JackBlue

I got a late start. At the age of 10 my father advised my music teacher I had no talent or skill therefore a grade of D was more appropriate than a B. So, for 30 years I admired those of you with any talent at all. On my 40th birthday my wife gave me a Scholer 20 button concertina by mistake. What I really thought I wanted was the Hurdy Gurdy Spencer Tracy played in "Captains Courageous". I thought it was a concertina (thanks, Dad ). I was in graduate school at the time and the computers crunching my data were so slow that keep from going crazy I tried to teach myself how to play that concertina. That worked -- sort of. Fast forward 15 years and 500 miles further north, I got the bug for a "real" concertina (by this time I knew it wasn't a hurdy gurdy). So, off to San Francisco for a Sea Man's 20 button. Wow. That little thing could really make noise and it sounded good to me and a poor neighbor desperate for entertainment (her TV was broken). By now the Internet was cooking along better than that old computer and I discovered more concertina's. So, back to San Francisco for advice. Too much of a good thing. I backed off. Then I discovered Sean Minnie in South Africa and that nice fellow sold me a Wheatstone Anglo 30 button CG. Ah, love. But, I dabbled, then got serious, then dabbled. I played at playing.Biggest problem was trying to get the bass line going as suggested by Bertram Levy. Just couldn't do it. Then got the idea that a one row melodeon would show me how to do the bass line. So, I got one on Craig's list and that turned out to be really fun. By now I'm beginning to learn something. While I'm scouring the Internet for a harmonica with big holes because the guy who bangs away at a guitar with me wanted to learn harmonica but said the holes were too small, I found Mountain Ocarinas. So I bought one in C to match the button box. Now while I'm waiting for the wife to finish shopping I can toot the ocarina to help memorize tunes. Then I go home to play the concertina so I know what the tune is supposed to sound like (sort of) before I pick up the button box to try and get a bass line going. My wife (a reformed violinist) says I'm doing really well and sound just great. But, she loves me. Anyway, I'm having a good time with my concertina and it's adjunct instructors.