kevin toner

I recall (in my architecture dissertation on grain silos) that there was indeed a difference in us/uk measures of bushels. I made sure of the difference before comparing a legendary fast Buffalonian marine-leg (in bushels per hour) with comparable apparatus in Glasgow, which was written in a tons per hour basis. Grain silo capacities and throughput were actually more often measured in tons, but bushel rates were of course the main measure for certain trading processing and distribution aspects of the commodity especially in the US except of course at 'futures' level where MMTs (Million metric tons) is used. Thanks Jim for your description. at #21, Bifurcated (or split) Rivets as they are called are shown in the following link here (see fig. 6) albeit there are simply 2No. (not 4 to 5 as in mines) to hold the bushing board in place. They are indeed incredibly flimsy - the tabs/prongs look almost as soft as tinsel paper! I can't believe how they're managing to adequately fasten the bushing board but that's what they're doing! Interesting that the Crabb instrument example shown in the above link dates ca.1910s prior to the rethink, which now dates it as possibly ca.1930 as the 'build-date', which corroborates what Dirge was saying regarding seeing them from 1930s onward. These rivets have so far been stable for me after some cautious tightening down i.e. after a few hours of playing to date and counting. Other than the standard conventionally sized examples with 3mm head dia. upward,a quick google search online reveals nothing of the sizes required for the bushing boards nor of any relevant tools/machinery etc. that might be required - my guess is that they were made independently by the concertina makers. I trust the concertina maintenance manual does not cover this idiosyncrasy (?) I may be open to resort to screws if necessary, but hopefully I can retain the plated rivets as they are next to unnoticeable on the outside. Kevin

Dirge, You say riveting down – I can look into it as I share the same fears regarding imminent loosening. As you will see from my following note I’m tracking back on the history as it was not a 1930s instrument, although it was put into concert pitch possibly when Danny sent it to Wheatstone when they were with Boosey & Hawkes in later years. However, perhaps it was the case that Wheatstone did use these in certain instances in the 1910s too (?) 'bushel' was a freudian slip - proves I've still got bushels on the brain due to looking at grain silo capacities during my architecture dissertation back in 2000, which is online if you wish to be bored stiff. Excusable I suppose since the last time I dealt with bushes (engineering) was back in secondary school. The older generation of relatives would have rung my neck for that slip though..., particularly my Great-granddad (Danny's dad Michael Tonner) who first bought the instrument back in the early 1910s after 2 years of overtime in engineering work in order to afford it. I have always laughed off the story heard in my teens that he’d made an “improvement to the combustion engine”, but now I’m not so sure. I might as well jot down the basic story now that I’m accidentally on this. [so this ties in with the story about how Danny acquired his father’s concertina in ca. late 1920s, which was nothing short of miraculous. The Wheatstone was returned by the Buffalo Parish whom Michael contributed finances to (whom I think were closely associated with the industrialism of The Bethlehem Steel Co., who decided to hire Michael from Glasgow around the time of the Co's venture to set up a mega-scale plant near to Detroit in ca. the mid 1920s as car production was set to improve and rocket – one of the big reasons for the Crash due to the economies changing hands (train to car) (records to radio), well, so said a recent BBC news article – although this was before the family got the chance to immigrate after Michael’s establishment there i.e. when he died suddenly from a form of cancer and so the concertina and moneys were returned to the wife... who then legally deleted the N within our surname and that of the children to avoid confusion with the much more common Turner, so we were told! Danny said Michael was [funnily] a rivet maker too as well as being multi-talented... Lawyers allegedly approached Toner relatives regarding a possible patent issue, which wasn’t pursued in the end. I’ve got a hunch that it was Vanadium or the likes that Michael may have been experimenting with as he was known to have caused the odd small explosion at a foundry in Glasgow and because the Ford Model T started to incorporate this material after Bethlehem Steel were set up. Otherwise Michael would have to have been more than merely a materials scientist on the side since the BS Co. I think supplied parts at best. Who’s up then for doing a co history on perhaps one of the US’s most prolific industrial concerns? Ironically, I first heard of them as they happened to be grain silo owners (as well) in Buffalo; and then seen a blipvert of their dollar bill image as shown on one of Michael Moore’s documentary trailers , before recently being told that’s who Greatgranddad had set up with! An interesting aside I know, which maybe someone will make sense of some day. Still off the subject: Michael accompanied one of his 2 daughters (stage name Peggy - the girl with the amazing voice: Maggie Toner) on Music Hall work etc. in Glasgow - we have a newspaper cutting of a successful and rare Italian tour too. However, she hadn't pursued a career with her voice in spite of this. Although I'm focussing on 1930s at the moment indefinitely, I'll not being ignoring this earlier era up to 1930 - I fortunately have the EMI Big 48 Song Album to study later albeit it appears fairly stripped down in order to fit it all into a thin format book, which I'm sure will be an acceptable primer/intro to the era. I see that Alexander Prince was playing and was prolific at this time too, which is very interesting – I also think that Prince would have warmed nicely to what Hugh S Roberton was doing in the late 1930s in his popularisation (?) of some Gaelic Airs etc. aside from his renowned Glasgow choir, namely Westering Home; Mairi’s Wedding; Come Along; Air Falalalo; Mingulay Boat Song; as all that I know of to date on him, which I'm including in my first batch of material – the latter is quite brilliantly written, but is challenging at times as the rhythms don’t always match (and are cleverly exchanged) between the voice and piano staves, which might help explain why modern day renditions of the MBS are quite out of kilter. I’m hope to conquer the MBS if it’s the last thing I do as it’s going to be worth it.] Geoff, Thanks very much for all of that. Interesting to hear what the terminology is and so on! Thanks for your kind offer of a spare and to assist in repair work had we stayed closer to each other. I’m hopeful that we might be able to catch up with each other at some point on such things as perhaps we’ll meet at a future event. I will certainly get some recordings uploaded before I move on to my next batch of study. I’ve got a lot on with this initial batch at around seven songs and I feel I need more time yet – possibly will be within the first half of the year certainly. Kevin

