Nisse

thanks for your answers Reed bellows and Johanna, I did as Geoff told me, keeping the bellows open over night. It helped a little , I expect playing to be more confortable after a while. And it will probably make it possible for fingers 3 and 4 to try themselves too

OK, I tried to open it fully and let it stay open between each time I can play. It helps already. Johanna, when I play only on the 10 cm it is too short to finish the musical sentence... Still playing quite slowly Playing with 4 fingers, erh ... at the moment I struggle trying to get the 3rd one in action. I will keep the idea in mind though...

Thanks for your answer Geoff. I did as you said, the box is opening very slowly to about 10 cm wide. This what I can easily open when I play, afterward it needs efforts. Then I guess it is as you said that the bellows are stiff, and hopefully they will go smoother with playing. Or do you know any other way to get this faster?

I am starting as a concertina player and I notice that I get pain in my hands, especially the right one which is opening the bellows. After a while I see my 3rd finger is ending on the finger rest to help the 4th.. I find it quite hard to pull, and I wonder if this is normal, my Jackie is new and has only 6 bellows. Very much work to open it completly... I also may do it wrong..?

Hi Johanne! wow... how does your back like this? this part is ok for me I think but I suspect this to still be a part of the problem for my hands.. I still need to learn to relax them while playing. I saw many players doing that, it looks quite natural. The opening/closing of the bellows is the less naturalpart of concertina playing for me.. I find it quite hard to open wide enough, perhaps because the box is still new..? But I managed to get my finger in the car door so I have a little break in practising just now. Pluss winter holidays making it difficult to get some time on my own...

Good to read that John, thanks

Hi Johanna, I have had my concertina for one and a half month now, but I did not really have time to try it out before now What you say is interesting, you used the V as a start position but evolved from it, does it mean that you do not have any "bellow support" now? I found that the support of the base on my knee -as recommended by Martyn- was quite a good support in itself and the V is not really natural to me. Then it is good news when everyone says it doesn't matter But then, when playing as "comfortable to me", I still get pain in my hands, due to the tension in the little fingers I think...

Hi Leo Thanks, this is a real V position OK, I see. Then it is up to me, more or less, to find a position and be totally responsible if I get sore shoulders

Hi Larry, I had a look at this serie, yes it is good The part 2 shows how to hold the concertina, with the base on the knee instead of the bellows. But he does not discuss how you should open/close the beast. Perhaps because it is not THAT important...

Hi Reed bellows! Thanks for your links I saw Pauline de Snoo on YouTube but she has a neckstrap and holds the concertina in the air, which looks quite stressing for the arms and shoulders so I did not retained the idea, as I play on my knee, and I suppose it will change the technic a little bit? I guess I have to find my own position but as I see many threads here telling about painful arms, wists and shoulders, I would like to get a good position from now, before I get used to an other position which could be painful after a while

Hi, I got a Jackie, and just received the Wim Wakkers book for beginners There he says one should hold the concertina and play it so that it would form a V and one gets support from the bellows at the front of the concertina. Which, in my mind, means that one should play the concertina by opening/closing it horizontally. Is that right? I had a look on YouTube and I see many different players, each of them playing differently, but mostly either bending the concertina over their knee, or opening it horizontally but without the V form recommended in the book. I do not wish to take bad habits, therefore I wait for your expertise before I go further Nisse

well, at least this time he gave his minimum price. No wonder he did not let it go the former time, for a tenth of what he expected

Thanks! I am looking forward to get it... Have to wait until I'll be down to France though. Some weeks to go still Thanks for your support in my quest for the perfect beginner instrument

Well, I suppose that depends on what kind of work you have to be done, and of how overbooked Theo or Greg or whoever is at the time you send your box to them... Better ask them directly!

A new Jackie from Chris