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StephenTx

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Everything posted by StephenTx

  1. Roger, I have joined ICA and I think the scholarship idea is a fantastic one. How is this funded?
  2. Geoff, Forty years is quite an accomplishment. I think the role model is a fantastic idea. I wonder if we might get Justin Bieber interested. I know from my discussion with Pauline de Snoo she is engaging younger people too. It must boil down to being a home based effort.
  3. Stephen, the 'Geoff' on this site who has a three (or more) generation involvement with Concertina making and repairing would be Geoff Crabb , not me.It was from Geoff Crabb's father that I bought my first good concertina. But I have been playing (and fixing concertinas) for nearly forty years. The instruments that I make are the Uilleann Pipes (the Irish pipes) which I have been lucky to be able to help some young people obtain at the right age to really learn the thing properly. Regarding the government support in France for music studies (and I suppose other subjects too); the courses are not free, at least in our area, but are at a cost that anyone should be able to afford. My wife has been studying the Cornemuse (one of the French Bagpipes) at the local music school for the last three years at a cost of about 170 Euros ($200) per year. There she has access to the very best of teachers. I realise that finding a Concertina ,or a teather for it, is not something available on any street corner but the situation has greatly improved over the time I have been involved. Certainly a website like this one is a great help to us all. Geoff, Forty years wow...Thanks for the clarification. Stephen
  4. Geoff, Kautilya, Ceemmonster, Geoff I read somewhere that your family has been with Concertinas for three generations. Wow! I didn't expect this to be a "new" idea but I thought the discussion would be interesting and informative (and it certainly has been). I guess all starts with us as individuals too in terms of what we might have to offer. I found the government funding of music education in France to be quite interesting. Being a newbie myself...I guess I will keep an eye out for a newer newbie and see how I personally might be able to help. You all (this site) willingness to share knowledge has been a mind blowing experience. The only downside is that it takes away time I should be practicing. Stephen in Texas
  5. Making concertina's Available to Younger People I recently joined the ICA and I found Pauline de Snoo's introduction to several of the ICA magazines to be very informative and eye opening, in particular her objective to get more young folks involved with the Concertina. I personally delayed entry largely due to the cost and not realizing that there is such a tremendous support group of you folks out there. I made the leap and I love it. Pardon the digression. I however, am not what one would consider a "young person" (young in heart perhaps)and I have noticed that most of us are like a good wine.... Needless-to say Pauline's objective (and I am sure many of yours) of getting young people involved is appears to me to be a very important activity. I would be willing to get involved. I don't have the answers but just brainstorming would there be a way to somehow develop a program (perhaps through ICA) that would make it reasonable and affordable and enjoyable to get young men and women involved. I am sure this group would be full of ideas and thought it would make for an excellent discussion. Finally, I also want to credit a post Kautiyla's made in the "buy and sell Forum" that in addition to Pauline got me thinking what a great idea.
  6. Having to smile to myself as "cock up" must be a Queen's English term eh! Americans would interpret it quite differently I assure you. :-)
  7. The aucioneers has also suffered from their own incompetence. They earn a percentage, so if the hammer price had been double their commission would also be double. It is in the auctioneers interest to sell for the highest possible price. So I'd agree that it sounds like cock-up rather than consipiracy.
  8. Oh yes, I am sure he will....I am not holding anything against Mr. Algar he was very nice, and your right he would have outbidded me in the end. But this sort of an experience does make one wonder ....and I will leave it at that. No more said.
  9. Yes Stephen, this is a shame, however, you ought to keep in mind that had your bid been included then Mr. Algar would have just had to pay more. I suggest that he would have bid to more than £3000 to secure this instrument and he would still make a profit on re-selling it. That is how he makes a living. Sad though this is for you, please remember that if you really need a particlar type of Concertina then Mr.Algar will find one for you. Also I think it was a fair move by Chris Algar to sell this very rare instrument through the international forum of Ebay... gives us all a chance to aquire it at a "whatever anyone is prepared to pay" price. Whatever about the large profit he made I think the sale price was not unreasonable for a good Baritone EC.
  10. This baritone was sold in auction for under $1000 and was bought by Chris Algers. I know because I placed a bid with the auctioneer who "forgot" to place my bid and it was won for a price under my bid. I was just a bit more than ticked off at the time. The auction house said they were "sorry". Oh well it was not meant to be I guess. Chris came away with a very nice profit.
  11. Shelly I am told (no expert here) that violin must is good for the treble concertina and that is much of what I am using. The cello sheet music I am told is more suited for a baritone concertina or I would imagine a tenor baritone and finally the bass more for the bass and so forth I have purchased these wonderful Fake music books for the violin that have the melodies and the corresponding cords. The Classical book I have has over 800 pieces of music. But there again I am a newbie and learning much from all the folks on CNET so I throw out what I have been told with the hope of being corrected if necessary.
  12. I'll heartily second this. Piano tutors of the 'Easy classics' and 'Children's Classics' type are always worth a look; children can't cope with going low into the bass it would seem (short arms I suppose) so you get a sparse arrangement which fits the concertina better than grown-up music. Well, as long as your instrument does actually have some bass notes, anyway. Of course whether what you are offered is something you'd want to play is another matter, but I've found some good stuff in the kids' music included in my piles of jumble sale music. (This is the way I buy my music these days, in vast tattered anonymous piles for a few bob 'to clear'. I've found all sorts of things.)
  13. I'll heartily second this. Piano tutors of the 'Easy classics' and 'Children's Classics' type are always worth a look; children can't cope with going low into the bass it would seem (short arms I suppose) so you get a sparse arrangement which fits the concertina better than grown-up music. Well, as long as your instrument does actually have some bass notes, anyway. Of course whether what you are offered is something you'd want to play is another matter, but I've found some good stuff in the kids' music included in my piles of jumble sale music. (This is the way I buy my music these days, in vast tattered anonymous piles for a few bob 'to clear'. I've found all sorts of things.)
  14. Jim, You are right. Dirge and I were "joshing" one another in humor on both sides....there is no friction.
  15. A sense of humor helps a lot, especially if you find you've inadvertently played the straight man. If we were really critical of typing and typos, not to mention linguistic and grammatical errors, there would probably be more posts of criticism here than posts about concertinas. Best to grin along with (at least some of) the rest of us when someone finds humor in what you've written.
  16. Peace...just to let ya'all know that Dirge and I both we acting in "jest"....were friends...no conflict
  17. Your right and my intention was more humor injected therefore the :-) symbol if I were unhappy I would perhaps use another symbol. This is one of the challenges in texting, chatting etc. is to capture the "emotional intention(s)
  18. A sense of humor helps a lot, especially if you find you've inadvertently played the straight man. If we were really critical of typing and typos, not to mention linguistic and grammatical errors, there would probably be more posts of criticism here than posts about concertinas. Best to grin along with (at least some of) the rest of us when someone finds humor in what you've written.
  19. My mother taught me if you don't have anything nice to say.... I didn't realize we were so critical with typing and typo's :-)
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