Geoff, I can't believe it, what a difference a day makes! You were right. [know this is off the thread subject - sorry] By tightening up this so called bushel board, I'm playing 50 times better than normal, my practising is hardly the struggle that it's been feeling up until now, and I thought I was already doing well! A million thanks again. I'm nervous that it'll loosen again due to the way I play. This is because the screws you mention appear not to be normal screws, but like little plated rivets (5 each side) through the top plate, split into 2 prongs that clamp the bushel board back underneath. Marks around these on the board tells me that someone has tried to tighten these previously - so I gently turned each of them clockwise a notch and this has appeared to tighten the board back again. Apologies for not having researched these kind of screws(?) before posting back - trusting that there'll be some info about them online. I still intend to have the service, but as previously mentioned I'd like to acquire a spare before doing so. Kevin

Very pleased to hear people with this muse. I concur with all! I am currently investigating Lawrence Wright Music published sheet music and the likes as I'd been passed a copy of "The 30s", from the Decades Series which dedicates its first-half to this publisher. It appears that his Co. was more than likely the most prolific in churning out the greatest standards of the time. A couple or so of his own songs (under different aliases) are also in the book. I have long been able to sight-read the treble clef of each song within this. It indeed has some of the aforementioned songs among them. The publishers' excellent notation etc. means that you can enjoy simply the delights of the song through the excellently constructed treble clef notation, except frustratingly for a select few that necessitate bass clef attention before fully enjoying, which fortunately are few for those without the patience. I have decided relatively recently to focus on merging the bass clef and the phrasing demands on each song to optimise my enjoyment of the songs including the full chords etc. that have been intended. It was the allure of [settling with] the treble for so long that I had to have more – like soft to hard/drugs perhaps. You will find such sheet music in your local libraries and I'd be very surprised if there's no LWM published material there. Enjoy! However, for me, it’s a painstaking path en-route to accomplishing each of these, some of which are absolute gems that can't be ignored. As Wendy has said, setting some rules and disciplines makes for a good start. My problem is that I have to de-memorise the treble clef playing and start afresh, but again - it's to die for - thanks to the publishers who transcribed these pieces so brilliantly in the past. [i accidentally heard on BBC radio that songwriter Jimmy McHugh decided to spare the publisher by doing his own notation. His "Lovely Lady", I think would also have been an excellent ballroom number, but one more thing I must get off my chest re McHugh, and it corroborates with the above BBC observation, is a curious note clash within one of the chords - I wouldn't even call it a dischord, sounding so off, and albeit with 2 remaining bass notes not being played, I was struck by it as the only chord in the whole book with a clashing sound, i.e. at the lyric [i]...crossed over...[/i], from "On the Sunny Side of the Street" and by the fact that this chord only comes together if the note A is replaced with B! I've long been thinking is this [misprint?] some conceited fun to express the crossing-over message - getting from A to B (?) If this were in any other key signature other than C then it would engender a totally different combination of notes other than 'A to B'. This is why it checks (cheeks) out for me. Sorry for veering off, but this shows some of the fun along the way that can be discovered (albeit I'll be revisiting this song soon in all its glory to confirm) for instance, there's one more curiosity that deserves a post in its own right