Susanne

I may be a bit repetitive, here's the same question as I posted last year. We're soon in April (thank goodness), the month of the SSI. Who'll be there this year? Will there be any fellow anglo players? I'm looking forward to the big weekend!

Good news!! I also began worrying about you, I sent an e-mail in november-ish. Glad to know you're well and I hope your computer is now too?

Hi all, For those who don't know me, I play a C/G anglo concertina, Jeffries layout. I'm somewhere near the lower end of the intermediate level. A friend of mine wants me to play on a CD she is going to record. She sings most things in keys that aren't particularly compatible with mandolins or C/G concertinas, so eventually I decided to stick with the mandolin (using a capo!!! what a shame!) but I thought that it would be possible to play those keys (because of the accidental row) if you're just competent enough with the instrument, but I didn't even find all the notes of the scale.. So you anglo pros, is it possible to play in B flat on the C/G anglo? I never found the E flat note. What about C#? (I haven't tried that yet but I'm not very hopeful)

Let me know if you need it recorded.

Thanks to everyone for a very nice weekend as usual. I'm sorry I left rather abruptly without getting the time to say goodbye to everyone but it was of course nice to meet you all (I know that everyone isn't on this forum). I managed to make it to Trollhättan in time for our Irish session, which was good as always, with the exception maybe that the new guy who plays the guitar sings everything in E. It was a real pity that Daniel didn't come this year, when there were so many melodeon players and generally many who wanted to learn Scandinavian tunes. I told him that, and will do my best to convince him for next year...

Sebastian, I believe anyone with an interest in any type of concertina will be welcome and fit in. I'm quite incompetent on a 30 button anglo (but love playing it), but still find that I am very welcome and enjoy myself a lot among all the EC players. I'd be interested in seeing your 20 button concertina. Is it an anglo? My husband who doesn't even play the concertina (but plays the melodeon) has been there a couple of times.

I've been looking forward to the big weekend since I realised I'll have that weekend off. Who else is going?

As soon as I started having more time to play, the TOTM died . I enjoy projects of that sort a lot, but always feel awkward because I don't think I'm good enough to post among the "pros". However, I play more concertina than ever, and have a huge list of Irish tunes to learn.

It's so cool that so many of you have chosen tunes from my home region, and even one from the place where I grew up (Orsa). I don't live there anymore but the region has a special place in my heart. I haven't joined the TOTM for ages but will definitely try to learn something for this month.

It sounds like something Swedish - very pretty. I'll see what I can do with it. I perfectly agree - considering the composer's playing doesn't make me feel restricted to his approach at all. However, listening can be helpful for not missing what is in the tune, but the folk process can't (and shouldn't) be controlled anyways... Best wishes - Wolf I agree with this - if we were restricted to one definite version it wouldn't be trad/folk music. That's another discussion I suppose. But I get upset when I see someone write "that isn't 'tune x' because you didn't play a D there" or similar things (I've seen it happen on You Tube when someone posted a Swedish melodeon tune). Nice recordings all, by the way!

The early June festival is much better and more music-focused than the accordion festival (which isn't in August but in early July, by the way). During the day there's jamming, workshops, and later in the evening concerts, dance, and lots of jamming. The group of people coming there is different than those coming to the accordion festival, where there's some more commercial dance stuff going on all the time, which draws the party animals, I think, and in addition people come there who aren't particularly interested in music but they come there just because they know there's "something happening". The early June festival (which is what is called "Ransäterstämman", while the accordion festival is called "Bälgspel vid landsvägskanten") has been very nice and pleasant every time I've been there, I hope you'll be able to visit some time.

