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Another new member, another duet player...


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Hi, I've just joined this friendly-looking forum, after lurking as a read-only guest for a few years. It was seeing the thread about playing Irish on the duet which finally inspired me, although that thread is a bit long now so I will probably leave it alone.

 

Anyway, I acquired my first and only concertina about 12 years ago, since when I have more or less stopped practising all my other instruments while the 'tina has taken over. It's a Lachenal 'New Model' (i.e. about 1902) 64-key Maccann duet, which really needs a bit of an overhaul but I can't bear to be without it for the length of time that would take, so I soldier on with it anyway. I play all sorts of stuff on it, mostly for my own amusement, including the usual jigs&reels and other dance tunes, slow airs, morris tunes (morris sounds great on it), French, Swedish and whatever else I fancy having a go at (even Irish tunes), also accompanying my good lady wife's singing occasionally.

 

People say the duet, especially the Maccann, is difficult to play, or difficult to learn. But I was very fortunate to be given the name of Pauline Wallace as a contact, and she got me started in the right direction. She impressed upon me the importance of always playing with both hands as much as possible - so many duet players seem to be OK with the tune on the right but don't know what to do with the left.

 

I'm looking forward to contributing my occasional two penn'orth (a British expression, sorry, I'm in S. E. England) on here, while continuing to read the more learned pronouncements from others.

 

Oh, and my avatar - a photo of a statue I found in Bath Abbey (UK) of an angel playing the concertina. Either the statue is a lot more recent than the rest of the Abbey, or else the concertina is very much older than we all thought!

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A pleasure to meet you on here as well as previously in real life Maccanic!! I wonder how many other duet players are lurking in the shadows. May I say that I love your "signature", and that I can appreciate the sentiments!

 

PS Could somebody please correct me if I'm wrong, but I know a picture of that angel playing concertina was posted up here some long while ago, and ,IIRC, it was suggested that it had been modelled on Tim Laycock. (or am I making that up?)

Edited by Irene S
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