that I will bore you with later, soon - but would be great to hear of others' experiences too] Don't ignore the introduction pieces (usually comprising 2 verses) on the sheet music. So much recorded music has dispensed with this in the past, but these pieces are what make the whole experience worthwhile - and Blue Moon is far from an exception here. I heard such comments from the older generation of relatives and now know it’s true. I've not yet heard a recorded version of the standards that have dared to do both introduction verses though. At best in your search you may hear the artist select one of the intro verses. That said; this isn't my only outlet (music choice), but one I can't recommend enough.

Geoff, Thanks, you're correct. The bushel backing plate is loose/moving. In answer to your question - yes, very much using both the fourth fingers too. Thanks again for all your advice. Kevin

Very much on top of things now and not even having to use the rubbing-alcohol doused cloth very much at all! Dirge, I'm being very careful now not to make contact with the wooden part (ebony finish on the perimeter of the ends) as I thought I noticed a little more wear than usual (ie slightly worn off lacquer and stain) at the point of contact with the legs perhaps due to the contact with the alcohol - although this might be simply paranoia. To track back to Geoff's point on approaching some buttons at 30° execution and how this may cause bushel wear, I've a further question regarding this below and wondered if it might have the following effect on buttons prone to sticking as follows. Apologies for veering off the subject! I'm noticing that applying lateral pressure on one button appears to move the rest of the buttons in tandem, which doesn't occur with the Lachenal, but that this is probably exacerbated when applying rotational pressure on buttons when playing - it's difficult to determine on close inspection during playing as it is such a minute movement. The movement between the internal board and the bushelled plate probably assists stick-prone buttons to stick in the following scenario i.e. when exerting rotational and/or lateral exertion on buttons - causing all buttons to shift relative to their holes due to the slack caused either by the [presumably] worn bushels and/or if the board is too loosely-fit. Whatever of these 2 things is causing this minute movement is a worry in terms of its potential effect on the lever arms over time. While sorting out a particular bar of music in practise on the Wheatstone at present, I'm holding down 2 extended semibreves while performing an [at least] octave length glissando and noticing a sticking button within the gliss. just below one of the held semibreves. By sorting my choice of fingering, this helps me not to rotate on the semibreve while pressing on it at an angle and therefore may lessen the chance of the aforementioned board-to-plate displacement. I believe that I'm preventing this particular button from sticking by using the best fall-into-place fingering possible. This button was badly sticking earlier before I removed one of its felt washers to help. [i've probably created a lot of initial wear by not having organised a fall-into-place fingering regime in my earlier sight-reading approach, where I settled for what ever fingering came naturally. That was also before I decided to introduce bass clef into my playing. This and the challenge of speed and the quest for comfort (ease of playing) were the reasons for rectifying my approach, which will incidentally help to reduce potential stresses on the instrument.] The moral of the story - for me - is to mitigate lateral and/or rotational pressure on buttons. The fact that all the buttons equally move when one button is moved is probably a good sign that everything is tight on the button board, but could someone please confirm if the movement between the internal button board and the bushelled plate is a sign of bad bushel wear and/or an unacceptable level of looseness around the button board and whether or not it matters? Kevin

