Peter Laban

I'd say it would be along the same lines as 'Irish Flute' or 'Irish Whistle' or even 'Irish Mandolin'. Guff.

No, I don't think so (scratches head). It's standard 3:2 like the old 36x24 of the 35mmm film cameras as far as I can see. Nikon DX format.

I had seen the instrument in the window at some point while driving through the street at some point. At a glance I thought it was a (metal ended) Wheatstone and went to check it out two weeks later for a friend who could have been interested. As it turned out it was a Crabb. I tried to memorise the number but wasn't completely successful and only had a sort of outline of it by the time I got home. If it wasn't a 15 it was a 13. But I said, it may still be in the shop if anyone else in the area wants to check.

There was a Crabb English (serialnumber 1588x-ish, possibly 15886 but that's from shaky memory) in Honan's antiques in Ennis Co Clare a few weeks ago. May still be there.

Learn it in all three keys? (again FWIW, I don't think I have ever come across it in D but I may be mistaken ofcourse)

It's often played in A as well, FWIW.

Two years ago I walked into the chipper after one of the concerts (as you do, it's Willie week) only to run into Eamonn Cotter who just said: 'Ah there's the man with the vuvuzela'.

This year's Willie week was one of glorious sunshine, a once in a decade stretch of summer weather (which is still continuing without budging). After too many dark and bleak winters and non existent summers it's a great boost for mind and body. In fact it was too warm or just too nice to spend much time indoors at concerts, lectures or indeed playing. I did however take some snaps, as usual. They're here, for anyone interested: Willie Clancy Summer School 2013 : pics

A bit like the Cruinniú; then, but two months later and twenty miles or so to the east. OK, never mind, just got a bit of the back story.

He has his shop on the Ennis Road now. I am not sure he is still using concertina.net actively. Also remember it's Willie Clancy week and Miltown Malbay is having the best week long slice of summer in at least a decade so for the week responses may be slow.

Stuck somewhere after being robbed I suppose? That one has been doing the rounds for years. It's a virus that highjacks addressbooks. I got several from Irish pipers some years ago and similar messages get flagged on the Mudcat forums with some regularity. [edited to add] Just received the message myself.

Will this do? It's a full marching band score but you can get it all on screen and you may be able to work it at bit. You need the Sibelius Scorch plug-in (available here)to read it on screen and play the MIDI. IMSLP/Petrucci Library is usually a good source of free scores, they don't have this one unfortunately. Sometimes a Google image search can throw up sheets like: but you may/may not be able to lift a full score

It's a different and brighter tone.

I was more or less trying to say something similar when I said above it's all depending on the musician. It's well possible to play a 'modern' cross the row style and have the rhythm and lift of the old styles. Best example of this is maybe one of my great favourites Yvonne Griffin. There's great heart in her music. There would be other examples too ofcourse. On the other hand there were 'old' players that weren't very interesting. That's one thing about old music and tunes, the bad ones are long forgotten and the good ones best remembered. Can't beat the unstoppable energy of for example Mary Haren (recorded in 1962 by Séamus Ennis on a borrowed concertina after years of not playing).

I know what you mean Dan and I hear what you are saying about old styles (and agree) but clarity and lift are maybe more a feature of the player than of the style. Playing a lot in big sessions takes it toll too. [On a side note - Dan, you may be interested in this book for a view of local history and it's bit on housedances etc)

Take it as a rule of thumb we played most of our tunes one tone flat of 'standard' pitch. Although we had a few tunes that didn't quite fit that profile in one way or another. Kitty played a standard run of the mill rosewood ended Lachenal C/g so you have all the notes. If you feel inclined to have a go at her version. At one point a visiting concertina player came up to Kitty's in order to record her playing his own concertina so he'd have her playing in all the 'right' keys. It didn't quite pan out the way he hoped I think although we had a great afternoon of tunes.

These were the threads I was thinking of, as Doug above said by Dave Elliot. Nice work. Gold on Black Bellows Paper more designs

Concertina spares has a few options for bellows papers and I remember one forum member posting about having papers for sale (going by memory there), a search may bring the topic up for you.

Depends on which aspect you want to look at. There were 18 concertina classes in last year's edition. There are concerts, lectures and dances every day (the programme has been published but I don't think it's on-line yet. Note the week will start on the 6th this year). As for the informal part: small Irish town, loads of people, loads of musicians. Music and a bit of mayhem. But overall, I think everybody has a different week, depending on the what you do and the company you keep. Just go without too much in the way of expectations and let the current take you, make the most of what you find.

Should be OK now. Try again?

You may want to check out the website for the re-issue of the Tams/Wayne recordings, with additional notes I believe and also have a look at the other recordings in the series: The Clare set recordings

Didn't Neil Wayne and John Tams do just that, wander around Ireland with a tape recorder to record people in their home or wherever they could? As far as I know the John Kelly recording was done exactly that way.

They in fact were weren't they?

Jackie has a concertina that was previously owned/played by Paul Davies. Quite a lovely small sized Jeffries. He showed it to me at his house ten years or so ago. I didn't ask what keys it was in (I suppose I assumed it was a c/G). Ofcourse it doesn't mean that's the only one he has.