Mccann Duet Players Stand Up And Be Noticed!

[Marien]

Eb?

 

I found it but my fingers feel like bananas.

[Marien]

Don't know whether I qualify or not. I've done a few numbers on Maccann in gigs years past, but these days my duet playing is mainly on the Crane

 

Same to me, obviously I have a decent 46 button MacCann and had it uned after I bought it about five years ago. Since I have a Crane duet the MacCann is sleeping and may be starting to feel depressed. Nevertheless, every system has its draw backs and pros. Some tunes I like to play on the MacCann simply won´t bellow out of a Crane duet (and vice versa). So this story is to make my MacCann feel more comfortable in its case.

 

Is it important that it does not play an Eb, or that it is difficult to play? Maybe a stupid question in between but how many are using the MacCann fo Irish music? On many irish flutes you cannot play the Eb at all, and you can do without in a session (except sessions in Eb). I guess that the choice of your type of concertina is related to the type and key of the music you play.

 

Also the Crane Duet has some quircks. For instance, it took me quite a while until I had the system in my head (ok, my limitations, but maybe more are "suffering" from this). Firstly, the crane is still based on C major, and if you want to play in F# you may have a problem. If you want to transpose to any key you like, it would be more comprehensible if al keys consistently went up half a note from right to left (which is sometimes the case and sometimes not).

 

Second quirck is that the logic of the keys is opposite to most instruments I play (ok again it is my limitation). On a piano, guitar, fiddle, Anglo concertina, Crane duet, ... if you go to the right, you basically go to a higher note (not the flute). So I once had the idea to reshuffle all the reeds to make it the other way around (which may have helped but I didn't).

 

Nevertheless, in practice, now I have been playing the Crane about a year, I feel more free on the Crane duet, although there are a couple of tunes which are internalised in the system for the MacCann. I gues I´ld better record them before asking: Anyone wanna buy my MacCann 46 button lachenal concertina?

[Dirge]

Is it important that it does not play an Eb, or that it is difficult to play?

Sorry Marien you misunderstood. It does play an E flat and it's perfectly easy to play. It just seems to be in a particularly odd position at first, but we were all agreeing that despite that, it works well.

 

I don't know why you keep the Maccan though, if you're happily playing the Crane. After all the effort that I put into learning Maccan I wouldn't risk confusing my little brain by buying a Crane... why try and master two systems?

[stuart estell]

...why try and master two systems?

 

Why not?

[Marien]

Is it important that it does not play an Eb, or that it is difficult to play?

Sorry Marien you misunderstood. It does play an E flat and it's perfectly easy to play. It just seems to be in a particularly odd position at first, but we were all agreeing that despite that, it works well.

 

I don't know why you keep the Maccan though, if you're happily playing the Crane. After all the effort that I put into learning Maccan I wouldn't risk confusing my little brain by buying a Crane... why try and master two systems?

 

Sorry, I thought you two were joking about the Eb position. I understand that I did not take enough time to get used to the Eb position on the MacCann Duet. But if you say you play E flat, do you mean you can easy play fast tunes on the Maccann in E flat, or for instance in a G# or F# scale?

 

I try and play a lot of systems and different instruments, I do not know a name for my illness, but my head does not feel any pain when I do. In fact (some 5 years back) I bought a nice 46b lachenal on ebay to see if this was my type of instrument, and I had it tuned. At first the Eb position on the side looks a bit weird. I think it may suit usual folk music scales after a while. To me its position is a complication for playing in specific scales in sessions when other musicians transpose halve notes and keep playing. For that, for a year now, the Crane duet appears to suit me better. So you may be right asking why I keep the MacCann. I guess I'll put it on the buy and sell pages one of these days.

[Dirge]

I just knew you'd cause trouble with that one, smart alec!

 

(I've heard tales of you picking up strange instruments and playing symphonies on them 10 minutes later from a certain concertina technician who owns a 'piano keyboard' duet.)

[JimLucas]

...why try and master two systems?

Why not?

Indeed. Some people learn to play both fiddle and flute. Others play both mandolin and guitar, which are more similar, as both involve plucked strings and frets. Some even play both violin and viola, which differ mainly in size, weight, and the different finger spacing to play the same notes (on 3 of the strings). So why not two concertina systems, which are more different than violin and viola? As marien indicates, some tunes or arrangements may be easier on the one, some on the other.

[stuart estell]

I just knew you'd cause trouble with that one, smart alec!

 

(I've heard tales of you picking up strange instruments and playing symphonies on them 10 minutes later from a certain concertina technician who owns a 'piano keyboard' duet.)

