When Did You Start Playing?

[Jim Stetson]

It has been observed and discussed in several topics on this forum that the age of the typical concertina player is rather advanced relative to other musicians. There may be many reasons for this: the type of music is generally traditional and not "popular"; the instrument is kind of obscure and not introduced to children in elementary schools; it's hard to find smaller instruments that a child would be able to play; the relatively high cost of the instrument isn't as much of a problem for older people.

 

Of course I'm looking at this from the viewpoint of an American and I'm sure it's different in England, Ireland and a few other countries.

 

Old Jim

(But I have a young nephew I plan to indoctrinate)

[Mark Evans]

I started playing my brother's disgarded Scholer at age 10. Even took lessons from a lady who played PA with whom I was already taking guitar lesson. Played the 20 button on and off until I got the Irish bug at 25 and switched to EC. Ain't looked back since.

Edited December 12, 2005 by Mark Evans

[JimLucas]

It has been observed and discussed in several topics on this forum that the age of the typical concertina player is rather advanced relative to other musicians.

Some people say they have observed this. Others have contrary observations. I think many older players encounter musicians -- or persons generally -- of their own age group far more often than younger ones. (The reverse may also be true.) So what they perceive may not be representative of the world as a whole.

 

Players near me range from nearly my age down to university students, and a couple of high-school age players. I think the concertina player at an Irish session in Vancouver, BC was in her early 20's. No old guys there.

 

And I'm also a bit curious about all these young players of other instruments. What are the instruments? Guitars, banjos, fiddles, and mandolins, I suppose. Probably whistle and flute for Irish music. Cello? French horn? Button accordions in some cultures, but how's the piano accordion doing in the US these days? Are there more English horn players than concertina players? I wonder. How about harp, whether concert, Irish, Welsh, or Andean? Northumbrian pipers?

 

Of course I'm looking at this from the viewpoint of an American and I'm sure it's different in England, Ireland and a few other countries.

I like the photo of Simon Thoumire's liittle son playing with Dad's concertina. But I'm not convinced that even in the US there aren't more young players than some older players are aware of. (And I notice that your poll doesn't give an under-5-years player an option to respond. )

 

I think it's too bad the polling mechanism isn't sophisticated enough to let you gather both age-when-started and age-now. In a previous discussion of this subject it was suggested that one reason for the supposedly advanced average age was that old folks were taking up the concertina. So far, the poll suggests otherwise. With 12 responses, exactly half started at age 35 or less, and none at over-55.

 

Still, I look forward to seeing the results of your poll.

[greenferry]

There have been more votes now, and it appears that although nearly half of the concertina players who have voted so far got started in their teens and twenties, there is some sort of an interesting surge in beginning concertina players with Baby Boomers in their forties and fifties. It might be interesting to combine this poll with a poll of "what other instruments do you play" and when did you start them relative to the concertina.

 

Jim Lucas was asking who are these "young players of other instruments," and I can attest to at least one of them. My son James took the usual trumpet, violin and piano lessons in elementary school when he was 6-11. He was also a good singer. One day, at the age of 11, he had been listening to some Bob Dylan CDs, and said Mom, I want a 12-string guitar. I was homeschooling him at the time, and he had plenty of unscheduled time. Within three weeks, he had learned a number of chords and some nice finger work, having just watched others. Then he wanted a harmonica and a holder to go with it. Within a few more weeks, he was doing Bob Dylan. It was that fast. He had left off the violin, but a year later, after he had been performing with the Revels, he re-discovered the violin and declared it was a fiddle. So he began Old Timey on that, and about the same time we acquired a rather dilapidated two-row Hohner wooden melodeon. By the time he was fourteen, he was playing all three -- self-taught. Actually, he was hanging out with lots of Morris people since he was eleven, and going to ales by then, so had lots of exposure to various instruments. Later, I got him a nicer Hohner two-row at The Button Box, and more recently a fine fiddle, and for this Christmas, finally, a Martin six string (he doesn't know yet!). He is 24 now, and still plays all of them. Maybe his next transfomation will be the concertina, especially when he sees mine! Seems as though people who get started early can acquire skills with more instruments. I wonder how many concertina players have young children who play one? Here's a pic of James at 13 or 14:

 

 

Edited December 12, 2005 by greenferry

[JimLucas]

...there is some sort of an interesting surge in beginning concertina players with Baby Boomers in their forties and fifties.

Might be true, but how do you get that from the poll? It doesn't show current age. Any who started in their 40's and are now in either their 40's or 80's are not BBoomers.

[Guest Peter Laban]

When I think concertinaplayers, as I have said before, I do not particularly think of 'older' people although I know several in or approaching their 80s too.

 

The age profile of people on internet discussiongroup may be a different kettle of fish though.

 

This photograph was taken four years ago. Most players around 7-9 years old, their teacher Edel Fox 15 or 16 at the time. They are all still playing.

