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Frank Edgley

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Everything posted by Frank Edgley

  1. I know the tune "Sir Sydney Smith's March and have to say it's a great tune. I've just finished reading Master & Commander by O'Brien (not at all like the movie), and Sir Sydney Smith is mentioned towards the end of the book. No background on him, though. Anyone?
  2. Recent changes include raised metal ends, sterling silver plating, and stainless steel grills. These are all options available on my concertinas. I am also building a really nice G/D concertina ---great tone and plays as fast as any C/G instrument. I just had to have one and recently spent the time to make one for myself. Hopefully, pics will be on the website soon. Also, any concertina players within driving distance of Goderich, Ontario are invited to a concertina weekend the last weekend of March. Contact me for details. I will have my oak, Celtic Lion G/D there for anyone to try.
  3. I'd agree with Paul, here. In my early experience playing the anglo I did OK playing sitting down, but playing standing up was next to impossible. I never practise or play standing up, but as my skill developed sitting down, I suddenly found that I could play reasonably well standing.
  4. Good question, Jim. Actually, the numbers are to specify which A, B, C etc. is being named. Without going into a lot of detail, the higher the number, the higher the note, going one up in number for each semitone. The basic 20 buttons are pretty standard for an anglo concertina. The numbers on the diagram will tell how the extra notes relate to each other. No, there is no high F# ( which you would find on the R-1-5 button of a standard 30 button), because you (at least I) rarely, if ever, use it. Most Irish music falls within the fiddle range, in first position---rarely above the B, which is the R (ight)-1 (st row)-2 (nd) button.
  5. (Sorry, I pressed the wrong key.) Caj: "You know when I said that the average push- and pull-notes on my layout are 6 half steps apart? That really means that about half of the buttons are 5 half-steps apart, and the other half are about 7 half-steps apart." Reply: Could you clarify this? I'm not sure what you mean. The G/A is two half steps, B/C is one. I know some are more, like the D/F#, but am I misunderstanding what you mean?
  6. Clive: "Frank, my question about tuning chamber sizes just occurred to me as I typed up my experience with my one and only concertina. I hope it didn't come over as an aggressive contradiction of what you had said.: Reply: Not at all. Caj: "Now, this means that each reed chamber is just the same size as (well, just a bit smaller than) the aluminum reed block screwed down to it. There is no tweaking of chamber size, at least not as far as I can tell." Reply: Well, actually, though not optimal, the longer reeds have longer chambers and thus have a greater volume (of space, not sound volume). Caj: "
  7. JIM: "This occurred to me, too, but then I thought of the two lowest notes in the left-hand middle (on a 30-button) row, which are 7 half steps apart (C-G, G-D, etc.). So I wonder." Good point, Jim. I'm not sure either, but the examples are notes which are usually played in isolation, rather than in a sequence of notes in a melody line. In other words, the examples given (the thumb button, and the low C/G note in the L-2-1 button) are bass notes used primarily for chords etc. I would suspect that if the notes in the melody note range were so far apart the balance may be uneven. Of course, Colin can probably manage anything with a concertina .
  8. "So this won't be a simple matter of retuning the reeds of an accordion-reeded anglo, for which push- and pull-notes are often only 1 or 2 half steps apart." Reply: This presents a problem. Because the reed chamber size should be optimised for the size of the reed, having two reeds so far apart in pitch sharing the same chamber is not a good thing. I'm not sure that a concertina would perform satisfactorily with notes 6 half steps apart on the same button. Certainly, it would play, but I have a feeling that it would not play well, with either slow reed response and / or tone.
  9. Ken, Just wanted to let you know that there was some problem responding to your e-mail. That's why I posted it instead of responding to you directly. To Helen and Rhomylly, thanks for the "heads up". I'll start preparing now!
  10. Colin told me he usually makes the buttons about 1/10th of an inch above the grills when depressed.
  11. Dear Ken, The dates for the Goderich Celtic College are Aug. 9 - 13. Most people arrive on Sunday (Aug 8th), and stay until the week-end festival (Aug 15th). So far, I am the only concertina teacher, but there are others to be named. This is a great week, with over 50 instructors, mostly in instrumental music, but also with classes in singing,Irish language, cooking, Celtic artwork, blacksmithing, stone carving etc. for spouses who may or may not play an instrument. There are free concerts every night, by musicians who will be appearing on the weekend, slow jam and sessions. Last year, performers included Dervish, Davey Spillane, Sean Keane, Gearoid OhAllmuirhain, and many others. The school is a real steal at $230 US per person, and local accomodations are quite reasonable. At this summer school, the teachers and performers are the most accessible of any I have attended. Check out the website at www.celticfestival.ca .
