AndyNT

Barleycorn Concertinas is always a good place to start for a fair priced quality vintage instrument. Give Chris Algar a call.

.......and after starting this thread, I did eventually invest in some, and I'm very happy with their performance for ceilidhs etc I attach the mics to the straps of my Kensington anglo using their 'saddle-clips'. As I play standing, I use the belt clip on the preamp with then lead then going to a muting DI box. This avoids the need to keep turning the preamp off, whenever I switch to playing the melodeon, and so invariably changing the gain setting when I switch back again! Looking at Doug's pics, it is interesting to see that his mics appear to plug in to the preamp. On mine, they are hard-wired in.

I'm an occasional hobbyist leatherworker! I use a piece of kitchen worktop offcut (a composite material similar to marble) for skiving. It is very flat and solid. I've glued thin leather to back of it to stop it slipping on the table or work surface. Over the years, I've tried a variety of knives and skivers with mixed success for thinning edges. I've found a simple angled knife works best for me. It needs to be really sharp, and stropped very regularly during use. I practise on scraps of leather for a while to test the blade sharpness, and get the skiving angle and 'feel' right before attacking the workpiece.

I think you'll soon become frustrated with the limitations of a 20 button Anglo. A 30 key Anglo is really needed to give you the ability to play in multiple keys and offer choices of fingering. Have you investigated the English or Duet system concertinas? They are often more natural choices for a 'seasoned classical' musician as they are chromatic by design whereas the Anglo is a diatonic instrument at heart. You will also find English and Duets tend to be more affordable i.e. much better instrument for the same budget. BTW Irish trad music can be played well on any type of concertina, it doesn't need an Anglo!

Yes! Either is valid, most players do both at different times. Releasing the button between each note can give a crisper staccato sound with clear space between the notes. Holding the button down and just using the bellows reversal tends to give a muddier legato sound IMHO. The sound difference is most noticeable when playing longer notes.

This CD-ROM publication has been republished as a book by Rollston Press and I've just bought a copy. I was unaware of its existence until a recent mention of the publication in another thread. It is a fascinating read, focusing on Anglo concertina players playing for dance up to about 1920, with lots of QR codes (100+) linking to relevant recordings, many of them historic. Geographically, Dan tracks how things developed in England, Ireland, Australia and South Africa. This book reveals the early history of our instrument as a fascinating story which has been largely forgotten with today's focus on playing 'Irish-style' or 'Harmonic' style. Highly recommended !!!!!!

What an interesting book, I need to get that for the music links!!

When I was researching makers a year ago, all of the ones I looked at/contacted offered both Jeffries and Wheatstone layout 30 key instruments. As the main market for many of them is ITM players, Jeffries layout or a slight variant was often their default C/G. I ended up buying a lovely G/D Kensington from Dana with a slightly tweaked Wheatstone layout to match my G/D Norman. I'd definitely recommend speaking to Dana as his pricing for new instruments is attractive, even after the additional costs of importing it to the UK. And his lead times were significantly shorter than many new instrument makers. When comparing new instrument makers, it is worth looking closely to see how much they actually make. For example, some will make everything including the reeds, others will use factory made reeds from Harmonikas. Enjoy your search

Definitely speak to Andrew Norman at AC Norman

Here's my 'brain dump' after having virtual lessons on both melodeon and anglo concertina in recent years, after being self-taught over many decades. Firstly, be familiar with the technology you'll be using - Zoom, Skype, etc,. Set it up some time before your lesson, and make sure it works!! Importantly, check camera position e.g. will the teacher be able to see your hands (more important than your smile!!)? Remember, the lesson is for your benefit! A good teacher will ask you what you want to achieve from the lessons, what is your goal? As it is your first lesson, the teacher will almost certainly ask you to play something so that they can assess where you are on the learning curve. So prepare/practise a couple of favourite tunes that you are very comfortable with. They will also want to know about your musical background - can you read music? can you learn by ear? what type of music do you want to play? do you play other instruments? etc etc Don't be afraid to ask questions and take plenty of notes. Some teachers will provide a summary after each lesson, others will let you record the lesson - ask. The real hard work comes after the lesson when you need to practise and practise before the next one. All music teachers are different, with their own style and personality. Hopefully you will get on well with this teacher, but if you feel you are just not on the same musical wavelength, then find a new one! For example, a music teacher used to working with children will typically have a fixed learning path for them (perhaps via music exams), whereas a good music teacher working with adults should be a lot more flexible to the path an individual pupil wants to take. Finally, enjoy it!!! It will not be as scary as you think