 

 

[edited as image doesn't seem to want to link from external server]

 

 

Edited December 12, 2005 by Peter Laban

[Mark Evans]

and more recently a fine fiddle, and for this Christmas, finally, a Martin six string (he doesn't know yet!). He is 24 now, and still plays all of them. Maybe his next transfomation will be the concertina, especially when he sees mine! Seems as though people who get started early can acquire skills with more instruments. I wonder how many concertina players have young children who play one? Here's a pic of James at 13 or 14:

 

 

Handsome lad Barbara...and lucky too...a Martin guitar for Christmas? As my students would say, "sweet"!

 

With my eldest boy Sean, I played concertina and sat him in my lap as I played and sang through Raffi songs on the piano (my avatar is a picture of him carrying my Wheatstone). Today, he is a singer and dancer but never has been able to master an instrument and kept his talents well hidden until just last year. Both Camille (10) and Claude (12) have excellent voices and at this point no desire to openly express musical talents. Claude likes to "collect" instruments however and our cottage is starting to creak at the seams.

 

The 1/4 size bass fiddle in the corner of the living room is an interesting conversation starter, but it would be nice if he'd play it once in a while. At a bluegrass jam or two it has been picked up and used, once by a fellow who stand 6' and he got quite a charge out of playing as he put it a "Mini-me Bass."

Edited December 12, 2005 by Mark Evans

[greenferry]

Might be true, but how do you get that from the poll? It doesn't show current age. Any who started in their 40's and are now in either their 40's or 80's are not BBoomers.

 

That's true. Perhaps another poll could be started correlating the current age with the concertina start age.

 

I was basing my "Baby Boomer" definition on current ages 41 to 59:

 

baby boom n. A sudden large increase in the birthrate, especially the one in the

United States from the later 1940s through the early 1960s.

 

www.answers.com/topic/baby-boom

 

 

Baby Boomer [WikiPedia: 1946 - 1964]

 

A baby boomer is someone born in a period of increased birth rates, such as those during the economic prosperity following World War II. In the United States, demographers have put the generation's birth years at 1946 to 1964, despite the fact that the U.S. birth rate (per 1,000 population) actually began to decline after 1957. William Strauss and Neil Howe, in their book Generations include those conceived by soldiers on leave during the war, putting the generation's birth years at 1943 to 1960. Howe and Strauss argue that persons born between 1961 and 1964 have political and cultural patterns very different from those born between 1955 and 1960 and fit into what those writers term the Thirteenth Generation or Generation X (also known as the Cold War generation) born between 1961 and 1981. However, most people still accept Baby Boomers as being born between roughly 1946 and 1964. A growing movement puts the dates at 1946 to 1963 because of the amount of significant "Gen-X" figures born in 1964, including Courtney Love and Eddie Vedder. This is, among later generations, becoming a more accepted sequence of dates.

 

http://www.answers.com/topic/baby-boomer

Edited December 12, 2005 by greenferry

[greenferry]

With my eldest boy Sean, I played concertina and sat him in my lap as I played and sang through Raffi songs on the piano (my avatar is a picture of him carrying my Wheatstone).

 

Mark,

 

I've been looking at that picture, and wishing you could attach it as a full-size one at least once, so we can all see it in detail! What a treat to grow up with a parent who can play Raffi on the piano! Sounds like all three got the Muse from you.

[Jim Besser]

I've been looking at that picture, and wishing you could attach it as a full-size one at least once, so we can all see it in detail! What a treat to grow up with a parent who can play Raffi on the piano! Sounds like all three got the Muse from you.

 

I actually started playing when my daughter was very young and a devoted Raffi fan. I had a garage-sale Italian anglo; we'd play "name that tune," with me picking out Raffi songs and her guessing the names. Years later, I STILL remember the tunes.

 

So my kid, now a Cambridge grad student, was responsible for infecting me with the concertina virus and the descent into the world of Morris music.

[BruceB]

My daughter is 20 and my son is 16. My daughter loves to sing and recently has started to play guitar a little bit. In the last couple of years she has started to listen to lots of Irish Trad. She's been a big Hanson fan since age 12 and I've taken her to at least 25 Hanson concerts from DC up to Boston. The funny part is that Hanson has grown up and I really enjoyed the last tour and even played their most recent CD a bunch. It was tough when they were little, but they are now amazingly good.

 

My son has never had a lot of interest in music. When he was little he liked a Shakuhachi CD I had.

 

My daughter is the only family member who likes my concertina playing. My wife dislikes it and my son's dog hates it. I need to lock him in another part of the house when I play. My son is neutral about it.

 

I've been playing around with Ukulele recently. My son really likes it and just told me if he was going to play an instrument it would be Uke. My wife likes it too and even the dog doesn't mind. Wow, how nice to get compliments from the fam instead of having to hide to play.

