Hillsider

I recommend you take a look at the video lessons by Caitlin nic Gabhann. She has three online courses Beginners , Intermediate and Advanced. The quality of the videos is excellent with a camera pointing at each hand as well as the head on view. Clear explanation of what she is doing and critically why she is using one alternative button over another. There are recordings, notation, slow down and loop facilities. In my view the package is superior to that offered by OAIM. You can see the free lessons at www.irishconcertinalessons.com

This is a great tutor. I find the explanations of fingerings etc that accompany the tunes to be particular helpful.

I find that Heather Greer's tutor book "Concertina Diaries" is an excellent tutor book/CD for the C/G. Cross rowing is discussed and the use of alternate fingerings is explained.

Mr Coover - do you include any ornamentation within the notated tunes? Thanks

The "Look Inside" function is active now on the relevant Amazon UK page.

Edel Fox has a new course on the Online Academy of Irish Music site. The videos are great and she gives good tips while demonstrating the tunes. In addition there is a slow animated facility that shows the fingering of the tunes. Think beginners as well as intermediate players will get a lot from this resource. I have nothing to do with OAIM by the way other than being a subscriber.

I was looking at the very useful chord fingering chart for the Anglo posted not so long ago by Marc Lamb. Is there a method for identifying what chords should be played at particular points in a tune when you only have the written music for the tune available and not the chord sequence. Thanks

That's as may be but there is a visual demonstration of push/pull relative to the written music.

You may wish to take a look at the free Anglo concertina videos available at www.oaim.ie There's a concertina basics and concertina foundations series which I have found to be very good.

It's sometime ago that I used it but I am pretty sure that Noteworthy software would do that job for you. It used to be free

It's not an allergy that was my problem. Rather it was the physical discomfort caused by me bracing using the bottom part of my palm. It's been solved using Ken's foam method by lifting my palms.

Well I have just followed the "Coles Modification" and it certainly seems to have done the trick. My palms have been lifted from the corner of the sides and indeed it has aligned the wrists in a straighter position. I think there will need to be an adjustment in the way I open and close the bellows because I was doing that by" bracing" against the corners. Many thanks again.

Gary. Yes it's an Anglo Ken. Many thanks for that link. I think that your description of "bracing" is spot on and reflects what I am doing in fact. Does your modification result in your wrists being "lifted" so that the palms of your hands cannot reach the sides of the concertina?

My default hand position is to have both palms resting on the hexagonal sides of the instrument but after a while this is uncomfortable as the sides cut into my palms. I wondered whether I have the straps too loose or should they be tight to keep the palms off the sides completely. Grateful for any thoughts - Thanks

I found this artcle and similar ones on the site to be helpful. http://concertutor.wordpress.com/simple-and-more-advanced-cross-rowing/playing-across-the-rows-a-la-noel-hill/ You might also find the concertina videos on www.oaim.ie to be helpful. One of the tunes taught is Boys of Bluehill