I've now used my new products on the Wheatstone (using a polish cloth); and the much lesser used Lachenal (using silver cloth for buttons only and polish cloth for the metal plated ends). With the polish cloth there’s a slight improvement in the shininess of the Wheatstone although the Lachenal end plates (never re-plated) are much duller in spite of an amazing difference noticed on its buttons as follows - albeit I’m more appreciative of performance over appearance! Despite the latter being older by approx 16 years, there’re extremely sharper tiny Kevin faces reflecting back at me on the 59 button caps [1 cap-top eroded] corroborating Geoff's point that they're genuine Silver. The [rarely played] piccolo range buttons are however slightly duller regardless of polishing effort, but still sharper than the Wheatstone's nonetheless. On the Wheatstone, which gleams in a different way, there's instead a frosted picture effect version of my face on the 56 button caps. [off the subject: I hadn't realised how much my Wheatstone buttons had gone out off perpendicular alignment compared to the very perpendicular Lachenal buttons - I'd better get a spare Wheatstone quick-smart to have this one serviced and to spread my practising across more than one in respect of the fine instrument that I've inherited!] Soap as previously explained Vs Surgical Spirit (or rubbing-alcohol) doused on cloth: I've started doing the latter from the previous night and the results seem to be equally satisfactory. I'm going to stick with the latter unless it becomes apparent that I have to revert. I'll investigate the barrier cream too and will keep an eye on how I react with the Lachenal. Kevin

Erratum: Freudian Slip on my previous posts - Dipper&Co. should have read "C & R Dipper" [viz. Colin and Rosalie, whom I believe have recently co-developed the 'Franglo' with an excellent French player.] Kevin

Rod, Thanks for sharing that. Your remedy is almost what I'd already been doing bar the spirit! I've now already gone out and bought surgical spirit and muslin cloth to come into line with your approach, which I feel positive about. I'm hoping that no stuff is tracking from the bushel as previously suggested, i.e. until it's overhauled further down the line [i would need a spare before doing this, which may further influence this date]. I've went one step further and taken the Nick Rail cleaning advice for brass section instruments, which Geoff has concurred with. Maybe that's 2 steps further as I got both a silver cloth (for the Lachenal) and a [micro] polishing cloth for the Wheatstone's nickel silver plating. Dipper&Co. did re-plate the Wheatstone in the 80s and it still looks like it was done yesterday bar a little matting around the untouched parts of the most played area of buttons, which hopefully the polishing cloth will help reduce. As for the Lachenal, I'll let you know on the thread if I see a magical rejuvenation from using silver cloth when I get round to this within the next week or so. [postscript] Could've also said that the reason for cloths outdoors (by SA bands) in the cold would be primarily to stay dry from the increase in vapour drips caused by the breath, although I still suspect that finger perspiration will also be more noticeable in winter too. Again, thanks for your feedback. Kevin

