Geoff Wooff

Well, you have bitten off a lot there, I wish you good luck with learning to play it.

Go to www.concertina.com lots of information there about various keyboards.

Thanks for posting Steve , this video is most enjoyable and I hope it encourages more young people to take up a concertina, the little squeeze box that changed my life.

It is within arms reach, for actuating the function buttons, so quite close. I like to use it on a table as opposed to on a tripod so I can move it about with ease and there are no trailing cables. The room I used is my workshop where I am very familiar with the acoustics and the recordings sound natural to me. I should add that my wife uses a similar device which includes a speed control function. This is very useful for slowing down tunes recorded from any outside source as an aid to learning and /or transcr

Hello Kathryn, I use a Zoom H2 . Simple to use and not expensive. Mine is about 10 years old so perhaps these small recording devices have been refined but for recording yourself I think these are ok. You can hear my results by searching my name on Soundcloud.. For balancing left and right I use a pair of headphones to monitor the recording... with the device within reach on a table, shifting it from side to side if needs be.

Have you contacted A.C.Norman about this ?

I have had the TV crews at my house on several occasions over the years . John, I don't think the Dippers or the Dickinsons need any promotion on TV, though it would perhaps be nice to give the Concertina some exposure to the 21st century public. I met a man in a car park in Potiers last week, he was selling a concertina, as I picked up the instrument a passing Frenchman said " Wow, a Concertina, I've not seen one of those for years"... that he recognized the instrument instantly surprised me... I bet that would not

This is what usually happens with my customers although one American sent his Pipes back for adjustments and, being a cautious fellow , he insured them and declared the full value. His instrument was stuck in customs for a considerable time before he had to pay for their return as well as a fee that amounted to the value of the duty. During this process I was not contacted and was, by a third party, advised not to try to 'pull' the package through as this would only result in more problems. Later, he organised a fami

I have not changed nationality yet Adrian, but I applied for permanent residency ( Carte de Séjour ) as a first step. The French department that deals with nationality issues currently has quite a backlog. I was thinking of those concertina players in Ireland who have saved up and are waiting for their new instrument from the Dippers etc., will they be faced with a large bill for import duty ? Perhaps there is a free tarriff situation for 'Traditional Music' items in Eire. I buy very little in the

Don , I understand and have used the Harmonized codes relating to the instruments I have exported to the USA but what bothers me about the current changes to the UK situation is the possibility of double taxation. Say a supplier in the UK quotes prices on their website which include VAT (sales tax) but does not remove that portion of the amount prior to exporting the goods and the buyer then has to pay an import duty and local sales tax in their country. How do we know if the prices shown on the websites

Yes, this is exactly the root of my question Alex, at least from our perspective. Like yourself my business is small and I don't have to be registered for VAT . Will my UK customers have to pay VAT on a product that is not subject to such a tax in any other EU country ? There are stories going around of people buying an item from the UK and being charged 16.9% import duty + 20% TVA ( the French equivalent of VAT) and that would add a substantial amount to the cost of any musical instrument.

Now that the United Kingdom has left the European Union there are stories of import duties and local sales tax being demanded by on goods coming from the UK. As several UK concertina dealers and makers supply instruments to players abroad how might this situation affect the cost of a purchase ?

Whilst most of the youtube videos show Duet players in a seated position, as far as I recall from watching the old players at ICA meetings in the 1970's, those who played standing up held their forearms more or less vertical. In this way the weight of the concertina is directed back into the base of the hands and there are less problems with the the instrument tilting forwards. Tight straps and the thumb wrapped around the hand rail will help too , along with practice and building up muscles. Look for videos

Right then Syncopepper, I can see your desire for that eBay Aeola. What to expect from a 1942 Aeola : I think the top of the range Wheatstones were still very well made, even in 1942. Information from a knowledgeable ex member of this forum is that the 48 key Tenor was mostly made for the Salvation Army. This would suggest the Tenor 48 has , perhaps, an ideal range for singing to. Expect metal capped plastic core buttons and a new type of 'hook' action. Perhaps Aluminium reed frames too, which, if it doe

Syncopepper, what sort of music do you play on your concertina ? Or perhaps more clearly what sort of concertina do you want ? I have a good reason for asking, in that there is another Aeola for sale in your general vicinity.