Long Haired David

Actually, listening to the final recording, as shown in the image attached, although they show up as different, they sound almost the same to the ear. Hmmm. I attach the mp3. What do you think? bc button.mp3

I have a problem with my new 30 button C/G Lachenal. The B/C button the C row/ right hand side sounds quite soft against other keys. Mike Acott has had a look and has replaced the reed. However, it still sounds soft to me. I am beginning to think it is my brain but I thought I might ask if there was anything else that could cause this? I attach an image from Garageband where you can see the BC on the C line followed by the BC on G line (left hand). You can clearly see how the volume is different. Apart from this, it plays really nicely.

As you say. Nicely polished to look a bit like rosewood, though.

I don't notice any reduction but as I only play for my own amusement (!) then it is OK.

Wood fretwork, bone buttons, steel reeds - not sure of original count but now has 6 fold bellows. I understand that is standard for Chris Algar.

I have sorted my problem. I am lucky enough to live close to Mike Acott who has supplied me with a very nice piece of soft white leather. I am attaching it using UHU glue and little cork pads. I can see the places where the original pads were sited so I am using them as a guide.

I know that it isn't an exact science but it is interesting to have a guide, if possible. I have just exchanged my 20 button Lachenal (serial 74298) for a nice 30 button Lachenal from Barleycorn Concertinas. Buried on the inside is a stamp with 124088. Can anyone give me a clue as to the age of this one? David

I have been playing a 20 button C/G Lachenal for about 6-7 years and got on really well with it. I play mostly 1900 - 1930s type music making lots of adjustments for the accidentals that I don't have. I play single melody and, with only 5 bellows, have never tried seriously to play chords (not enough puff!). I have now swapped it for a 30 button C/G Lachenal which has the first two rows in the same place and all those nice accidentals on the top row (or bottom depending on your point of view). Now, I have a question about fingering. I am getting on very nicely with the first three button on the left hand so G G# A A#/Bb. What I can't figure out is how to play the right hand notes. I am finding moving between C, C# D D# very clumsy. Now, assuming that I have my index finger on the C and the 2nd finger on the E, etc. which finger should I use to get across to the third row? Not well explained but some tips would be helpful. David

My daughter is big into crafts so I will ask her advice. She might have some! Thanks David

It's a C/G. Thanks. I will have a look around and see what I have.

Yesterday I travelled over 200 miles to Barleycorn Concertinas (Chris Algar) to swap my 20 button C/D Anglo Lachenal (with a 74xxx serial number) for a 30 button equivalent. I now have a very nice 30 button Lachenal but it differs from my old one in one respect. When you looked at the old one, there was a red sheet of paper(??) behind the fretwork so that you couldn't see the pads etc. My new one doesn't have that so a) I can see all of the works and b) I can feel the air coming out on my hands (which I didn't notice before). I realise that this is done to increase the volume but I play solely for my own pleasure and thus the volume doesn't matter. I had another concertina from a different supplier just for a couple of weeks and in that time some fluff got into one of the pads stopping the C# from sounding. I have never had this happen with my old concertina and I am sure that it is because of the lack of this element. Finally, I get to it. My question is what material should I use to put behind the fret work to make it look and sound like my old one? I attach a photo of my new instrument.

I have a very nice 20 key C/G Anglo Lachenal that dates back (depends on who you talk to) to either 1925 or 1885. I am very pleased with it and have had it for about 7 years. I am looking to purchase a 30 key C/D which has to match my existing concertina in terms of sound quality. I have a budget of close to £1,000. I attach an image of my current instrument for comparison purposes. Hobgoblin have one for £750 but it has brass reeds so will probably not meet the sound test against my steel reed 20 key. Does anyone have anything for sale that might meet my needs? I might consider a part exchange, in which case my budget is somewhat higher. I live in Ipswich, UK but can travel a reasonable distance to try out. David

Does it need any work? I have to convince "she who must be obeyed" which could be difficult. My wish for a new instrument doesn't always coincide with her budget decisions - smile. David

Basically I can play in F and D by transposing as I go but after that I get a bit confused as I play so there is a lot of music out there that I cannot play without using ABC to input it and then transpose it using that.