 

bruce boysen

[keeper]

I began anglo just under three years ago which would put me between 46 and 47 at that time. Here on the western side of England most anglo players are older than me and I have only seen one or two teenagers and virtually no people in their twenties. Observation suggests that the teenagers are already in concertina families. Because the anglo is closely related to English dance music and morris (although that was not it's original role) I guess it is mostly attractive to people in that social, dance-related scene. I envy the more 'living' tradition in Ireland. My kids are all good, young musicians and they think it is the uncoolest instruiment in the world. They cannot understand why I have become hooked on it when I already play a number of instrtuments that have much more street cred.

[bill_mchale]

Well, lets see I answered the poll that I started between 26-35 and fortunately I am still in that age group.. though barely .

 

I started fooling around with a Stagi about 2 years ago but didn't really get serious until I got my Marcus about a year ago. Now I play that and an Edgley and a Kennsington. I spend alot more time playing them than I do button accordion (which is what I played when I started Irish Music in the first place).

 

The thought that the concertina is the most uncool instrument in the world is amusing to me. Part of the attraction of the concertina to me was that it was an unusal enough instrument that I didn't have to pull out my the usual defense when I told them I played the accordion .

 

As for age, I think with any instrument family plays a big role. Families can support a child's musical instrument, they encourage it, they can discourage it, or try to push an interest.. they can even be indifferent to it. I think the strongest factor is whether the parents actually play music themselves. Alot of parents might want their kids to play music, even encourage without trying to force.. but I think the kids (in my experience) who are most likely to keep playing, particularly something like Irish Trad are the cases where the parents are also deeply in music.

 

I started learning button accordion when I was like 8 years old; my Dad was taking lessons at the time and he taught me some of what he knew. Unfortuantely after my Dad had to stop (for a variety of reasons.. part work, part my Mom...) I stopped. Starting in HS I vaguely was discontented because I didn't play any musical instruments (Though at the time and through college was glad that I didn't play the Button Accordion )... but it wasn't until I was 32 that I decided to do something about it. Borrowed Dad's old Hohner and never looked back. Now 3 years, 3 accordions and 4 concertinas later I can say its been a fun and expensive 3 years .

 

--

Bill

[bellowbelle]

I started playing ithe concertina in...2002, I think, so I guess I was 42 years old. (Gee, how did I get that old...yet never really grow up?)

 

Oddly enough, when I was a pre-teen kid, my favorite music was English folk music or stuff that sounded like that. I did like 'pop' music, too -- I mean, we couldn't help hearing it, if you ventured out anywhere or turned on a radio. If I chanced to hear any folk music, though, I felt lucky.

 

I was alone in my preferences, though, and considered to be the weirdo in the bunch since I didn't have a taste for AC/DC or even the Rolling Stones or whatever. (...talking peers, here, not parents. Parents liked hymns and church stuff, mostly, except my mom liked Fats Domino too.)

 

Anyway, of course, I had to play a guitar. (Who ever heard of a concertina?)

 

Years later, due to physical conditions that prevent me from enjoying the guitar anymore (very sensitive skin, etc.), I play my concertina (and the accordion, again).

 

Actually, I don't miss the guitar at all. And no one asks me to play 'Start Me Up' on my concertina....yay!!!

 

(Yeah, okay, so once in a while I blare rock music on the radio, but, basically, I hate it.)

 

I don't know how much I'll ever play English folk music or any trad, really, just not much call for it in my life, but I like to write some of my own songs.

 

...Please excuse the extra dialog, I realize that the only question was 'When did you start playing.' And I did say I wouldn't be around during the holidays, but, things are slow.

[Mark Evans]

I've been looking at that picture, and wishing you could attach it as a full-size one at least once, so we can all see it in detail!

 

 

Okay, don't know if it will be any clearer. My hands were shaking. Sean pulled the Stone out of it's case and was bringing it to me because he wanted me to play it. He's holding it by the finger plates and boy was I uneasy.

Edited December 12, 2005 by Mark Evans

[JimLucas]

He's holding it by the finger plates and boy was I uneasy.

Dunno why.

For those hands, they must have been the perfect-size handles.

[lildogturpy]

I started playing ithe concertina in...2002, I think, so I guess I was 42 years old. (Gee, how did I get that old...yet never really grow up?)

The leader of our Sunday session managed to use a line he had been waiting over 30 years to use. A lady with young toddler was listening to the session and the toddler was having a great time dancing around and banging on everything is sight. The lady told us "He wants to be a musician when he grows up" To which came the reply "Well, unfortunately - he can't do both"

[JimLucas]

A lady with young toddler was listening to the session and the toddler was having a great time dancing around and banging on everything is sight. The lady told us "He wants to be a musician when he grows up" To which came the reply "Well, unfortunately - he can't do both"

Can't both be a musician and "grow up"?

........... That's deep!