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Barry J

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Everything posted by Barry J

  1. The kind of music on your website - traditional sea or boaters songs.
  2. Its a bit far for us on a workday, Gavin, but if you are planning to do anything with a nautical theme, I'd appreciate a copy of the music to have a go at (sort of distance learning)
  3. Is it the same as this one ? http://www.concertina.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=11978
  4. Jones, Lachenal and Wheatstone sold thousands and thousands of boxes in the golden years. I've read the papers on this forum about the various histories and so on. It seems that the cost of a basic concertina was a couple of Pounds in the mid to late 1800's. Thats an incredible cost in todays money. What type of people bought concertinas at that price in poverty stricken 19th century England ?
  5. Gnossienes No.1 tormented me for weeks. Not sure how they would sound on anything other than a piano though ??
  6. I like Irish music, especially slow, haunting airs. I've now discovered that I like to improvise with them to get the flourishes and melody sequences that I like. Its very relaxing..
  7. This has had a lot more airing on the melodeon forum. As I understand it, the plan was to limit the exposure outside of the music groups so that it wasn't leaked to the media, etc, in order that some sort of surprise attack could be registered on the Liverpool shoppers this Saturday afternoon. Obviously, it was necessary to let players know in advance, so that the performer numbers could be achieved. I think everybody is waiting in anticipation for Brian Read to post a video of the proceedings on You Tube.
  8. I had a Rochelle and the air was quite noisy compared to more expensive boxes. It didn't whistle, just wheezed. I don't know if its a standard thing with them.
  9. I didn't realise the AABB related to the repetition, but ya live and learn. No, I doubt I'll make it - I'm based in the South, but I wish you all well.
  10. Ah the penny has dropped. One of the tunes is Davy Davy Knick Knack..
  11. I have just received the latest newsletter about the planned Commando Trad in Liverpool England next week. The organiser says: "A couple of points, same key because the time change is a little tricky, notice I use the "lead in" notes to move from one to the other, also be aware of the "rest" in the B of DDKK, if we can manage that then the effect will be electric! I am planning AABB for both tunes (not sure if managed that on the recording), probably 3 times each tune then move on, then back to the first. Start with DDKK" What does he mean by DDKK and AABB - I'm not used to this method of notation ?? - can anybody explain for the hard of thinking (me)
  12. Yes it was a Clover I was making the size comparison with. I have played some other top end concertinas, but wasn't able to make measurements.
  13. Congratulations - what range does a baritone play ?
  14. I was in a similar position to you, but chose the Anglo. My Rochelle came with a book which was very useful, but understandably didn't have a large selection of tunes. I have bought various books and a DVD, but to be honest, there are loads of free sheet music sites on the net, providing you have some idea what you are looking to play. I got a lot of hints from You Tube and then just searched for the sheet music. Have fun.
  15. I've had the good fortune of squeezing two of John's "Connor" instruments. One had brass reeds and the other, alloy ones - there was definitely a difference in weight... I believe he handcrafts the reeds himself and files them. Beautiful workmanship, right down to the hexagonal case.
  16. I'm pretty new to the concertina scene, myself. As I mentioned earlier, I had a broken spring on my Rochelle. One day, one of the buttons went in and wouldn't come out. I undid a few screws and took the end plate off and you could see one of the springs had fractured. Wim sent me a new spring under warranty and I had planned to replace it myself. It looked a DIY job. I imagine that if you play a mechanical instrument like the concertina, which has buttons, levers which act as a pivot, pads which block the air and bellows, you will eventually get wear problems which will need some rectification.
  17. No, I measured them and the spacing is wider on the Rochelle and the buttons are bigger.
  18. One thing I would say is that I've had a bit of difficulty recently with the Rochelle spring and with a stuck lever on my Clover and Wim Wakker who owns CC has been absolutely great. All things go wrong and a concertina is a VERY mechanical bit of kit. He always responds to e-mails in a fast and positive way. I have a bit of a gripe with the way good old fashioned customer service has gone generally in the UK (nothing to do with concertinas) and its refreshing to deal with someone like Wim. All concertinas have their little problems, even the USD10,000 ones and its comforting to know that he takes his product and good reputation seriously.
  19. I bought a Rochelle. I can't comment on how it compares with the other similarly priced instruments because I haven't owned or played them. I took advice from the more experienced people on this forum and wasn't disappointed. However, depending on where you want to go with your playing, the Rochelle might limit you after a while. The one thing I noticed as a beginner is that the air button is very noisy, compared to more expensive instruments. Also, the Rochelle is physically very large and the buttons are quite large and spaced. Having now played some intermediate instruments, its refreshing to have an air button on these that sounds no noisier than my wife taking a breath when she plays her Irish whistle (rather than the Rochelles gasp) and having an instrument that is a similar size to the top end instruments with closer spaced buttons (making the potential transition to a real concertina with concertina reeds easier at some stage). The one thing I've learned is that players will always advocate a more expensive instrument and if you let it, the expense will never stop. There is always something better to aspire to. I guess you need to decide where you want to go with your playing and how much you want to spend. In summary, the Rochelle for me was a "toe in the water" - I didn't want to spend too much until I decided whether concertina playing was for me, or not. If you are going to start at the entry level, I believe its a good instrument. It certainly sounds well and has a good volume. I did have a spring break on me after 2 months and occasionally the reeds would resonate - if you have no dealer in Tasmania, it might be worth buying a few spares with the concertina otherwise you might find yourselves off air if anything goes. A few springs and a pad, etc shouldn't cost too much.
  20. Well, to summarise this episode. I e-mailed the shop where I bought it and they said "send it back", but the response was a bit luke warm. I envisaged being without the instrument for weeks, so I asked them to send me the spring and I'll do it myself, but I'm still waiting. In the end, I got in touch with Wim in the states and he mailed me a couple of springs over which arrived in a few days - very good customer service. I've now sold the Rochelle and bought a Clover.
  21. I'm sure this has been covered before, but I've read some of the old posts on chords and don't follow some of the music theory involved. I'm fine playing a melody, but I would like to embellish my playing with some chords. Is there some simple rules of thumb that I can employ ?? I've experimented and found that, to my ear, a tune ending with a C sounds good when C-E-G is pushed on the left hand C-row. Similarly, tunes finishing on a D sound good with the D and A pulled on the left hand C-row. Open to suggestions ??
  22. I'm interested to know what others do to protect their valuable concertina's. I guess the obvious thing is to get a gig or hard case from the maker of the concertina, but if thats not possible, are there other options ???
  23. As a newbie, I am confused by the term drone. Is this totally different to the air-button ??
  24. If you just want to hear it played, its on You Tube.
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