Diatosoldo Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 Hello, I am really new on this forum .. i've just bought a Lachenal Duet concertina (this is the one I wanted) but I know nothing about concertinas, I am French and there is nothing round here about concertinas ! Maybe somebody here could help me ? Is there a "right" position for the thumb ? (I mean : inside the strap or outside). Thank you in advance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tradewinds Ted Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 I don't know your particular instrument, but Lachenal anglo concertinas, and any duet concertinas I have seen would have the hands positioned in the straps with the thumbs outside. I'm assuming you have small hands? If the straps are loose enough that you would even consider putting your whole hand including the thumbs inside the straps, then you might need to tighten the straps at least a little bit. Have fun learning to play your new instrument! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diatosoldo Posted July 25, 2013 Author Share Posted July 25, 2013 It's a small Lachenal duet I was considering theese 2 ways of playing, and you proposed a third one ? héhé ... not easy to choose ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdms Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 No third way proposed, I suspect, just interpreting "thumb inside the strap" as meaning putting the entire hand inside the loop of the strap. The thumb should be outside the strap--where you've put your thumb in your second picture isn't meant for that purpose, it's just where the strap runs on the way to the adjustment screw. The first picture shows the way to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diatosoldo Posted July 25, 2013 Author Share Posted July 25, 2013 ok ... the strap is too loose, I will have to do something or ask somebody to do something to shorten it. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Scannell Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 (edited) I'm also very new to concertinas and have a CC Elise duet. For the first few months I played with my thumbs inside the top straps like you show in the second picture. It gave me a feeling of better control at a time when all positions seemed awkward. It didn't seem to do any harm, so it is probably better than not playing until you get your straps shortened. Edited July 26, 2013 by Patrick Scannell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Łukasz Martynowicz Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 I also use top loops for thumbs on Elise - this way I have much more control over the exact position of my hands. This may be layout-dependant or Elise trait (or my fingers are to long ), but when I tried to play with hand straps tight enough for good bellows control I was unable to play chords on the whole keyboard. In fact, I now have added something like English thumb straps on my instrument and I'm trying to figure out on something that could replace the hand straps completely. So playing with your thumbs in small loops is a viable choice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Wooff Posted July 26, 2013 Share Posted July 26, 2013 ok ... the strap is too loose, I will have to do something or ask somebody to do something to shorten it. Thank you. Try stuffing a piece of rolled up cardboard under the straps, where you have your tucked under it in photo 2... this should help to tighten the straps enough to make it feel that you have more control. When I first started with the MacCann I had the straps too tight and could not reach all the buttons.... this is usually not a problem with the smaller sized keyboards ( 39-46 key MacCann or Hayden Elise) but taking advice from other Duet players here on C.net I adjusted the straps so that there is 2 centimètres of air between my palms and the hand rails when I pull my hands out against the straps. This allows for some movement of the hands as the fingers find comfortable playing positions. If you are passing our house Diatosoldo, then call in and I will help you to adjust the straps. A plus, Geoff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diatosoldo Posted July 27, 2013 Author Share Posted July 27, 2013 thank you very much everybody for your help ! It seems I like the position number 2 on my post above ... So I will wait a bit before adjusting definitively my straps. And thank for your proposal Geoff : we are somewhat neighbours, aren't we ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary B Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 I have a Lachenal Crane duet which I play with my thumbs inside the loop as you show in photo number 2. I like the control it gives me. I have been playing for about 18 months now. When I first started playing it, I did not put my thumbs in the small loops. I found that my wrist ached after playing for more than a few minutes. I hope you enjoy learning to play your duet. Is it also a Crane duet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diatosoldo Posted July 28, 2013 Author Share Posted July 28, 2013 I have a Lachenal Crane duet which I play with my thumbs inside the loop as you show in photo number 2. I like the control it gives me. I have been playing for about 18 months now. When I first started playing it, I did not put my thumbs in the small loops. I found that my wrist ached after playing for more than a few minutes. I hope you enjoy learning to play your duet. Is it also a Crane duet? I don't think it's a crane (same as "triumph" is it ?). Looks to be a Mac Cane rather. But maybe Geoff could tell better (because he has seen it )? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Wooff Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 (edited) I have a Lachenal Crane duet which I play with my thumbs inside the loop as you show in photo number 2. I like the control it gives me. I have been playing for about 18 months now. When I first started playing it, I did not put my thumbs in the small loops. I found that my wrist ached after playing for more than a few minutes. I hope you enjoy learning to play your duet. Is it also a Crane duet? I don't think it's a crane (same as "triumph" is it ?). Looks to be a Mac Cane rather. But maybe Geoff could tell better (because he has seen it )? No, it is not a Crane... that would have five rows running at 90° to the hand rails... and yours has Six rows ,making it a MacCann keyboard. There are advantages and disadvantages to each type... but it is best not to worry about that and play the one you have.... Edited July 28, 2013 by Geoff Wooff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MatthewVanitas Posted October 21, 2013 Share Posted October 21, 2013 I initially found even the tightest setting of the Elise to be too big for my small hands, but then based on some advice (I think on this forum) I tried "cupping" my hands slightly rather than leaving them fully flat. This makes my hands "take up more space" and fit the straps on the lower notes, and when I go higher I flatten my hand out slightly giving me more wiggle room. It's not a huge motion, and after a few times playing I don't even think about it when I do it. The cupping isn't tensing my hand at all, as I can play for an hour or more just fine. I'll see if I can shoot a little video in a few days of what I'm doing (for future reference, given that this is an old post!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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