domron

Hi My Rochelle took a tumble and 4 reeds have come unstuck and fallen out of their berths. What kind of glue should I be using for putting them back in? It seems that originally (brown) animal glue was used. Can i dare think of using a standard synthetic wood glue like vinavil ? It's a question of sticking metal to wood. thanks if anyone can help all the best Dominic R. Umbria, Italy

Well, I agree with the session boys in Rome ;-) If your primary purpose is to play on your own, then stick to whatever is easier. But if you want to play with people, don't be lazy and learn to play across the rows. I find Em very easy to play on a C/G. You should learn the 'proper' way now that you're starting on C/G, and not only in a few years, it will be harder to unlearn what you've learned. Ideally, you'll learn the same tune in two keys. The most common session key, and then the less common one. As for Dm, there are tons of tunes that are commonly in Dm in sessions, why not learn them? You can start with "The Broken Pledge", "Sergeant Early's Dream", "Julia Delaney", and many others... Hi thanks for info and tune suggestion My problem (with the Rochelle) is that, more than E minor being more difficult than D minor to play, the sound of some of the E minor keys are ugly.... i was asking myself whether this was just a quirk of the Rochelle... and if i upgraded to say a Morse the problem would be solved?

Hi I recently transferred over to A CG anglo concertina from playing fiddle and mandolin. I ordered the concertina by post (i live in Italy) and just started playing it as soon as I got it out of the box without worrying which key i was in. Thus i ended up learning/playing Drowsy Maggie and Up to Sligo and Hurry the Jug in D minor instead of the usual fiddle and session E minor. The session boys in Rome have told me to switch to E minor if I want to play in company. I find E minor awkward both for the fingering and the bellows (some of the E minor keys don't sound so good on the Rochelle the D minor ones are much warmer) Do other players find the CG anglo concertina particularly D minor friendly ? I have decided to stick to D minor for the moment because the result is so much better all round. Playing in C or G major seems to be much less of a problem.... will keep company in those keys. thanks by the way any feedback on Stagis (I live about a 100 km from the factory where they make them) Most feeds on the internet have told me to keep clear of them I am hoping to upgrade at some point to something under € 2000 euro I would appreciate any advice thanks again Domron Umbria Italy

Hi As well as Irish I play Breton, Galician and some Italian folk music. I tend to play slower Irish dance music in a low register (G,D,A string) and quite a few airs. I also mainly play in trio (me currently on fiddle and mandolin) with a guitar and bouzouki accompaniment. I rarely play in sessions (too far away, in Rome) so the instrument doesn't have to be particularly loud. More important that it is mellow. I would also like to put in a bit of accompaniment on the concertina. For all these various reasons i am considering the English concertina over the Anglo. I imagined the anglo or English dilemma would be a common topic..... I tried searching the forum but didn't come up with anything.... I have only just started using it, I will try and refine my search. Thanks again Hw.B.

Hi thanks very much. I'll take a look at the forum.

Hi I am new to the forum, new to concertinas (still haven't decided which type to buy) but not new to folk music. I have been playing fiddle, mandolin, mandola, guitar and singing for 35 years. I play mainly Irish music, but not in sessions, on a more homely basis with guitar or bouzouki accompaniment (when i am playing fiddle or mandolin). Small concerts in restaurants and wine tasting dos (I live in Umbria, central Italy).. For reasons I cannot explain ( but I am sure everyone in the forum will understand) I am drawn to the concertina, have yet to get my hands on one, but with a totally melodic chromatic background I am very perplexed about playing diatonic and the anglo concertina. At the same time I know it is the most used in Irish but also Breton, Galician and Asturian folk music. I am torn between the concertina connection Jackie English and the Rochelle Anglo. I confess with my classical, chromatic background I am a bit perplexed about the change of note on the push and pull of the diatonic anglo concertina, something that at this stage of my musical career appears fairly daunting (though it is something that hoards of musicians with my same doubts have got over. My question is what is the difference between playing jigs and reels on an anglo and on an English concertina? Can you do a decent job in playing jigs and reels on an English concertina? Is it the aggressive in and out movement of the anglo that makes the difference? over to anyone who would like to chip in.