing her where the C major scale went, I started her on 'Parsons Farewell' in A minor. After about an hour she was sight reading it, slowly but error free.

The other evening (actually World Concertina Day) a pad came off the end of its lever inside my Wheatstone. I stuck it back on with Loctite super glue and it seems to be OK now. But I'm wondering if such a 'modern' material is the correct thing to use. What are your thoughts? And why would this happen after 109 years?

I'm afraid I don't do recordings or videos, but to mark World Concertina Day I went along to our local tune session as usual, but after a while my box had a 'mechanical' so I had to abort early. At home the next morning I took it apart to find that a pad had dropped off the end of its lever. So I've glued it back on and it seems to be OK now.