Hello everyone. I have a1928 (or maybe 1878 depending on how you read the serial number) refurb Lachenal 20 key C/G Anglo. I would really like to be able to play tunes in other keys so would like to move to a 30 key. The problem is that I can't afford what I like and don't like what I can afford - typical dilemma. I have a budget up to £500 (if I had to I could throw in my Lachenal which would probably add another £300 to the pot but I am reluctant to do that). So, do I give up or can anyone suggest something thatI might like - up against the sound of my current concertina. As an aside, I went into a Hobgoblin and tried some Stagis but my wife winced at the sound so that route is out. David

I used to play a 5 string banjo and that had a drone. This is what I get on my concertina. One of the bass notes plays whenever I push.

I have a nice 20 key C/G Lachenal with a 74xxx serial number so well over 100 years old. It was refurbished before I bought it. I have had it for about 5 years now. Recently, it has started leaking air through two notes - one on the left hand and one on the right. I have taken the left hand side apart but cannot see any difference between the reed that is leaking from the others. I tried resettling the felt blanking piece and the pad attached to the button and put it back together but the problem is still there. Can anyone give me any suggestions as to what to try? Thanks David

I think you are right. I sometimes find that when I start to congratulate myself for doing well, I instantly go wrong. Concentrate, concentrate. I also think that playing solely for yourself (and an uncritical wife who just enjoys hearing me play) means that I relax a little too much. I was recently learning the soprano sax and was having lessons. I found that when I played for my tutor I almost never got a wrong note. Thanks for the interest

I have been playing my Lachenal Anglo for about 6 years and enjoy playing it very much. However, I get very irritated because I don't seem to be able to play any tune consistently without making stupid mistakes. 4 times through out of 5 it will go fine but then I will make a silly fingering mistake and get upset with myself. As an example, I have posted a video on Youtube of me playing "The Darktown Strutter's Ball". The first time through, fairly slowly, I make a few mistakes and then the second time, speeding up a bit, I get it pretty much right. Why? Any suggestions would be helpful. http://youtu.be/BzHG1m4uObY

You can download some free software called Audacity. It runs on Windows or Macs. Load your backing track and go to the Effect Menu. Choose "Change Tempo" and you are able to slow down the track without changing the pitch of the music. I find that very useful when playing new songs against a backing track (on my Soprano Sax - not my Concertina, I must add). You can get it from: http://audacity.sourceforge.net David Lachenal 20 Key Anglo Serial No. 74298

Thank you for those kind thoughts. I will get a short video together showing what I play and post a link here soon. Again, thanks to everyone who contributed. David

When I tried a 30 button Anglo, I found that the two normal rows were slightly misplaced and a bit closer together. I think I am getting beyond the point where I even want to bother. As I said, I enjoy playing the one I have and my wife's opinion is important to me. She says that she likes it the way it is. I have other things I could do with the money (like my model railway) and as a pensioner on a fixed income I have to sometimes make do and mend. So,apart from paying out around £750 minimum or spending lots of time learning new layouts, the status quo looks good. Thanks for the thought though.

I have contacted Chris Agar but I am becoming increasingly convinced that I should stay with the status quo and be happy with what I have. This is certainly the opinion of my wife who (reputedly) enjoys what she hears now and thinks that I will be unhappy having to re-lean all the button positions etc. David

I have currently a length of tinned copper wire doing the job. Inelegant but serviceable. I have ordered a pair of strap guides from Concertina Spares. Thanks for the link. Thanks for the help. David

Thanks for all the comments. One thing is a given. I am giving up on the sax. It didn't work out for me. Although I play the Anglo in the simplest manner, I enjoy it very much and want to keep going with it. I made an agreement with my wife that, after 6 months, either the sax or the Anglo would go. The Anglo to finance part of the sax if I kept it. I enjoy the music I play and appreciated how easy it was to play the right notes (even in the right order to quote Eric Morcambe) on the sax but wasn't prepared to wait as long as it took me on the Anglo to get to a point where I could close my eyes and get immersed in the tune. I will look into 26 and 28 keyed instruments. My son in law has suggested that I look at rewriting the problem tunes a little by looking at the chord around the accidentals and seeing if there is another note I can play that make sense. As I said, I can play in C and G plus F and B flat (by mental transposition). That covers the keys of most of the cheat music that I have for traditional jazz music excepting C sharp so I guess I will end up having lost some money on the Sax and carrying on enjoying myself with some little frustrations. All in all, that isn't a bad place to be. I could still be playing the £75 monstrosity I started out with! David