Frank Edgley

There is some truth to what has been said about the apparent sameness when listening to Irish traditional music. Much of it is the fault of the musicians, who tend to play an overabundance of reels. Most sessions I have participated in, or observed are mostly reels. That can be very satisfying for the musicians as they are really into the genre, but not so for casual observers. There are many types of Irish traditional music: reels, jigs, hornpipes, polkas, slides, barndances, mazurkas, quadrilles, flings, marches, galops, airs, and O'Carolan pieces. This list is taken mostly from the collection "Boss Murphy, Musical Legacy---Irish Music from the Area of North Cork" from Noah' Ark Press, Market House, Churchtown, Mallow, Co. Cork, Ireland, for those of you who might want a copy. Some of these tune types are no longer popular, probably due, in part, to the limitations on allowable tunes at official Comhaltas competitions. (This list of allowable tunes has recently been expanded.) But reels, and to a lesser degree, jigs are fun to play, and often musicians do not give consideration to what will entertain the casual observer, being so much "into" their music they cannot appreciate the point of view of these listeners. One disappointment I had with the Irish Concertina Styles CD is that the tracks do not identify who the various players are with the tracks. The only ones identified with particular tracks are the tracks added which were not in the original LP. Some of the extra tracks added to "The Flowing Tide" have tunes misnamed, as well.

Nice job, Bob. That would make it quite a bit less of a bother. Still all the other deficiencies, but definitely an improvement.

Recently, Alison & Jim Perkins (father & daughter) toured parts of the US with Sean Keane. Those who follow Irish music will probably be familiar with Sean Keane's music, and know that he has been awarded Performer of the Year awards several times. To see part of their performance at the John F. Kennedy Centre of the Performing Arts, copy and paste the following: http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/mil...st_id=KEANESEAN For their last selection, they were joined by Asher Perkins, playing his Edgley concertina.

I agree with Dana that you probably need a valve replacement, although it could be other reasons. This would also probably mean a retuning as well. The valve is the easiest thing to check so I would start by replacing that one valve to start with to see whether that's the problem. If so you can proceed with the total valve replacement. While it's easy enough to replace the valves yourself, the tuning is another matter, so it may be wise to have someone else do the whole job, like the Buttonbox. I'm in no way an expert on accordions, and what "good" accordions use for valves i.e. plastic vs. leather. However, my first couple of concertinas used plastic and I quickly switched over to leather. I found the sound & response much better. The plastic valves, I believe, can restrict the airflow somewhat and have a sound of their own when changing direction on the same button. Leather valves can be more supple on mid-range notes, and the sound of the valve slap can be all but eliminated with the careful application of the small "hair" springs on the lower notes. These come in various thicknesses, and by careful selection should not significantly affect volume, but certainly reduce or eliminate "valve slap." Very high note usually do not have any valves on them, either with accordion type reeds or concertina reeds. Especially with a melodion, where you will be changing direction frequently, I would recommend leather valves.

This could be a situation where the pad over one hole is raising slightly more than over the other, allowing more sound etc. to come out. You could try putting another button damper under the button of the "brighter" note. This would reduce the sound and brightness of that note. Just a suggestion, one easily done and undone.

Concertinas are not alone in having slightly different sounds for the same note / different position. Notes played on violins (fiddles) sound quite a bit different depending whether they are played with open strings, or played in third position etc. for example. This is perhaps more noticable with a violin than most concertinas. Unless it is so noticable as to become irksome, I wouldn't worry about it.

Differences in musical preferences, I can appreciate. However, the original post seems more like musical, if not ethnic arrogance A joke, perhaps? Such wit!

For future reference... A crisp new piece of paper money, such as a dollar bill, etc. works well, as it is less likely to tear off during the cleaning process.

JIM: "In my opinion, no sound engineer is better than a bad one." FRANK: I definitely agree. Most of the time you get someone used to rock bands. Since rock bands are often guitar centred, they crank up the guitars to the point that you can't hear anyone else. Then, if you stop playing because of an arrangement in the music, they turn off your mike entirely. When you do come in (as planned) there's nothing there. You're usually better off to set the levels yourself, before the gig, and make minor alterations , if needed. Tell the "sound engineer" to go have a beer.

If you're happy with black, interfacing material from the local fabric shop is ideal. It is fairly stiff and about the correct density of weave.

Thank you, Rhomylly!

Sending by mail would not my first choice. Something like UPS or FEdEx seems better as you can put more insurance on it than with the post office. Sending by one of the aforementioned couriers should be about the same price whether sent from Canada or the USA. The problem with undervaluing the declaration is (among other reasons) that if the instrument is lost or damaged, you would only receive the declared (insured) value. The relative strength of the pound & euro, compared to the dollar still makes the prices of Edgleys, Tedrows, Morses and Herrintons competitive in price with the European makers.