  12. Concertina with Scottish Highland pipes is not a fair contest. A much better combination would be concertina with scottish smallpipes or Northumbrian smallpipes. They're both very sweet sounding with volume matching the concertina.
  13. Your slow response could be caused by one of two different reasons, but more information is needed. As Jim correctly stated, the problem is most likely because of incorrect "elevation" of the reed tongue. 1. If the tongue is elevated too high above the surface of the reed frame it will be slow to start to play if played softly. The correction would be to push the tongue down through the slot of the reed frame until the elevation is lower when the reed is at rest. 2 If the tongue is too low (most likely the cause) the reed will "stall" or not start immediately at higher (or even normal) pressures. The solution is to raise the elevation of the tongue of the reed by inserting a stiff backed razor blade under the reed and lifting. or bending upward. The amount of effort needed to do this depends on the quality of the steel in the reed. Some Lachenal and Wheatstone reeds are not as "springy" and take the new position quite easily. Other reeds, like Dipper, Jeffries and the newer Italian reeds often need quite a bit of lifting or lowering for them to take on the new set. If you decide to try it yourself just make sure you do things slowly, taking note of the original set of the reed. Small adjustments are better than big ones, especially if you're not sure of the "springiless" of the reed. Reeds with less springiness often need to be elevated more than those with more "springiness". Trial and error, and SMALL incremental adjustments are the way to go. As frightening as it seems to see the reed bend so, it will not break unless the reed already has a hairline crack. (Within reason, of course)
  14. "Goran:This time I do NOT question what you found...:-) But I have to remind you that I have said many times that the say 5-10 minutes you possibly tried (?? or looked at??...I was not present...) are not sufficient to give any sort of knowledge about the possible ussefulness for you ( or anyone....) Can you judge the quality of a pair of shoes having the 'on' for 5 minutes? Can you judge the usefulness of a car from driving 50 yards? And something you Jim will never accept: A complete novice on the concertina would get a more sensible 'quick impression' from different types handles than any old dog of "experienced" player would...." Goran Rahm RESPONSE: Absolute rubbish. Goran, the reason most us us bother to comment on your pseudo-intellectual diatribes is that we consider this forum to be a source of information, especially for newcomers, not a source of misinformation. We may all be incorrect fom time to time, but you will never admit it. In fact, when confronted by a strong argument, yours become increasingly incomprehensible. Again, the old "Baffle them with B*******" technique.
  15. I would caution everyone to be VERY careful. I recently put a (demo) 24 button up for sale on E-Bay. I had, at that time made only three, of which I had one and I knew where the other 2 were. Someone who had bid on my instrument sent me an e-mail saying he had been contacted by someone (I think with a Spanish e-mail) saying he had an Edgley 24 button and he would sell it much cheaper. (I forget the amount). I knew this was impossible and the person who contacted me said he was going to report it. I can invision someone sending a money order out and never seeing hide nor hair of concertina or money again. Besides dealing with reputable people, or those you know, I don't know how to avoid these thieves and con men .
  16. Regarding your "impression" of you 1:23 posting, I don't think you really get it. All of us (concertina builders) aim for the best possible instrument we can build in terms of sound and appearance, and still be within the reach financially of most of us (NOT the same as cheap). It IS a matter of customer demand as well as our own pride in our product. Are we "slaves" to tradition as you suggest? Only as much as demand. As you can see from my website, I have made several custom-ordered concertinas with very unusual finishes. And yet, I believe they conform to what a concertina is. Your drawing (sketches) of oblong instruments of larger size, means of reed attachment and placement, different buttons and spacing, and handle positions etc. do not---at least what most concertina purchasers consider concertinas. Your drawings and suggestion for design do REALLY seem more like accordions than concertinas. All well and good, but don't consider they are the same instrument, any more than Northumbrian pipes and Scottish small pipes are the same instrument. Maybe we could call your development a "Gorancertina". A fine instrument in its own right, related to concertina, and other free reed instruments, but not the same thing. BTW, how have the bandoneon and Chemnitzer people resopnded to your ideas? The Gorancertina is certainly closer to those designs and may not evoke such resistance.
