Painful Wrists

[Jody Kruskal]

Who makes the lightest Anglo?

 

 

I’ve been having wrist and finger pain in the last few weeks. Perhaps this is because I’ve been playing in an elementary school here in Flushing (really cute mostly Korean 2nd graders). This means four back to back periods of set, circle, scatter and mixer dances for these charming and energetic children. Because of the pain I’ve been using guitar instead of Anglo which seems a bit more gentle on the hands, at least I don’t have to hold this heavy Jefferies up while playing. Still, I would like to get back to Anglo.

 

So my question is... who makes the lightest Anglo. I need a traveling 30 button C/G that plays well. My 45 button C/G is confusing for classes and teaching so I would use it for that as well as certain solo gigs like my dances in the classroom.

 

The Button Box instruments are great and ultra light... but I would like to have the extra thumb button, a 31 button instrument actually with that left hand thumb button playing F/C. The Button Box does not customize their standard 30 button layout. Edgley instruments are great too and he will make to order, (right Frank?) but known to be on the heavy side. I need very low weight so as not to stress out my poor tendons.

 

Any suggestions?

[John Sylte]

The trusty old wooden-ended Lachenals are quite light compared to the others I've held. And adding an extra button to a standard 30 button instrument can be done.

[Jody Kruskal]

The trusty old wooden-ended Lachenals are quite light compared to the others I've held. And adding an extra button to a standard 30 button instrument can be done.

 

Good idea John, I thought that might work too. I have seen some 31 button Lachenals offered from time to time. Any idea what they do weigh?

 

(By the way, thanks for those Lost Girl files, nice tune)

[Alan Day]

I know Jody that Paul Groff does a customised Lachenal Anglo. John Kirkpatrick has a very light Anglo due to Aluminium Reed Bases.

I cannot understand your pain however Jody.You mostly play sitting down when I have watched you,with the concertina supported on your knee,unless you stand up for dances.If this is the case you may have to sit down to play.After a lot of hard playing with the band my pain comes across the shoulder blades.I have never had wrist pains.When I play standing up however the concertina is supported on my palms with my fingers pointing up to the sky (except when I am playing) .Alternativly I use a chair with one foot on it and the concertina resting on the raised knee.If you are playing your style with hands towards the audience I can see then that your wrists will be doing all the work,hence your problem.

Al

[rclepper]

Jody,

 

In addition to finding a lighter concertina, consider seeing a doctor and getting a referral to physical therapy before the problem sets in long-term. I've (successfully) battled wrist problems off and on for years (from guitar, bouzouki, etc.) after a bad bout of tendinitis about 12 years ago and am currently recovering from a recent bout of tendinitis in my elbow. The sooner you nip these in the bud, the quicker and better your chances of a full recovery. I've had very good results with PT. In the meantime, rest, ice, ibuprophen and patience.

 

Randy

[Ken_Coles]

Whether you get wrist or shoulder or whatever pain is very dependent on you personal physiology as much as how or what you play IMO. Many folks I know can blatantly flap their wrists back and forth (I watched a friend do it at a session the other night) with no problems of the sort I had. The Ceili gets my vote hands down (so to speak) for lightness; I would be tempted to find someone to add that 31st button if you have to have it. Concertina weights are listed here; as Chris Timson noted in this original review, a Ceili comes in around 940 grams, though I note that some Lachenals are not much more on Paul's list, and aluminum shoes are indeed much lighter. Good luck.

 

Ken

[Mark Evans]

I’ve been having wrist and finger pain in the last few weeks.

 

Get thee to the doctor. No, I won't spell it correctly, but it could be what has recently plagued me, carple-tunnel.

 

Just had my yearly poke, prod, digit up the tail pipe and was told the news. Typing away and putting in 3-4 hours a day on the concertina has me knee deep in it but good. The left wrist it in a bad way. I'm to call for an appointment with a specialist. My doctor suggested that the course of action may be steroid shots to the spot between the thumb and first finger (English player) and splints for my arms at night to immobilize them while I try to sleep.

 

When I get all pumped up for a session or performance, the pain takes a powder...next morning is another matter.

 

Like Al, I've noticed you have a very energetic style as I do myself. I've had to roll that action back a bit, even sitting down while playing the tina with the bluegrass band. Then I have to stand up to play that damned bluegrass banjo and muck me hands and more up but good .

