Geoff Wooff

A good wooden ended New Model makes a great companion to a 22. I made a double case that acts as a chair when stood on end, the spare compartment has had several occupants over the years but my favorite was a 48 rosewood New Model, great for those occasions when the 22 is just a little too much. The previous owner of that New Model wanted it back and now my double case has an unbalanced feel whilst I look for a suitable replacement..... perhaps an Aeola ?

Well Neil, that is just fantastic! Even though it is something the more experienced players might take for granted, it is still magic when one can pass a melody onto another and end up playing it together. A joyous moment.

Stephen, to my ear the chords David is using sound like those folk guitarists might choose to accompany their singing, so searching for song books with chords noted along with the melody and words of songs, rather like "Fake Books", would be a good starting place. Ok those types of scores tend to note the chords like this ; G, D7, C. These are the the chords of what is known as ' the three chord trick' for tunes in the key of G major. With these one can make a simple accompaniment to a G major tune or song. The notes of these chords are G , B and D = G chord. D, F#, A and C= D7 chord. C, E, and G = C chord. If you want the Minor versions of chords just flaten the major thirds i.e. G, Bb, D = G minor etc. This is a very simplified explanation and one does not need to use all these note or in the same order, or octave, to create the desired harmonies. Of course ,you do not need to sing to play like this. You could add a chordal backing to someone else's singing or, as I tend to do, play a tune and add chordal harmonies . Start with a simple tune that you know well, a Christmas carol or nursery rhyme perhaps. When playing a melody note add another note that appears in the same chord and see if you like it or wish to choose another note for your harmony. Playing it by ear you might learn just as quickly as from a book. Somewhere on the Internet you will find chord charts giving the individual notes for all keys. Is this is the sort of thing you want to know ?

Hi Stephen, that surgery sounds drastic . What did you do to cause so much damage? Something else that I have found helpful is the really well padded thumbstraps that a prevous owner had fitted to my current 48 Treble. I think these thicker/softer straps were made by Wim Wakker. I wore them out in 8 years of playing but took them to pieces and copied them... the feel is luxurious. Take it easy on that thumb !!

If you play whilst standing then I would definitely recommend wrist straps, even on a small Treble EC, they will take a lot of the strain off thumbs and little fingers. Even when playing seated the wrist straps will help. Regarding a neck strap ; this suggests supporting the weight of the instrument whilst standing,. Have you tried Randy Stein's suggestion to play with the keyboard perpendicular to the ground ?

And now that company is selling a second Dickenson-Wheatstone Aeola!! Metal ended 56, it looks similar but, they say, slightly smaller .

Has anyone obtained information from Steve Dickenson to confirm details on this instrument ?

This photo demonstrates the wrist strap position on my Baritone Treble Aeola, using the original anchor points. My homemade straps are not as wide, or as stiff, as Wheatstone originals but strong enough allow the 'pull ' effort to be transferred from the thumbs to the arms. Incidentally , the picture was taken to demonstrate the pressing of buttons four octave appart using adjacent fingers, not that it shows how far my ring finger is tucked under my palm.

I don't know which parts might have been recycled into new instruments by Wheatstone's after they had bought all the stock from Lachenal & Co., but perhaps it is more likely that some of the work may have been undertaken by ex Lachenal employees. Materials, of course, would have been in very short supply during the War. and it is likely those few concertinas that were made ( the ledgers show only about 40 instruments for 1942) could have been produced from pre war stock. What it will have is metal capped plastic buttons and hook action but not the Lachenal type. Perhaps aluminium reed shoes, but more likely prewar brass shoes. as I'm sure any available aluminium would be going to aircraft production. So, although build quality and materials were usually not up to 1920's standards by this stage , Wheatstone's were still making a decent instrument if not quite with the finesse of their finest creations. Allow for a full service and the unknown effects on the wooden parts caused by any climatic extremes in your part of the world then factor in a percentage value for these late models, perhaps 60- 70% of the Top Period Value . ( Check professional values with The Button Box or Barleycorn Concertinas) .

