Squeezing On Holiday/vacation

[bigsqueezergeezer]

I am on holidays (vacation to the US folks) for two weeks in August. I have a distinct advantage due to the fact that:

 

Firstly, I will be cruising on my narrowboat and that fact that I live on it anyway means that I can take all my instruments with me.

 

Secondly, I have no wife or partner to appease.

 

So, out of pure curiosity, do all you poor unfortunates take your squeeze(s) with you, and if so, how do you convince your partner to let you play to your hearts content?

 

Derek

[Mark Evans]

I go on vacation to Cape Cod next week with the family and want to take the box and it is cleared with the family. I'm debating the issue with self because of the salt air. Steel reeds and salt air...hum. I have to go back home every other day to tend bonsai, garden, fish pond and check in with the office. Just might also schedule a bit of time for playing and leave Tina home.

 

Would love to have a good brass reeded instrument for just such a situation. Perhaps I'm going a bit overboard here.

 

Now I'm told next year we (just me darlin' and I) are going to Umbria to stay in a beautiful Argriturismo while she works a bit and it has been clearly said that Tina is welcome to come along. Magnifico! I'll have to work up a few Tanratelle and learn to accompany myself on a few Tosti songs.

Edited July 20, 2005 by Mark Evans

[bigsqueezergeezer]

Mark

 

Slightly off my own topic (!) and in readiness for Umbria, have you taken a Concertina through cusoms in your hand luggage? All the levers etc show up on the xray and I sometimes have to open the box and show them that it isn't anything suspicious. I even got to play it one day to prove it.

 

Derek

[Mark Evans]

Derek, I have not and am more than a little worried about it. I'll sure enough play them a tune. Someone here once said they had heard of a bellows being cut in half to have a look see. I hope that was a fanciful yarn.

 

However, for two months now me Darlin' and I have been dealing with Homeland Insecurity over her green card being stolen in Germany. It has opened my eyes to some ugly frightening stuff. All comes down to the right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing with the general focus on making someone feel like something that needs scraping of the bottom of my garden clogs.

 

She did warn me that I'll be checked closely at the airport in Munich and (not my experience at all in 02') really given the once over in Rome. Better have that Taranella down and a clean pair a' knickers on .

Edited July 20, 2005 by Mark Evans

[d.elliott]

I shall take my instruments to my jolly hollidays, which will include a week at the Whitby folk festival!

 

Dave

[Dan Madden]

I have taken one or another of my concertinas on a plane with me several times, domestic US flights only so far. It is true that all the levers that appear on the xrays often set off the security people, but not always. Usually I am asked if they can open the box. Of course I say, "Yes" and try to add, "It's a musical instrument."

 

Mostly a quick look inside satisfies them, and it often sparks a brief but friendly conversation. I have, however, been subjected to much more attention, and twice I became very much worried about how they handled the concertina. Both times they took the instrument out of the box to test it for the odor of explosives.

 

The first time, I made the situation much worse by giving the standard concertina warning: "Don't open it up without pushing one of the buttons." In retrospect, this is obviously not something to say to someone who thinks they might be dealing with a bomb. The security person's rebuke was instantaneous: “I’m not pushing any buttons.” My immediate (even though subdued) alarm was picked up by the adjacent guard as well as mine, and after that everything about me got careful attention. I certainly lost any control over how they handled the concertina.

 

The next time I flew, I rigged up a cord that, sort of, held the air lever on my Wheatstone open. It worked, but not dependably. I encountered no problem getting through either airport security checks. After that I didn’t bother to try to rig it up again. The second time the concertina got checked out of the box, I knew enough to not say anything, and tried not to watch. I did add, “It’s fragile.” to saying it's musical. The agent was careful, and didn’t come close to pulling it open that I saw. Here the caution of dealing with something odd worked in my favor. I was still concerned, although I tried my best to hide it.

 

If I ever take the concertina on a longer trip with multiple stops or heightened security, I will definitely consider preparing it for being pulled open while not being played: either just a strap holding it closed to discourage pulling or a easily reversible adjustment inside. (There must be one valve flap I can live without in transit.) But under normal circumstances, I probably will take my chances. I definitely will not try to give handling instructions or express any alarm at the concertina being removed from the case, and definitely not say anything about pushing buttons.

 

Those of you that have bellows straps to hold your concertina shut should have less to worry about. I believe that most airport security people fully understand that not treating things carefully as they inspect them is counterproductive in many ways. Just try not to do anything that makes them want to take a closer look at what you are carrying, and hope for the best.

 

 

Dan Madden

[John Wild]

vacation to the US folks

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

that's a long way to go on a narrow boat!!

[Rhomylly]

what's a vacation?

[Lester Bailey]

I not only take my instruments on Hols with me but the sainted Mrs Bailey and I plan around whatever sessions/folk clubs we can visit and perform. I also keep promising to try busking one day preferably miles from my home so that may well happen on a holiday in the near future.

[Samantha]

All the holidays I have been on in recent years have been squeeze-ins or music weeks, so the answer has to be yes.

