RAc

A long time ago I resolved to not having a picture of my face on the internet (I am a computer pro, so I know what happens when you do that kind of thing), but for the sake of this thread, I decided to make an exception. Soooo, the first image is the face of my concertina, also a concertina face, right? Ha ha, nice try. So the second one is my real true unedited concertina face. Please do not pass this on to anyone.

Tedrow Zephyr Concertina (homewood.net)

See? I told you that slot headed screwdrivers are evil! 😁 scnr

Hi springer52, sorry for not responding earlier. From your elaborations it is not quite clear whether your problem is mostly related to the upper rows of your Crane or applies to all rows. On my two smaller Cranes (45 and 48 buttons, respectively), I can by now cover almost all of the outer buttons comfortably, but on my 55, the upper rows still require some stretching, in particular when it comes to the outer columns. I believe this is to be expected (I would label my hands average size). Maybe you could produce a wee video of your right hand in action for us to check if there are obvious things to improve? If you would like to keep that private, please feel free to send me a link to it via PM.

Solar panel powered too! 👌

Look a lot like the first generation of Kaylon battleships...

Again, follow seanc's advice and have a professional look at the instrument and give you a valuation. That professional might also make you an offer for purchasing the instrument for restauration and/or resale. If you choose a credible and respected professional like Barleycorn, that might be your best chance to get a fair price for it.

www.tupian.de - I have one from them, really nice instruments!

The first one could be the Irish Washerwoman?

I vote for concertinish or squeezish.

Somebody had to "point this out" to them? EXCUSE ME? Every child in Germany knows about 88, and the number is outlawed in the number part of registration plates in at least 6 federal states along with SS,SA,KZ and a few others in the letter part! Already CONSIDERING a tune count of 88 in a German folk song collection implies at the very best a perfect ignorance of a rather sensitive part of German history! It is not getting any better in favor of those who have put together the collection.

We are very much on the same page here, John! Even though there are some who would argue that you are more German than most Germans (;-)), I am certain that you and most Irish people would respond similarly when being presented with a collection of "Irish folk songs" that consists solely of "The Wild Rover," "Whiskey in the Jar," "Drunken Sailor" and the other half dozen sanitized destillations of the rich, complex and diverse folk tradition Ireland has to offer. Likewise, Gary would at best be slightly amused about a "Collection of American Folk songs" that would consist exclusively of "The Streets of Laredo," "Blue Moon of Kentucky," "Wildwood Flower" etc. In Germany, the situation is even worse (no thanks as usual to the Horror Clown with the stupid moustache, just to make sure I do not get misunderstood) because as opposed to, say, Ireland, where the political struggles and its history are an integral part of the folk tradition, Germany has a sad long reaching tradition of instrumentalizing and sanitizing folklore - which is the very contradiction of its nature. The songs of the 1840s (one would be hard pressed to argue with songs from that period in terms of licensing or ownership) that you refer to are a prime example of folk songs that to this very day are swept under the carpet just to present German folk as inoffensive, unpolitical and uncontroversial as possible. Mind you, I am not one of those who believe that folk should always be political or moon howling social injustice, yet THAT tradition is as much part of Germany's folk heritage as every one in the collection, yet somehow, to this very day many "collections of German folk tunes" manage to completly ignore it. No surprise many Germans who like folk music for what folk is all about turn to other culture's folklore, like me.

Sorry, but that sounds like a rather weak excuse. Copyright restrictions have most certainly expired (to my best knowledge) for everything written/transcribed no later than 1900, and there are many examples of fine German folk songs (unrecognized in that and like selections) published well before that time (and reshifted into focus by bands like "Zupfgeigenhansel" as early as in the 1960s). German folk tradition has been revived in what is more generically labelled as "folk revival" in depth, and if you listen to bands like "Deitsch," they have much more to offer than "Ännchen von Tharau," yet few of their repertoire is younger than 150 years. There is more than enough perfectly unrestricted material out there.

In all honesty, the tune selection makes my (german) toe nails curl. It's the same dust-covered stereotypical crap they fed me since early childhood almost 60 years ago and made me (and many many others in my generation) turn away from folk and move on to French, American, Irish, English... anything but that. Mind you, it's good music, must be since it has survived centuries. But, no, thanks. There IS a good, meaningful, honest and folkish in the best sense folk tradition in Germany, but I do not see more than a half dozen examples (if at all) of it in that selection. Of course I can not comment about the Swiss selection, the quality of the arrangements and other aspects of the book, but I do not feel any urge to look into that.

Hi JH, I am not too impressed by what I saw in the sample chapters of Judy's book, but I would strongly advise you to be more open towards input from experienced players regarding structured and efficient practicing strategies. During the +-30 years I tried myself (rather unsuccessfully) as a guitarist, I followed a similar attitude as you, but it did not only get me nowhere but, worse, chiseled counter productive habits into my playing which took a long time to iron out. The most important thing to understand is that you get the most benefit in music from listening - not only listening in the literal meaning (listening to music), but also listening to how others who went the same road as you got lost and got out. As for a case in point, "practicing can go on for hours" may be a satisfying and productive thing to do, but a) current research suggests that a brain "digests" anything musical much better with breaks in between repetitions, and b) if you do not pay attention to getting everything - notes, harmonies, rhythm, groove etc - right, chances are that you are milling errenuous playing into your fingers and your brain (btdt).