I am planning to make a reed order for baritone reeds, soon. Since I can't afford to order large numbers of sets, I am only planning to order the number actually needed for current orders. If you are interested, please let me know by e-mail as soon as possible, and I will increase the order to cover your instrument. Delivery time should be 4-6 months.

I agree--an excellent player on a great sounding box.

Thanks, Bill. As to the size, it's a 6 1/8 inch hexagonal instrument. I may be wrong, but many other baritones are much larger, and I don't know of any others smaller than 6 1/4 inches, so I was pleased to be able fit it all into 6 1/8 inches!

Rich: " No gasketing - as inboard concertina reeds tend to be - make them quite pitch-stable." Frank: When I started making concertinas around seven years ago, I spoke to Colin Dipper on the phone about it. His recommendation was to use a gasket between the reed and reed pan, "for better tone." Italian and English reeds have different characteristics, and should be dealt with differently. I told him I was doing just that, not just for tone, but for a better seal, ensuring the maximum efficiency of the reed. I use a leather made for the purpose, and obtain it from an organ supply outlet. Tuning has not been a problem. However, I suppose that some materials could be used that would cause a problem. It could also be the quality of the Stagi reeds which adds to the situation, as well.

It was about 15 years ago that I brought my comcertina to Ireland. I had quite a job finding sessions then, although I did find a few. When in Clare I tried to hook up with Chris Droney, but he was on the way to a funeral and wee were just passing through. He suggested I go to the Royal Spa (pub)in Lisdoonvarna as his son, Francis, would be leading the session that night. During the session, he asked me if I had been to any other sessions since being in Ireland, and I said I had played in one in Dingle (county Kerry). He said, "I suppose they play things like jigs, hornpipes and polkas there?" That night, I believe the only time we played anything other than reels is when I started them. He was kind enough to join in, however.

Thanks, Craig for the great review. This has taken me quite a while to come up with, and Craig was kind enough to test drive it for me. I recorded Craig playing one of his own compositions and I will get it onto my website as soon as I can get my son to put it on for me. (Computers are not one of my skills) I wanted someone who plays a top maker's baritone concertina to play it and give me his honest critique. Last week Asher Perkins played it all night at our local Comhaltas meeting along with a fiddler, and I should have taped that as well. He played a series of jigs and reels up to speed, and the difference in pitch really sounded nice. Usually concertina and fiddle, playing at the same pitch tend to sound similar tonally, but this was really remarkable. I'm pleased that I was able to get this all into a 6 1/8 inch body. Thanks again Craig!

Dirt does accumulate on the reeds, but I'm not sure that you can blow off what accumulates, otherwise Dave's comment would apply. However, what is there can be wiped off. I once had a reed that appeared to be slightly out of tune. Just before I tuned it I noticed thet there was a greyish area near the base of the reed. It wiped off with tissue, and I used paper under the tongue to clean the other side. When I put it into the instrument, it was no longer out of tune.

What you describe still seems like the action is too low. This behaviour seems to be more common on the pull than the push, in my expeience. When you try to raise the elevation it may take more than one try if the steel is very resilient. Look at the end of the reed tongue before you begin bending. after each attempt, check to see whether there is a difference. If not, do it again. A small rise will make a difference, so don't overdo it.

I can attest to the concertina revival in N. America, at least with the Irish community. I have been attending the Midwest Fleadh Cheoil (qualifying competition for the All-Ireland) for about 12 years. When I first started to attend, perhaps there was one other concertina player, but often not. This last weekend, there were contests in all four age divisions with perhaps 15 - 20 competitors. The level of performance was also very good to excellent!

I have a new DVD coming out soon. I'm just waiting for the graphics for the cover label, and insert to be done. Hopefully, it will be ready in a month or so. From the basics to playing with embellishments & chords.

I have just finished a brand new anglo concertina. It is a Wheatstone C/G, articulated non-tarnishing metal ends, and made of solid pao ferro. This is a beautiful wood, which is a type of rosewood. The customer who ordered it had to cancel due to financial difficulties, and so I am offering it here. Please contact me for details, price etc. This is a chance to get a new Edgley without the usual six month wait, perhaps in time for a summer worshop.

After responding to several enquiries over the past few years, and saying, "No," I have finally gotten down to making baritones. The first one came off the bench on Firday, and I played it at a gig on Saturday. I am very happy with the sound and response. In fact, I used it to play a couple of reels. Anyone interested could contact me.

Accordion reed or concertina reed, the pricipal is the same. It does sound like the reed tongue elevation may be too low. Be cautious. Better to bend too little 10 times until you get it right, than to overbend it, once.