Stephen, for photos you could hardly do better than look at the very recent topic in the general discussions forum called " Unrestored 1942 Treble Aeola, worth There the photos of the wrist straps are very clear. I have a picture of how my own , hand made straps fit closely across my wrists... I'll try to up load it later.

Anyone prepared to suggest , or guess, what the final figure will be ?

The only thing I can point out is in the text. Steve Dickinson was not living in Thornham Magna in 1975 so I'd think this instrument dates from the early 1980's. A Tennor Treble by the looks of it... very nice too.

Thanks for the Roylance suggestion Peter, I will contact Barleycorn to see what they have in stock. Scoopet, good point!

Hi PJ, no great hurry I'd be interested to hear more about your instrument. Geoff. PS , un-restored is not a problem.

Anyone want to sell a Wheatstone or Lachenal Baritone EC ?

What a great age to reach! May we all manage that span of life, and he was in good form up until quite recently. The end of an era. RIP Chris Droney. Really lovely photos Peter!!

Tori, perhaps there is no perfect transition between piano and concertina keyboard . The Hayden /Wikki Duet would be perhaps the closest match.

Beyond four sharps and three flats on the English keyboard the regular sharing of notes between left and right hands starts rapidly to breakdown. So Eb, Bb, F, C, G, D, A and E and their relative minors are comfortable keys within the system. Once the pattern layout becomes second nature it is relatively easy to quickly change key, here is an example; A two minute , single take, recording of a tune played in 7 different keys ( 14 if one includes the major and minor sections of the piece) . Ok , not a perfect recording but just an experiment to see what is possible.

Cannot help with and links to Geordie baritone videos. I tried one once, or perhaps it was the smaller Albion, but for me it did not have enough puff for the larger reeds. The instrument played by Dick Glasgow is a Baritone/Treble and that is what I play also. Basically a Treble keyboard with an octave downward extension , which means if you wish to play a tune one octave lower your fingering has to be reversed. A Standard Baritone is like a Treble tuned an octave lower, but I'm sure you know that. The Baritone /Treble takes a wee bit of getting used to but I do not find mine at all slow for playing Irish sessions , though my main use for it is adding harmony and chords in the lower regions whilst maintaining the melody in the treble ranges. Dick Glasgow's is the biggest version ( 64 keys) and my own is the smaller 56 key which is 8" across flats. This one from 1927, looks a bit rough around the edges but it's a player!

Where reeds sharing one chamber are tuned in unison or octaves we might expect them to phase lock and perhaps they will but I'm not sure to what extent we can describe the reedpans of traditional concertinas as having closed ( separated) chambers. I can imagine that two reeds tuned closely but not exactly the same pitch, so as to create a 'celeste' or 'wet' tone might try to influence one to the other and phase lock when mounted in the same chamber. I can see why someone would want to have two reeds in octaves to make a 'bandoneon' tone but two reeds the same pitch with the a view to making a louder concertina will only end up with a much larger instrument . Loud concertinas are usually small and have metal ends with plenty of cut out in the fretwork.

Giving a better description or the serial number would aid people in knowing exactly what model and type you are wishing to sell.

On the "English International" CD collection Ian Robb plays a double reeded Wheatstone Aeola where two reeds an octave apart are sounded by the pressing of one button. There was a discussion about this instrument, I'll see if the search facility turns it up. I'm not sure whether there were two reeds in each chamber or the button lever opened two chambers.

Perhaps a better comparison and similar genres. The first track is played on the Wakker 46K Hayden (wooden ends). The second is played on a wooden ended 56k Wheastone Aeola English , Baritone /Treble.

Indeed Isel , there is a big tonal difference. Perhaps this is not a very balanced test so I will try a different one in my next post. Regarding the second tune title, I'm not exactly sure but it must be one of the southern France languages.

Two soundcloud tracks; both recorded in the same space with the exact same set up . The first is a Kerry polka played on a Wakker H1. 46key Hayden duet with wooden ends. The second is a French tune played on a 57 key Wheatstone Aeola McCann with metal ends. These tracks were submissions for the Tune of the Month forum. Posted for tonal comparison..