Russ Painter

Any chance you could post audio files with the difference in the sound of the reeds?

I'd buy a hayden ipad app if you had one.

I saw this on Engadget: Computer controlled Bayan from 1988 makes us want to go back to the past

If there are any "improvers" here in Clare this weekend, there will be a free class in Kilrush at the Nell Galvin Weekend. Info here: Nell Galvin Weekend Unfortunately, although this is just down the road from me, I'm miles away from being an "improver". I wish they had a beginners class.

This is really interesting. I got my first Elise a couple weeks ago. I'm working away from home during the week, and thought it would be a great opportunity to practice in the evenings. Unfortunately I can't seem to play quietly enough, and am afraid of being kicked out of the hotel for disturbing the other guests with my non-stop horrible rendition of "twinkle twinkle little star". My options are: find a way to make it quieter or stay in a tent in the woods instead of a hotel. I never considered the possibility of padding to quiet it down. Sounds like I have some experimenting to do.

Nice! Thanks for posting it. I need inspiration.

I also just got my Elise this week. But this is toally new to me. I've only played piano (badly) previously. I personally don't see the point in spending seven times as much for an instrument that does exactly the same thing as the Elise. I mean, what would you be getting? OK, maybe it'd be prettier, but what else? Easy transposing is the main reason I chose Hayden. And It's already coming in handy playing tunes with my son. But I can see that the small number of keys is very much limiting this feature. The main reason I'd want to upgrade in the future is to get more keys. I'd be much more willing to spend €2000 to upgrade to an ugly 54 key hayen than a pretty 34 key one. Getting a beautiful hand-crafted instrument is just luxury though, but beyond the discussion of $2000 instruments. BTW - I'm kinda glad my Elise is butt-ugly. Because I didn't mind writing the notes on it next to the keys with a paint marker (I am a complete newbie). Something I would never consider on a "nicer" instrument.

How much can I get for a kidney?

Got a reply from Concertina Connection too. They said they'll be shipping me one this week! Shipping was $19 less than from ButtonBox. In the end I wasn't too concerned about the trade-in. Chances are if I ever come up with the $3-5K for a more professional one, I'll probably end up keeping this one for the kids, or maybe giving it a DIY MIDI conversion. Expect lots of questions from your latest concertina newbie in the coming weeks! Can't wait to get started!

Got the same reply from ButtonBox - they're on backorder. They say hopefully this month some time.

Thanks Leo. Yea, I saw that dealer list, that's how I found out who my local Irish dealer is. I was excited to find he's only about 40 min drive from my house. Unfortunately he won't be placing any orders any time soon. One British dealer's site shows no duet concertinas in stock, and the other has it at $100 more than buying from the USA. ButtonBox doesn't have the "add to cart" button for this model, so I'm guessing they don't have them in stock. And trying to add a "Jackie" to the cart to see what the shipping would be results in an error. A lot of the dealers webpages seem to be pretty well behind the times with their websites/shops. I guess I may have to resort to the old telephone as much as I hate it. I didn't know I could buy right from Concertina Connection. Perhaps that's where I should start.

Does anyone know where I can get a Concertina Connection Elise fairly quickly? I tried emailing Bob Tedrow because I could definitely see myself upgrading to one of his at some point. But I haven't heard anything back yet. My local "dealer" says he won't be placing an order for quite a while (and has never ordered an Elise). I need to get one shipped to Ireland. It would seem buying from the USA is the way to go with the dollar the way it is at the moment. But a good deal anywhere would be welcome.

OK, now I really wish I had a iPhone. This would be great for practicing a bit on the train.

I'm headin' to Jimmy Daffy's soon. If you're there look for the bald guy with two (hopefully cooperative) children, and I'll buy you a pint.

Thanks. Wish I could take advantage of your offer. Just a couple small issues: No iPhone, and Not in USA.

It's all just a bit of fun. Nothing wrong with them plastic paddies. Here in Ennis we have a nice parade. My son will be marching with his Tae Kwon Do class. It's always a silly event, but a great day. In recent years the crowd and participants have been getting more and more multi-cultural. It's good to see all the blow-ins particpating. All the polish, latinos, and africans with their red wigs and green top-hats and clover face paints. Great stuff.

I wasn't too impressed by the single track video you posted previously. But this one is actually pretty neet.

I'll be stopping in at some point. Probably at Jimmy Daffy's on Saturday at 4PM. Workshop schedule here - http://www.corofintradfest.com/Workshops.aspx Session schedule - http://www.corofintradfest.com/SessionGrid.aspx I wish I was at a stage where I could take advantage of the workshops. For now - I'll just be listening (and drinking).

Thanks for clarifying. I have no plans on quitting my day job (if I actually had a day job). But I'm not 100% sure I'm making the right decision here going for Hayden. Anglo is most popular here, but the bisonoric nature of it seems beyond my grasp. I want to be able to play along with others in different keys and the Hayden's easy transposing is the big draw for me. Why do you think are there no professional Hayden players? Is it because other systems are better? Or is it more a case of them having a more "traditional" training?

Congrats to Alex!

Are you saying Hayden is only for amateurs? Is this a dead-end instrument? I've seen youtube videos of people playing it, and they seemed pretty dang good to me (but what do I know).

I'm an absolute beginner and really want to learn to play a Hayden Duet Concertina. I'm in the West of Ireland. Anyone know of any teachers around here, or online/dvd instruction?

Gorgeous! I hope to some day be able to afford one of these beauties!