Geoff, Concur with you almost entirely on all your points, except Danny didn't really expose the instrument to smoke - parties were extremely occasional, i.e. post overhaul in the 80s. My Lachenal ca1896 New Model shows the signs you are highlighting - I'm scared to touch it, but I'll have to to keep it in good condition or for when I decide to focus on high pitched classical or even perhaps reels, which don't require below the fiddle range, etc. However, I’ve finally cracked the source of the tackiness, i.e. for my particular situation with the Wheatstone. Discussing this with you all has got me thinking and into investigating a little bit deeper to come up with the answer. As I write this I can feel cool air around my fingers because they’ve been warmed up by 30 minutes of playing and as the heating is off, meaning around 12 deg. on average for the season. I can also feel a slight perspiration or condensation (?) on my hands alone straight after playing. I’ve just cottoned on why I think I have seen the Salvation Army playing slow renditions of Silent Night with a cloth at hand during the freezing cold: points of contact - especially holding down notes for long durations - warms the buttons between cooling because of being a highly conductive material – and this presumably attracts the perspiration that needs to be wiped off, i.e. relative to the temperature difference between hand and instrument. I believe the buttons that are affecting me first are the most used buttons especially when playing common extended semibreve notes depending on what piece of music I’m focussing on. Putting the heating on won’t help unless I’m willing to fork out a grand on it along with a reliable humidifier to help protect the instrument. Count me out! So Brass polishing cloth and the rubbing alcohol doused cloth here I come! Kevin

Geoff, The 1915 Wheatstone catalogue does say "silver keys", but I'm inclined to believe, going on most of your description, that they are likely to be nickel silver. I know what you mean by blackening finger tips after playing [you say on silver] over a long practice session. It's happened to me on my Wheatstone, but it was in fact a once off over a couple of days or so. Funnily this happened when I played guitar as frequently as concertina a couple of years ago, but it hasn't happened since and it may be to do with avoiding the guitar, which I have wanted to do anyway to refrain from hard fingertips on the one side and so I can concentrate on the one instrument. I can't explain why the blackened fingertips during that certain period would occur with nickel silver buttons too. During this time, I noticed a bluish blackening of the water rinsing off my hands and had thought that it was something my hands had soaked up or had absorbed as it wouldn't rinse away straight off. My other theory that I can offer is that it might have been caused by the build up of leather dirt in tandem with not ever cleaning the instrument and therefore perhaps taking its toll by tracking onto the hands. I can't remember now but it might have been this that got me onto the Belvoir Tack wipes for the leather and for keeping my instrument clean – or cleaning one's act up one might say! So that's 2 theories from my experience, but they probably won't apply to yours. Kevin

Excellent 3 replies, Thank you so much! I should point out that what dirt or sweat or grease is there is practically invisible, but when the slightest trace of tack is felt it puts you off - I'm glad none of you have had this trouble. I also wanted to say that I sweat much less than the average person, but miss going to gym to increase this quality even further as that might lessen sweat if it's an issue. That said, and adding sweat into the discussion, my hands are getting a fair work out in order to play the pianist not concertinist in terms of playing what is on the sheet music to the tee, which is my fault for choosing to go in that direction. Perhaps climbing exercise, if any, is called for, as it's quite a strain on the hand muscles. However, back to the main issues again: Dirge, it's OK they're nickel plated ends, though I'm glad you've made that point for those owning wooden ends. Theo, there's indeed greater darkness on the sides, albeit almost unnoticeable. I think it is possible that the grease may be tracking up from the bushings if they're dirty, thanks for saying so, I used to think the tackiness was travelling from the leather thumb straps due to long periods of skin contact with these, but now I'm not sure what gets tackier first between the thumb straps or the odd button - my soaping regime as I said tides me over for long periods of playing before it appears. Geoff, again, excellent diagnostics! Yes, beer would indeed cause the same effect except much worse, as what I've been experiencing is much more subtle. I will try the brass version polishing cloth and/or the rubbing-alcohol with cloth as either of these may beat the soap routine! As mentioned above, it's not a great deal of residue, but merely enough of a trace that occurs to distract playing. I will certainly not rule out your suggestion of skin reactions albeit decades of dirt build up as suggested by Theo is likely to be a prime suspect in my case - I have not yet said that Danny was a smoker of thick black X tobacco. However, there was never any obvious sign or effect on the instrument as it had always looked very clean, especially after the overhaul, and nor did any of his very long hand-shakes during party get togethers ever yield anything but pure dryness, that's not to say that the smoke at parties (and from his own pipe smoking in general) might have got into the instrument and lingered in between the parts. Perhaps previous smoke and an accumulative subsequent build up of minute levels of sweat might help explain why [if] the bushels are finally transferring any tackiness up the buttons where it can be felt and possibly spread during playing. I am inclined to overrule that the slight tackiness, when it arises, is from me as it seems to occur only on a certain button or maybe 2 to start with - I have't been observant enough yet to know whether or not it occurs to particular buttons. Again, many thanks for sharing your thoughts and advice. I hope to report back on the thread if more comes to light in the future. Kevin