 

Good luck Jody.

[John Wild]

I have a wooden ended Lachenal edeophone, which weighs 1200 grams. As I am playing for a dance side, I found this was too soft and quiet for playing outdoors. Therefore, when the opportunity presented itself, I bought a Crabb metal ended English concertina, which seemed to do everything I wanted. Unfortunately, (sorry Geoffrey), at 1500 grams I have found this too heavy for playing outdoors standing up. Though it was in all other respects a superb instrument, I reluctantly concluded that it was not right for me, and I have sold it on. In its place, I have purchased a metal ended Wheatstone weighing about 1000 grams or just over. This seems to fit my purposes very well, and I know the Crabb concertina has gone to a good home, so everybody is happy.

 

This initiated a discussion with the new owner of the Crabb english, and sounding out others produced the following table:

 

Concertina Weights

Comparison of English 48 key Trebles

 

 

Make No. Sides Ends Folds Buttons Grams Notes

Lachenal 55282 6 Metal 6 Metal 1378

Wheatstone 29932 6 Metal 7 Metal 1370

Wheatstone 30492 6 Metal 5 Metal 1304 Hand Straps

Lachenal 59200 12 Amboyna 6 Metal 1292

Wheatstone 30952 8 TortoiseShell 6 Metal 1268 Hand Straps

Lachenal 40014 6 Rosewood 5 Bone 1174 Steel Reeds

Lachenal 38148 6 Wood 5 Bone 1166

Wheatstone 1428 6 Rosewood 4 Ivory 1142 Brass Reeds

Wheatstone 24979 8 Amboyna 5 Metal 1128 Aluminium Reed

CarriersHand Straps

Case 1925 6 Wood 4 Bone 1096 Brass Reeds

Wheatstone ? 6 Ebony 6 Metal 1302 56 Key

Lachenal 35881 12 Wood 7 Metal 1200 Edeophone

Crabb 18593 8 Metal 6 Metal 1500 Aeola

 

 

I hope this might be of interest.

 

- John Wild

 

PS - sorry if the table does not line up properly. It does in my draft but looks different in the final posting. I can send the original word document to anyone interested.

Edited May 26, 2007 by John Wild

[Greg Jowaisas]

Of the relatively light and elite concertinas I would recommend a Carroll. Lot's of quality volume and at 2.8 pounds (1270 grams) a reasonable weight. However, 30 buttons is standard and the other "wait" in this case is 3 or 4 years!

 

I'll throw my hat in the ring for a light weight rosewood Lachenal.

 

As a soon to be 57 year old I am a living witness to a body's physical changes. In some cases all you can do is step back and listen attentively. Activities that we once dove right into and took for granted suddenly require warming up or stretching. Playing all night dances and shrugging the effects off the next morning might now require a recovery day or two. And playing through pain is hardly ever a great idea.

 

Lighter may help but a trip to the doctor and physical therapist could accelerate a speedy recovery.

 

My sympathies. It has taken 9 months for the tendonitis to abate in the top of my forearm. (The injury occured in the gym as a result of not switching to a lighter weight. Of course I was using the cable machine to strengthen concertina muscles!)

 

Moderation and listen to that Jody Body. It is singing to you.

 

Regards and hopes for a speedy recovery,

 

Greg

[MitfordRI]

Who makes the lightest Anglo?

 

 

The Button Box instruments are great and ultra light... but I would like to have the extra thumb button, a 31 button instrument actually with that left hand thumb button playing F/C. The Button Box does not customize their standard 30 button layout.

 

Any suggestions?

 

So you already know the Morse Ceili is the lightest instrument out there. (Having gotten mine this week, I am a big fan of its action and lightness.)

 

IF they can't alter the layout (I would call Doug who made only a half dozen changes in 16 weeks to my own order recently) ... then I would ask Mr. Tedrow if he would consider altering the Morse to suit your needs. Mr. Tedrow gets rave reviews for his work on older models.

 

Would love to know what you ultimately decide,

 

 

Lucy

[Dan Worrall]

Jody,

 

Mark has good advice...get to a doctor sooner rather than later. Carpal tunnel is nothing to fool around with. I was fortunate enough to be able to retire early, and a large reason that I did was that I just couldn't face any more heavy duty workstation efforts...by the end, I couldn't use my hands for any mouse-assisted computer tasks. Took two years to get over it and regain complete use of my hands.

