Resting your concertina while playing? Where and why?

[sleepymonk]

16 hours ago, LateToTheGame said:

I am not sure I could play without my air release button.  In fact, I know I can't.   There might be something going on with your hand and wrist placement or there may be something wrong with the design of your concertina.  I have never played a concertina where I couldn't reach that button.   Depending solely on bellows direction for air control may limit speed or emphasis as you advance.     

 

And I have seldom seen a concertina player playing standing up for any length of time.   So I wouldn't worry about that too much.   (Though I know of Morris players and parade bands that march or stand, and we can't forget those old Salvation Army bands back in the day,)  Most of us likely play sitting down most of the time.

 

You’re right. I was temporarily using foam pads to help form a good hand position (curved, not flat). Now I don’t need the foam, so I can use the air button and reach all the rows.

 

I saw a fantastic video on youTube of a guitar, bandoneon, and orchestra. The bandoneon player used a concert piano stool as a footstool to play standing up, with his left knee raised way up.

[hjcjones]

17 hours ago, Jody Kruskal said:

IFor floating concertina, one very helpful trick is to hook a little finger around the lowest button (physically) and use it for added support. That means the little fingers are not available for play, but I’ve learned how to work around that. Six working fingers are enough to keep the music going. If I need a pinkie, it does its job then goes back to work as a stabilizer.

 

 

I wish I'd known that when I started playing.  I usually play sitting down, and from playing other instruments I learned to use the pinkie a lot.  I was only when I tried to play standing that I discovered the limitations. I feel it's a bit late to relearn my technique now, and if I have to play standing I usually adopt the other methods you've suggested.

 

John Kirkpatrick also often uses his pinkie to support the instrument (but he has large hands)   Brian Peters seems to manage without.

[RAc]

well, there appears to be an interest in the issue...

 

Here is my current solution:

 

 

This is a quick and dirty video that should explain itself. Again, there is no need to support the instrument for weight reasons, as Little John demonstrates impressively on his instagram presence; his Holden Crane is about the same weight as mine. However, I like the added stability provided by the straps running along the inside of the hand rails. This sort of gizmo may even be of interest to Lukasz as the weight is not carried by the neck but the back between the shoulder blades.

 

It's totally non invasive and 100% reversible as the additional strap is simply mounted with the knurl knob.

 

Edited September 1, 2019 by RAc

[Łukasz Martynowicz]

4 hours ago, RAc said:

well, there appears to be an interest in the issue...

 

Here is my current solution:

 

 

This is a quick and dirty video that should explain itself. Again, there is no need to support the instrument for weight reasons, as Little John demonstrates impressively on his instagram presence; his Holden Crane is about the same weight as mine. However, I like the added stability provided by the straps running along the inside of the hand rails. This sort of gizmo may even be of interest to Lukasz as the weight is not carried by the neck but the back between the shoulder blades.

 

It's totally non invasive and 100% reversible as the additional strap is simply mounted with the knurl knob.

 

 

When I wrote about neck strap earlier it was a bit of simplification - mine was asymmetric, going over one shoulder and under another, then splitting in two on each side. It provided a very good stabilization and held concertina in very precise position and did not strain my neck. But it required a slightly twisted back to have totally immobilized left end and when one of my spinal discs punctured I could not play this way anymore. Now I have switched to additional thumbstraps and a raised knee standing position and I have discovered that I have a lot more feel for volume controll this way, so I don’t experiment with straps anymore. 

[Noel Ways]

When I first starting playing concertina I used

binocular straps.  They worked surprisingly well.

I would not hesitate to use them again, if and when

I decide to play standing up.  They are very adaptable, and

there is no neck strain (which is the main reason they are

designed in the first place).

 

Here is an exploratory link:

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=binocular+straps&tbm=isch&tbs=rimg:CTefivmOCstLImBC8FOl4acGozmeXAYVn_1p6fJRAexvV3c1RmKwnxnE5mcQdd_1xb5azBTgqIYIDIhXQIe6vbvws2NmMfdbwKtIEXBrPFuBnCho5kN76sxi_10n812yTy0hEuakxB8KBwYGk4qEglC8FOl4acGoxFghilP-RY-cioSCTmeXAYVn_1p6EdgTod78NAmaKhIJfJRAexvV3c0RxTEc0M-R4MMqEglRmKwnxnE5mREfsTU3K_1El4CoSCcQdd_1xb5azBEYgg_1YQkNY9oKhIJTgqIYIDIhXQRvJNyWmqB6BsqEgkIe6vbvws2NhGS9xVuGt1RoSoSCWMfdbwKtIEXEeEZfT_1uERFHKhIJBrPFuBnCho4R0vGlJ7A5NBYqEglkN76sxi_10nxGedg_1hHDCqrioSCc12yTy0hEuaEYEgWYKC2mPBKhIJkxB8KBwYGk4ROtC0mCwPUmQ&tbo=u&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwikz4jNi7XkAhWhm-AKHS_-DewQuIIBegQIARAz&biw=1425&bih=1123&dpr=1