When it strikes it can make the buttons feel tacky and needs to be cleaned off to resume playing! What do you do to keep [metal] buttons clean from finger grease/oil/perspiration build ups? I have a 56 key Aeola with nickel plated ends with silver(?) capped buttons. I am playing frequently at present and have noticed that a slight build up occurs after around 2 hours of playing. The leather also gets tacky if not cleaned every now and again. I used to use alcohol swabs, but found these to be tedious and of little help, needing to go through lots. I have since been cleaning with mild soap, making sure there are no drips before applying and this means I wash my hands at same time as instrument every 2 hours or so, trusting that I’m doing the right thing. I make sure I put little lateral strain on the buttons in order to minimise the wear and tear that I know I'm causing from playing - I've been having to make the odd internal adjustment too to stop some buttons sticking recently and hoping that this has not been caused by a combination of playing method and cleaning. [off the subject: I know I'll have to have an overhaul at some point even although the instrument is sounding fantastic thanks to Dipper&Co's last service for Danny my Granddad during the 80s. I'm learning/practising advanced sheet music (phrasing, bass and treble clef too) for various 1930s song standards, which can cause strain on the keys en-route to finding the best fall into place fingering to suit. Once the song is learned/familiarised there is little strain then put on the instrument - would be good to have a separate practice instrument for such cases perhaps.] After a google, I sourced the following words or products: unscented lanolin; light paraffin grease; goo gone; silver polish cloth, but these may not be a great substitute for my [mild soaping] solution. Also, here’s what the Nick Rail Music website says on trumpet cleaning: “Cleaning and Polishing the Outside Just use a clean dry cloth to keep the outside of the instrument clean. There are lacquer polish cloths available that are okay to use which are treated with a wax that cleans and shines and won't hurt the finish of the trumpet. If you are careful, you can also spray a polish such as Pledgereg; lightly on a cloth and then use the cloth to polish and remove any stubborn stains on the body of the horn. If the instrument is silver-plated instead of brass-lacquered, you can use a silver polish cloth to keep the outside shiny. Before you polish a silver horn, especially if you haven't given it a bath recently, take the time to wipe the outside off with a cloth lightly dampened with rubbing alcohol. This removes the oils of the perspiration from your hands and any dirt that might be on the surface and makes the actual polishing go a lot quicker.” I am fairly satisfied with my routine now, but do look forward to hearing about any other such experiences suggestions thoughts or recommendations! Kevin Ps I use a Belvoir tack cleaner wipe on the leather every 3 months or so when I feel it's due. I'd probably be less sparing with them if they were cheaper.

Michael, funnily the following thread on Valentin Osipov shows a very similar style of playing, similar sound, techniques as I remember and same concertina type - although Valentin's looks like a 48 key, not a 56.

Randy, I can't thank you enough for doing that – I like the harmony that you have created, it’s identical to some of the bits that are played by my granddad. Your memory certainly does you a great justice!

thanks michael, yes it was his technique to swing the instrument around in huge circlular motions etc. - "Doppler Effect" sums it up in a couple of words - it was a spectacular sound to hear live! My grandparents would have been children when the original song hit the charts. I knew it was one of the main 1920s hits as it was included in a 1920s songbook. I would like to include this song in my own repetoire, when I get a copy of the official sheet music - from 1928 I think. I'll try to update this post with any other renditions if/when they are found (there are quite a lot of home recordings/videos to bring together and possibly upload somewhere). Perhaps others, including myself when I get around to it, can post any more concertina versions or links to such.

