DaveM

This is what I get: ab 9.4 eb 7.0 bb 4.7 f 2.3 c 0.0 g -2.3 d -4.7 a -7.0 e -9.4 b -11.7 f# -14.1 c# -16.4 g# -18.8 hopefully, it's the same as Geoff's (otherwise I'm misunderstanding 1/5 meantone)

Kirnberger III uses some fifths that are reduced by 1/4 of the syntotic comma, but it is pretty different from 1/4 meantone. Based on the description on the wikipedia page (and using the same notation), I get that it would be: C----G-----D-----A-----E-----B-----F#-----C#-----G#-----Eb-----Bb----F-----C -1/4 -1/4 -1/4 -1/4 p p p p p p p p C-E is pure (386 cents) G-B is not quite pure (391.7), but closer it than say ET (same with F-A) D-F# is less so (397.1) (same with Bb-D) A-C# is worse than ET (402.4) (same with Eb-G) E-G#, B-D#(Eb) ... are all pythagorean thirds (407.8 cents) This is not a meantone temperament -- the fifths have different sizes (some pure, some contracted by 1/4 of the syntonic comma). It's also not clear how you'd want to generalize it to take advantage the ability to differentiate g#/ab and d#/eb (if that's what you'd go for). The more I think about it, the less I like the use of the terms "1/2 comma wolfs" and "1/4 comma wolves" in that article; wolf intervals usually relate to the place where you've "cut" the line of fifths, not merely contracting the fifths by a fraction of a comma.

Finally got the gumption to make another go at it. I followed Chris's advice on where/how to push (I did use a thick toothpick with the end cut to make it blunt), the tip was a few (maybe 5) millimeters above the reed frame. At the end I could just make out a sliver of light between the reed and its frame (before doing this I couldn't see any kind of gap). Now the note plays much more responsively. Thanks for the tips.

Thanks for the input guys, I still haven't opened it back up yet but I'll take the additional info into consideration when I do. The problem is with A-flat 4, the A flat just under the thumbstrap on the rhs. If I hold the button down and reverse the bellows, I do not notice a significant lag, its only when I go from a different button to that one (on the push). The lag might be worse at higher volumes, but it is hard for me to tell. Sometimes I think it is user error, that I'm not depressing the key completely/rapidly, but most of the time it really seems like the reed is just not speaking with the button depressed. I first noticed it on an upward run f4 a-flat d e-flat, which I adapted to by using the g#; but now I'm running into the same problem with a downward c5,b-flat,a-flat,g run.

I'm trying to fix a slow reed on my brass reeded English concertina. (It's the a flat on the right; on the push) I'm pretty sure that the problem is that the gap between the reed and the frame is too small. I've done one round of opening the concertina up and pushing on the reed with toothpick. I was pretty gentle, pushing the tip of the reed maybe one millimeter out from the reed frame; at the end of the process I didn't see a clear change in how the reed sat. Obviously, this hasn't fixed the problem. To my untrained eye, there isn't really any gap at all; this would concern me except that the a flat reed wasn't obviously different from the adjacent a natural. How far/hard should I push on a reed to try to modify the size of the gap?

very nice!

Yes, a traditional Russian tune, I believe. I think this is the tune Alan Day recorded many years ago with Gig CB under the title "Alan Day Goes Quietly Mad as his Kids Play Super Mario." Right, Alan? Nicely done! Thanks Jim; now that you mention it, at some point, I'll probably get around to playing Super Mario too.

How about tunes from video games? So far I've worked on Tetris, which could be a traditional Russian tune for all I know, and the Lost Woods Theme from (one of) the Legend of Zelda games. I also came across this in looking up the song: Lost Woods on accordion...on a unicycle...in ths woods , which I find amusing.

Melodica world had a link to a portative organ video when I clicked on it from the "Looking for an Accordina" thread; so I already spent some time going down the rabbit hole of portative organ, regal, postive organ etc... videos Is an organetto the same thing as a portative organ?

Gott, wie gross is deine Gute (bwv462) which I came across here. Still working on fleshing out an accompaniment.

mutopiaproject.org has similar goals as (what I know of) Project Gutenberg, but is focused on transcribing music (into lilypond).

I've always wondered about whether going from piano to duet is easier, since there is the same division of between hands, and started a new post on that idea.

I have this idea that since both a duet concertinas and piano keyboards have the same division of labour between hands, there's more similarity in what you can do (or what is easier to do) between duets and keyboards than between English (where the division of labour between hands is different) or Anglo (where the push-pull thing adds its own flavour). So I figure that it is more direct to take piano music and adapt it to a duet concertina than it would be for the other system. I've never played a duet, or a piano really, so this is all conjecture. I'm wondering what you duet players, or keyboard players think about the relative ease of adapting keyboard music for the concertina. The recent "English vs. Duet" thread, reminded me of this again.

Anybody know, and have the dots/abc for, any traditional (or folkish) Lithuanian tunes?

and Stuart singing it. maybe then I'd be able to understand the words.

Thanks Jim. I have a Lachenal English (refurbished by Greg J.). I almost always record (any play even) to a click, so it'd be hard to loose the tempo.

https://soundcloud.com/mapadofu/metsakkukia Here's my take -- decided to get while the gettings good and not repeat the C section.

Lukasz, might I humbly suggest that you listen to it again, trying to avoid comparing it to the NIN or Cash versions. On my first listen I had much the same reaction as you -- it didn't seem to have the same intensity and bite as I expected. On listening to it again, however, I'm finding that I appreciate Stuart's interpretation, which evokes in me a different sensibility than the other versions, but is still very emotive. Thanks for posting this Stuart.

They're arrangements for English concertina. They don't have the same kind of left hand/right hand division of labour as a duet, but they do have nice relationship between the treble staff notation and fingering. So yes, it's pretty common for English concertina music.

Thanks Geoff and Chas, you've given me some good ideas to try.

Maybe I used the incorrect term. In the Gm version from abcnotation, the dotted eighths in the third section have tildes over them. I thought they were trill markings. In several of the linked videos the performers decorate those notes. So I'm asking about what a good way to execute that kind of decoration on an English.

Does anyone have pointers on how to play the trills in the third section on an English?

Thanks Chris.

I made a go at "Mack The Knife" from Boris' music after seeing it from your post, https://soundcloud.com/mapadofu/sets/mack-the-knife

Hopefully the sweet tone made up for the bum notes while I was playing next to you...