As to taking a concertina on planes, when I was flying regularly between Moscow and London I always had a concertina with me. The Russian security chaps knew immediately what it was (when they bothered to X-ray the luggage, which wasn't often). On occasion I have been known to play a tune at Stansted or Gatwick to prove my point.

Samantha

[Ken_Coles]

Based on advice from past threads on this topic, I now tell the staff when I place the case on the x-ray, that a musical instrument, a small accordion, is coming through. Sometimes they smile right away. I have never had any problem by saying when they open the case (as they often do), "if you flex the bellows, one of the notes should be sounding." Sometimes they call new staff over to teach them using the x-ray. Only once did I have to play, and it was they guys who were smiling. BTW, it was stories about some ditz who associated the word concertina with barbed wire that caused me to adopt the term accordion. In general they are respectful, careful, and sometimes curious.

 

But I thought you were asking about logistics, not security. As a practical matter, I usually can't keep track of both my laptop computer and a concertina, so I don't usually carry both unless it will be a long trip. All the stories above reinforce why I never fly with my best boxes; my trusty Morse serves me on the road.

[Kurt Braun]

I'm always welcome to take my concertina (and a few other instruments) on family vacations. Saturday I leave for Lake Tahoe for a week with wife, my two children, a niece, mother-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, all fine people who have vacationed with me before, and my concertina. I know I'm blessed!

[Helen]

For the past several years, I have only taken some sort of musical vacation. Or dance. So yes, I always take instruments. Although this is the first year for accordion and concertina.

 

Then again, being single, I don't have to ask permission.

 

Perhaps my neighbors are cheering when I leave with the reed instruments!

 

Oh thank goodness, she is taking the ... with her. Here let us help you pack. Might be going through their lovely heads.

 

(I have nice neighbors, only kidding about the joshing. They want me to play. I am shy. Really. Well, believe what you will. You are the people who thought I looked like my avatar!)

[sourdoh]

I've taken my concertina on the two vacations since I got it (only 15 months now). My family insists that I bring it. I travel from Alaska to Seattle. I always tell the screeners to let the person on the x-ray know the small box contains a concertina. I've only had the case opened once, and that was when the screener had never seen one before. I've never had anyone try to remove the instrument.

 

I've also gotten only good comments when I play it in the airport while waiting for the plane.

 

- Keith

[brightfield]

I took my concertina to France this year, but I decided to take the Jackie rather than the Lachenal. the house we rented had tiled floors, no curtains, just blinds, and little else to stop every room having the acoustics of a bathroom. Even I, who normally enjoys listenting to his own music, found it a bit much, and after the first couple of practice sessions, I decided to leave it in its case for the rest of the week. Back here, with curtains and carpets it sounds just fine again.

[Perry Werner]

Howdy:

 

I've taken my instrument with me on family vacations the past two summers and will again if, when and where my family decides to vacate to this summer.

Better decide soon as it will soon all be over (the summer that is).

 

FYI, I've managed in many cases to make request at various lodging establishments concerning possible playing/practice locations on the premises.

 

These were mostly at larger name chain hotels/motels who seemed very happy to accomodate me, though it generally seemed to be a rather strange request from the reactions I've received.

These big establishments always seem to have somewhere they can place you where you do not disturbe the other customers and I've been lucky enough to see the underworkings of several of these fancy establishmentss which were a lot more interesting and mysterious than the facade they present to the paying public.

 

In just about every case, I've been given a place to play with no interrruption, aside from an occasional maintainence worker clearing out a reception room, doing some minor vacuuming while I played or having to listen to the rumbling of a dryer at work while playing in a hotel laundermat

So, yeah, part of my vacation has to do with keeping up with my playing.

 

I've pretty much, thankfully, given up on checking email, the web, running my business, etc., etc. on vacation, though I do bring a laptop for my daughter to keep in touch with her IM'ing friends, and also use it on occasion to check for possible places to stay while on the road (and ues, of course, C-Net!), but I'd be very unhappy if I went for a week (or two) without playing.

 

Bye,

Perry Werner

[bigsqueezergeezer]

what's a vacation?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It's when you untie the ropes holding your home to the ground, start your home's engine and chug-chug off into the distance.

 

Derek

[Frank Edgley]

I always take a concertina with me on trips. If nothing else, it gives me something to do while my wife gets ready. She says she knows when I'm getting restless when I start on the reels. I've never had any problems, although some curious looks on the faces of security people. Sometimes they ask to look inside the case, but not often. On my very recent trip to Ireland, I overheard the security on the X-ray machine say to her partner, "I don't know what it is, but it doesn't have ......".

I didn't hear the last few words but evidently there's something that they're looking for which the concertina, with all its odd-looking, bits does not have. I said to her, "It's a concertina ---a musical instrument," which resulted in smiles of recognition and a few casual words. They never opened the case. In the past years, I have taken a concertina on a Mediterranean cruise, an Alaskan cruise, to Hawaii, England, and Ireland at least ten times. No problems with security, or anyone else , for that matter. Most people are very receptive to hearing it from my cabin, B&B, or hotel room. Sensitivity to the hour of day is important, though.