I didn't visit the link, but Ransäter has two festivals, one in early June mainly for fiddlers and the likes, and there there are both concerts and workshops (don't think it's too common with squeezebox workshops there), then in early July there is the huge accordion festival, mainly for chromatic accordions but there usually are some melodeon players there, and other instrumentalists. I personally don't like it much because there's way too much partying going on and I have a hard time finding the right people for jams, but I think if you're more confident it could be nice. For workshops, what do you want to learn? Scandinavian tunes? Technique? For tunes there is the workshop weekend in Vara in early February, where they teach tunes on different instruments, and I'm sure a concertina player would be welcome at the melodeon workshops, and there's a melodeon festival in late July in a little town called Ankarsrum, where they have workshops too. Other festivals you could enjoy are Korröfestivalen (late July), Bingsjöstämman (in early July), Degeberga (mid June), all of them folk/trad. If you're interested in more info, just let me know. I know Degeberga has some workshops going and they are very varied. It's the weekend after Ransäter (the first one) and is down south in Skåne, the surroundings are fantastic there.

I recorded several video clips with my iphone. If I can manage the new version of iMovie without getting crazy, I'll put together a little video with the best of them. Would that be interesting for the website?

It's a lovely tune indeed, one that I should be able to learn. Is D the standard key? I want to learn it in a key that other people usually play it in. Nice job, everyone who contributed so far!

I read about that convention, I can imagine that must have been a great weekend. Good for you about the ebony concertina!!

I don't know but many of the music shops I've been to have some good concertinas or at least some knowledge about them. I remember one of the guys at Custy's music shop in Ennis had quite a few concertinas and he seemed to know what he was talking about. I can imagine Galway would be a good place too.

My husband posted that for me on Facebook. Such a laugh. I wouldn't be surprised if they made one though.

Great! And how nice that you wrote out your name, I wouldn't have guessed who blue eyed sailor was. The bad thing with forum usernames...

I'm really looking forward to the weekend! Who else is going?

Too bad I didn't see this earlier, my husband plays this a lot on the melodeon, and I've almost learned it on the concertina.

Very nice recording. I actually play this tune on the melodeon but have never played it on the concertina. I was reminded of it last weekend at the Scandinavian Squeeze-in though. Maybe will join in this month.

Hahaha, I guess! I'm actually quite sure the Jeffries was in Killarney. It was a rather well known brand however. And by the way, the next time we'll stop by in Miltown Malbay. Actually my husband wants another B/C box and to trade in the one he has. He has a nice box now but think it's a bit too chubby and wants to try some different types (but only Castagnari). But that's a discussion for somewhere else, I guess.

I use my own domains but I've been too inconsistent with them lately, regarding what to use them for, and tend to move files around. I'll try to do better from now on though. My new concertina is a rather unknown one (at least that's my impression when I try to search info on Google), the builder seems to be a Jim Shiels, or at least that is the name of the e-mail address. The company name seems to be A.P James. It was a medium priced but nice concertina, I think he had a Jeffries (or maybe that was in Killarney, at least it was a rather well-known brand in concertina contexts) or something like that, but I really didn't want to pay 3300 euros just like that. I'm very glad for this concertina, and the difference wasn't that big really. I think it may be too quiet for certain situations, but for now it's just perfect, and so much better than the Scarlatti I had... Here's a link where there's a photo of my concertina: http://diddleydiddley.net/concertina-links/ And, I'll go and change the link on the post you mentioned.

Oh, that's well done. But good for the instruments. Instrument aren't happy when they aren't played. By the way, Stephen, it would be nice to visit your music shop some time. I actually bought my new anglo in Clare but I don't know if we ever went to Miltown Malbay that time. Mine is bought at Custy's in Ennis.

That's possible (meaning I have no idea because as previously stated I'm a novice with these things). Haven't you seen it on the inside as well, by the way? I remember you were there in 2009. Patrick, I'm sorry that I always forget where I store certain photos before I remove things. I uploaded the photo here instead. However, I'm sad to say the concertina is now sold, and I'm happy to say it found a new home with a brilliant person and I know he will give it love and care and play it often. But, you always need another instrument, don't you?