Look for opportunities in your current repertoire of dances to come into the set and then leave it. Border dances often have a static sticking chorus (dangerous!) followed by moving figures with far fewer clashes (relatively safe!). Joining in just for a hey or circle or whatever could work well. Also think about introducing a new dance to the repertoire to enable you to dance and play. For example, I've seen one or two Border sides dance Upton-upon-Severn Hanky to give their performances some variety. Best of luck!

I've just PM-ed you as well. I know Andrew Norman, Marcus and Edward Jay will all make new G/D hybrid instruments. However if he had asked any of the Irish makers then they are focused on C/G only. Also Barleycorn currently have a number of G/D vintage instruments in stock. Not sure who your friend has been speaking to!!

Thanks Wes The label hole is oval and was lacking a label when I bought it in the 80s. I can upload pics of the ends and the internal pencil marks if they would be useful.

Could you please help date my 32 key, metal-ended, metal button Anglo? The serial is 176651. There is written in pencil on both ends - S.A. , 2674 , G.T. , 27-8-47. I presume this points to previous Salvation Army ownership. And instrument has subsequently been retuned to G/D at some point. Thank you

Where are you based? Different countries have different leather merchants.

I'm looking at potentially buying Myers Feather-2 mics to use with my Anglo. The two gooseneck mics attach to each wrist strap using a velcro strap and special clip which are both supplied. Does anyone have any personal experience of using these mics which are marketed specifically for use with concertinas, bandoneons, etc ? They will be used for ceilidh band playing, rather than recording. My current mic solution using tieclip mics will not work with wooden or nickel silver ends as it uses neodymium magnets to hold them in place. And I would prefer not to be sticking velcro or similar mounting materials to my concertinas. Thanks.

It would definitely be worth contacting Identity Leathercraft (https://identityleathercraft.com/) in Matlock and discussing exactly what is needed. They source and stock a wide range of leathers. Importantly, one of the founders, Dr. Peter Laight was Tech Director at Pittards for about 25 years and has very wide knowledge of all things leather.

I've always used 3 - capital plus number e.g. C4, when defining notes on an instrument I'm ordering. I find it easy to read and less prone to misunderstanding.

Marcus did build a prototype G/D 20 key model for Stephen Rowley earlier this year. He called it the 'Kimber' model, however it was unclear whether it was Traveller size or larger.

Your tool is great, Michael!! I do have one question. Is there a way to insert section headings into the Table of Contents? We are building a couple of tunebook which will be separated into tune genre (e.g. morris dance traditions) and it would be nice to add relevant headings into the tunebook. I've found adding 'dummy' tunes with just the minimum tags does work, but wondered if there was a more elegant way!

That sounds like a 1920s one row melodeon/button accordion, rather than a concertina. You may therefore also find assistance and guidance over on the melodeon.net forum.

If it is reasonably new, I'd speak to Irish Concertina Company. They should be best able to advise as they made it.

As a morris dancer and musician, I would definitely swap around the top two. Rhythm is the pulse of the dance, and must come first. Playing loud, but not in the right rhythm can/will cause havoc!

I own and play both a vintage Lachenal and a AC Norman (both G/D). Anthony James learnt his skills working for Andrew Norman and his anglo concertinas are quite similar. Playing at home, I prefer the tone of the Lachenal, particularly at the very low end where the accordion reeds of the Norman can start sound more 'harsh'. However for morris and in sessions, I will play the Norman. It is more responsive, definitely louder and generally feels more robust and positive. (One is 90+ years older than the other!) My personal view is that a 30 key Lachenal would be a great instrument to start with. They have a nice sound and will hold their value. And I would buy from a dealer such as Barleycorn, rather than privately as you then know the instrument will be in good shape and arrive with some form of warranty. And then as you progress on your concertina, you will decide what you want next!

Effective use of the bellows to bring life to a tune is a key skill for all concertina ptlyers,IMHO. Arguably, you get some of that 'for free' on an Anglo, but it is much more than just bellows reversal. They can shape every note and give space between them. They are a key part of the concertina sound and not just an air pump!