s/n 37696, “LACHENAL & CO./PATENT CONCERTINA/MANUFACTURERS/LONDON” – label on printed paper with clear plastic cover all glued to open oval in fretwork, English system, 60 key extended treble - air levers on each side (push-rhs and pull-lhs), ME Raised, MB, 5-fold, model is presumably a ‘New Model’ – see photo on my profile page (I can provide you with sharp photos by email if requested. My email is on my profile page), standard valves only, the name ‘Robert S? Russell’ is stamped inside the bellows and on the back of the reed pans and action boards, + C&R Dipper stamp & Colin Dipper signature - repaired 1987, s/n is embossed onto the top of reed pans and discreetly on the action boards.

As promised, here is another extract from the 1960s party with my Grandad, Danny Toner, playing 'Danny Boy' on EC. It is the same concertina as described in the earlier 'Ramona' & 'I'll be home for Christmas' posts. Danny Boy

Here is a link to my Grandad playing 'I'll be home for Christmas' from the same 1960s party recording as posted earlier on 'Ramona'. I will add a link to his rendition of 'Danny Boy' as played at the same party on a separate post. It is played on a 1912 Wheatstone Aeola 56 key Tenor-Treble EC, with raised metal ends and use of wrist straps I'll be home for Christmas

Here is my Grandad improvising 'Ramona' at the same party, with 'the Bells of St Mary's' appended. Ramona improvisation and Bells of St Mary's.mp3

Thank you for your kind replies. The type is an English Concertina - 56 key Wheatstone Aeola Tenor-Treble from 1912, 8-fold bellows, with raised nickel plated metal ends, and with hand straps fitted. It was a model no.19 as shown on the attached 1915 Wheatstone pricelist.My link

My Granddad accompanying my gran at a party in the 1960s! Ramona - Danny & Jeanie Toner 1960s.mp3

HallelujahAl, Thanks for mentioning my original post - I had forgotten all about it, yes I do play regularly. I am surprised though, having re-read my post, by how much I have came on since then. I am actually starting to find things quite easy now. I think that I can attribute my improvements to having the amp at my disposal as it has helped me to overcome the dreadfully distracting city-centre noise. I wish I had thought of this sooner – thankfully, my learning will now proceed at a better pace. I remember recently wanting a service before getting the amp – in case any imperfections were amplified, but it has not been a problem - it has been a total success. I believe it is actually helping me train. For example, I am discovering how important and intrinsic the bellows are to playing. I am now working the bellows much more in order to produce and control volume and effects - this is due to the audibility given by the amp, as you can actually hear the concertina without any interferences as it is amplified (which is good for soft passages) and you are actually also encouraged to emphasise the playing of accented notes as you get a nice recreation of the instrument's resonance. This in turn is making me feel and play more comfortably through time. Kevin

Theo, My ears are usually clear of wax when I get them checked. However, I had a history of left ear trouble when I was a child and this is the ear that plays up on these occasions. So I think you have a good point - On reflection, however, I am convinced that it was not my hearing that had registered the sound losses that morning. This is because on that night, I had to plug the loud left ear and listen to my playing with the right ear only and I could hear the reverberation OK (even although I was cutting out half my hearing). Even now, when I close either ear, I can still hear any reverberation in the room! I find it highly unlikely that both of my ears had failed to pick up any reverberation that morning, but I will not rule out your comment – it could be possible. HallelujahA, You are spot on with your comments – a servicing is desired. I am curious to find out how much better my instrument can sound because I remember how pleased my granddad was after he had it serviced last, although the current sound is fantastic. I know it will do better if it is serviced though. I will treat myself soon! Thanks for both your comments