 

Cause trouble, me? Surely not. I'm a good boy, I am, to misquote Ms. Eliza Doolittle...

 

To sidetrack briefly, I remember that piano-keyboard duet well. It's a curious beast, and if you play piano it's very disorientating to suddenly not have the use of your thumbs. Although "symphonies" is a bit of an exaggeration; I think I actually just about managed to bash "Constant Billy" out of it

 

To swing back to our original subject, keyboards like the piano-keyboard duet system really bring it home to you how great the design of something like the Maccann is. The Jeffries system is perhaps less so, but is still enormously playable when set against the piano-keyboard box.

Edited May 11, 2007 by stuart estell

[Hooves]

There are some pro players who play multiple systems - Like John Williams whom I mention often, he plays the B/C accordion and the Anglo.

 

I imagine tuners must be able to play somewhat in both anglo and english system, plus I suspect Mr. Barleycorn can whip out a tune in any system.

 

I admit though, there is a tendency for me to try to move my bellows direction when i don't need to (a side product of playing anglo and button accordion).

 

I too, am lamenting the low D... But I bought this one too learn on, and will in a few years try to acquire a larger box (even contemplated re-tuning the infamous Eb - Heresy!)

 

I have not seen enough McCann duets to know if this is particluiar to my instrument: No air buitton, I had not noticed when I purchased it as I bought it online. Whats strange is the fretwork clearly has a button hole for an air button, yet on inspection I can see no where on the action plate where a lever had been, nor a suitable outlet for the air.

[Dirge]

No air buitton, I had not noticed when I purchased it as I bought it online. Whats strange is the fretwork clearly has a button hole for an air button, yet on inspection I can see no where on the action plate where a lever had been, nor a suitable outlet for the air.

I had one just the same. I think it's usual on the basement-model Lachenals

 

Tried any John Dowland yet?.

[stuart estell]

And on some better-quality small Lachenals that I've seen as well.

[Marien]

No air buitton, .... the fretwork clearly has a button hole for an air button...

Just like the ends of some lachenal anglos have a dummy hole for a button near the bottom (to keep the pattern of the end symetrical).

 

Most Maccanns do not have an air release button, but eolas, jeffries maccanns, some wheatstones and perhaps newer makes can have an air release button, a luxury feature though. I guess that the idea was that when you have the same notes on push and pull, you can just go on playing the same notes. It does not make a difference if you push or pull, same as for 48 button english concertinas that usually do not have air release buttons.

[david ayres]

No air buitton, .... the fretwork clearly has a button hole for an air button...

Just like the ends of some lachenal anglos have a dummy hole for a button near the bottom (to keep the pattern of the end symetrical).

 

Most Maccanns do not have an air release button, but eolas, jeffries maccanns, some wheatstones and perhaps newer makes can have an air release button, a luxury feature though. I guess that the idea was that when you have the same notes on push and pull, you can just go on playing the same notes. It does not make a difference if you push or pull, same as for 48 button english concertinas that usually do not have air release buttons.

 

 

I had two 46 Wheatstone Maccanns. One with an air button, and one without. Both from a similar date period. I couldnt get on without an air button, (being an ex Anglo player), so I took out a set of reeds not used on the left hand side.

 

Eventually I PX,d the one without an airbutton with Chris Algar. He put it up on ebay around March 2007 but it didnt reach its reserve. Now have a 61 key Edeophone with air button ! Still getting my head around it. and trying to play in different keys.

 

David.

[Hooves]

No air buitton, .... the fretwork clearly has a button hole for an air button...

Just like the ends of some lachenal anglos have a dummy hole for a button near the bottom (to keep the pattern of the end symetrical).

 

Most Maccanns do not have an air release button, but eolas, jeffries maccanns, some wheatstones and perhaps newer makes can have an air release button, a luxury feature though. I guess that the idea was that when you have the same notes on push and pull, you can just go on playing the same notes. It does not make a difference if you push or pull, same as for 48 button english concertinas that usually do not have air release buttons.

 

 

 

Ok that works, I can see why it doesn't really need the air button, I just need to discpline myself to always end closed.

 

I'll check out John Dowland, and while we are on the subject, does anybody have a listing of recorded McCaan players? The only other I know of is Bobb Webb, and he only has a few tunes on the CD I have that feature the concertina.

[Dirge]

The Herbert Green website in the links is strongly recommended (in other words I enjoyed it!) and has some downloads of his playing. Good examples of what can be done.

[DerekR]

<raises hands and waves furiously to all other 46 key duet players>