  17. All these discussions are a bit silly. you have all these ideas for "reforming" the concertina. What you are proposing is just so different from what we CHOOSE to play it becomes a different, if related instrument - no longer the instrument we have chosen to play. It's as foolish as saying to a Highland piper that they are playing an inferior instrument than, say, Uillean pipes. After all, the uillean pipes are bellows blown (with no moist breath problems) and have a range of more than nine notes. You can also play them sitting down. And yet, many , many people CHOOSE to play Highland pipes, because when it is all said and done, they LOVE the instrument with all its quirks and shortcomings. Ther have been many improvements to Highland pipes over the recent years, and yet they remain, in appearance and sound exactly the same. Any improvement cannot change the appearance, size, sound, portability etc etc without becoming something that it is not. In fact, by harping on and on about it, and insulting the instrument (and therefore those who CHOOSE to play it), it could be considered RUDE - at the very least insensitive!
  18. Goran, are you familiar with Irish bagpipes? They, like concertinas, have reeds, and bellows, and, of course you are intimately familiar with the "drone". That's the part that keeps on with the same note, continuously!
  19. Probably you will regret it, as some individuals, unable to convince the world with the "brilliance" of their arguments, prefer to try to convince others with the sheer volume of their verbiage. ( IOW If you can't convince them with brilliance , baffle them with B*******, or something like that.) A point of view, no matter how incorrect, if repeated often enough, will undoubedly convince some. (As you probably have figured out), I agree with you .
  20. Just as I suspected. Sure, as you say, I would sign a contract with you if you could design a concertina which: -looked like a concertina* -sounded like a concertina* -was the size of the usual (*English-style) concertina (6 - 6 1/4inches) -was as portable as a concertina* -had your stated size buttons -had your design handles -was as playable as a traditonal concertina -could live up to your claims Provided it was: -a completely new design and not a rip-off of someone else's -I decided to make it But you can't. What you have been designing with your non-specific design concepts already exists. Call it what you wish---Bandonian, Chemnitzer, Button accordion.
  21. My dear Goran. It would seem that when "push comes to shove", your concepts will never become anything other than concepts. Oops, let me correct that. You want a rectangular box, using accordion reeds mounted in oblique banks of reeds, and not necessarily sounding like a concertina. Hmm, it seems as though I've seen instruments like this before. Could it be that you have invented the accordion, or at least the Chemnitzer, or maybe the Bandonian??? Congratulations. Seriously, now, I gave you the opportunity to give credence to your theories with solid, concrete, measurable facts in the way of drawings. If you can't be bothered to do that, how in the world do you expect anyone to take your ideas seriously. You state: Goran:"You probably understand that I will not waste time in a complete construction drawing as not intending to make a 'product' myself and being a 'constructor' yourself i guess you share my view that IF you were making something alike you probably use materials you have and just go ahead making parts of it to find out tolerances in practise if you don't know them beforehand." Response : No, actually, I wouldn't just go ahead "making parts..." Without a good idea they would actually fit, it would not only be a waste of my time, but also my money. This is not "conservatism," but just common sense. For someone so passionate about your theories, you seem reluctant to do anything other than just blow smoke rings. I am disappointed!
  22. Thank you for the drawings, Goran. However, the reason I wanted actual scale drawings was to see if your design suggestions would actually work. I also said something about maintaining characteristics of the concertina, such as size, portability, sound etc. I would quote myself, but can't find that post. Now that I have gone to "Reply mode", I can no longer see your drawings either, but with the size buttons you suggest, I can't see how the mechanism would work out. i.e. where each mechanism would route from button to vent hole and where the fulcrum for each note would be located. Also, putting the reeds in "Stagi-type" oblique banks would enable you to put more reeds into an instrument, but would have to be inset from the edge by the depth of the bellows fold, at least. As well, the bellows frame would have to be deeper so that these banks of reeds would not hit each other when the bellows was in a closed position. Putting this many reeds into a hexagonal instrument would be even more difficult. However, we are both talking in very general ways, or at least still conceptually. The only way to see how it would all work would be precise, scale drawings . These would have to include mechanisms, buttons, bellows (showing depth of folds), reed placement (including appropriate sizes).
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