Hi, me again! I may be getting closer to a conclusion on what is a probable local atmospheric condition that seems to impair my sound at times. Generally my instrument is sounding good, considering that it has not been tuned, re-valved or padded by a specialist in 23 years. All the tuning is slightly sharp with one or two going slightly flat. I admit that a specialist maker/repairer would get the instrument to sound its best, once I can afford the costs. I have directed the following enquiry to a pressure sensor company and I will update this thread with any feedback that is forthcoming. ENQUIRY SENT: I am wondering if I require a particular product to monitor room air pressure. I am sceptical that a simple weather barometer is not precise enough. I want to monitor air pressure during my concertina playing for the following reasons. Concertinas have long been known to be susceptible to humidity because of the impedance of air flow (or creation of air leakages) caused by the contraction/expansion of hard materials and the impairment of soft materials, but I suspect that room air pressure can also affect the noise level and operation of the instrument - there is a play of intricate air passages within the concertina that I think may be sensitive to air pressure - I do not know. Please read through the following paragraphs to get why I am thinking along the lines that there is a recurring atmospheric condition of some kind that is affecting not only possibly the concertina, but any sound generated within the room for that matter, be it a voice or amplified sound. On suspect occasions, the instrument can have trouble airing a note to its full capacity, and the sound that is created from the instrument can on these occasions be dull sounding in the room, characterised by a lack of resonance and reverberation. The instrument and the room should normally instead combine to provide a slight and reasonable resonance to the sound during normal conditions (as it is a good resonant concertina, which is played in a consistently stable room environment the room normally produces a slight reverberation to the instrument's sound). Humidity as I said is normally the key suspect for concertina performance issues and I plan to buy a hygrometer to monitor this and stay below the advised 50% humidity! However, I am puzzled by the joint lack of resonance lost by the room on these certain occasions for instance even a very loudly played note will not reverberate in the slightest. Singing is also denied reverberation in the room at these times. Do air pressures therefore influence loudness and reverberation times? I suppose that pressure is controlled for recording studios. I had recently bought an amp with mikes to amplify my concertina and to gain more control over loudness and, as a remedy, to avoid forcefully playing against recurring traffic noise distractions. The amp even helps enhance/mimic the resonance by the use of a reverb control I have heard accordions being amplified in this way for the outdoors! However, a couple of days ago at my home (it was windy outside at the time) the concertina was struggling as above, whether due to humidity or not, and this was also during an evident period of absent reverberation in the room, whereby I actually had to raise the amplifier volume greatly above its normal level. Therefore I have learned that electrically amplified sound is neither immune to this condition! Later, for the rest of that day, my hearing in one ear had become unbearably loud - like when your ears have popped after you've changed altitude! Thank goodness it happens very rarely the same thing had occurred last year more regularly, sometimes also with affected hearing, i.e. hearing things louder than they should be! I think my hearing is sensitive to the condition. I am presuming that a significant room air pressure had occurred that day to cause these effects again I ask, is that possible bearing in mind the following possible recipe for such?. it was during high winds, and note that the surrounding buildings are a 'back to back' mix of very low and extremely high blocks - set on a grid-iron pattern of streets serving as a wind tunnel; the room is heavily glazed to both the front street and to a shared light-well at the rear (bearing commercial-use fans and flues etc.); and there are also basement connections/passages within the building that are interlinked in different ways to the outside. Can it also be possible that a neighbouring property could have been air-pressure testing that day to cause a deliberate or more significant pressurisation or depressurisation than would normally be the case? I had checked the weather data over the course of these last few days and there was an insignificant change of 5mb although the consistently strong winds had moved into a SE direction that day before reverting back to prevailing west over the next 2 days apparently. Again, I dont know if a barometer would reveal any such forces in action (i.e. air pressures within buildings) if and when they were to occur. Can you therefore please advise if room air or atmospheric pressure is a factor or if there is a particular device/sensor that can help determine this? I believe that I may have to consult an acoustician over this and I apologise for posing many or any difficult questions and for the length of my enquiry. Thank you. I am going to keep an eye out on strong easterly winds if and when the condition reoccurs and I will update this thread if a connection is found, including an update on any feedback from the sensor company.