 

A few tips from my time fighting that:

Take lots of breaks, take off the concertina and shake your hands to get the blood circulating in the wrist and fingers. Slight numbness in the fingers is an early warning; pain will follow.

Look carefully at how you are holding the instrument, and compare it to how you normally hold or use your hands for other tasks. For example, a workplace ergonomist showed me that my keyboard was too high, causing my wrists to be bent back a bit while working....which caused circulation problems. There's bound to be someone like that ergonomist near you who could help...probably your school district has one on retainer or could help you find him/her (it is a bonafide workplace hazard, hence these people are around because of OSHA issues).

 

From what I remember about it, there is the possibility of permanent damage, so seeing a doctor should be a priority! The ergonomist can help prevent once you get the damage under control.

 

Then you might try to sweet-talk Richard Morse into rigging you up a 31st button on one of his Ceilis (are you reading this, Richard???).

 

Good luck,

Dan

[MitfordRI]

I should have mentioned Mr. G. Jowaisis! He does restorations too. Don't know if he does customization but it would be worth asking him.

 

He gets rave reviews too. (See reviews from just today/yesterday in this same section of the forums.)

 

 

Lucy

[Richard Morse]

you might try to sweet-talk Richard Morse into rigging you up a 31st button on one of his Ceilis (are you reading this, Richard???).

Yes, I am here! And I've just finished looking at my CAD drawings of our box's innards, reed lengths, chambers, action.... and getting that 31st button in there *IS* possible - and it looks like the modification will be pretty reasonable too. Certainly a lot less hassle than making one of our baritone versions of the Ceili.

 

Now that I realize how it can be done, I can also see that we could alter our action board and chamber components such that any subsequent anglo could easily be had in a 31-key version.

 

I'll powwow with Doug and Bob next week (after they recover from the Marlboro Ale - mega Morris event) and get back to you all. And while we're waiting.... Any one else interested in a 31-button model? If we're only talking the rare call for one we'd alter one that comes off our current line. If there seems like enough call we'll alter the basic guts so that all subsequent Ceili's could have the 31-key option at nominal upcost.

 

-- Rich --

[david_boveri]

doesnt the concertina connection sell concertina neck straps? it doesnt help for teaching, but it might reduce some strain on your wrists.

[Jody Kruskal]

Thank you all for your sympathetic responses and stories. My pain is slight as of now and I'm trying to take it easy, strech and warm up but I'm not used to doing those things much. I've never had this difficulty before, but then again as was pointed out I've not been over 50 before either. Doctor here I come.

 

Rich, put that 31st button on and sign me up!

[Stephen Chambers]

Who makes the lightest Anglo?

Jody,

 

Sorry to hear that you're having problems, but one thing to consider is that you couldn't be playing a heavier standard model of Anglo (excluding possibly some "one-offs") than a four-row Jeffries.

 

If I was you, I'd look out for a 30+1 key Jeffries with ivory buttons. They have a lovely tone and you'll find them very noticeably lighter in weight than the ones with (solid) metal keys.

[Chris Timson]

And I've just finished looking at my CAD drawings of our box's innards, reed lengths, chambers, action.... and getting that 31st button in there *IS* possible - and it looks like the modification will be pretty reasonable too

This is probably a mod too far, but I'd like to ask. I'm wondering whether it would be possible to add an extra button to the right hand of a Morse anglo.

 

Colin Dipper recetly did a conversion job on my Jeffries 38 G/D to change the extra button to the left of the right hand G/F# button to D/E, duplicating the D/E button on the left hand. This was a not insignificant undertaking since the reed chambers for that button are rather small, and Colin had to find space to build new reed chambers. I have long had a hankering for this button since I liked the idea of keeping more of the melody on the right hand, keeping the left hand free for chords and double noting. The new button comes into its own, though, since my stroke which has left my left hand a little weaker and more imprecise than it used to be. It's a really useful button for me, at any rate.

 

I also own a Morse G/D anglo which I play for morris and anywhere I have to stand up for periods to play, and I'd just love to have that extra button so I can play the two boxes the same way.

 

No harm in asking ...

 

Cheers,

 

Chris

[Richard Morse]

Colin Dipper recetly did a conversion job on my Jeffries 38 G/D to change the extra button to the left of the right hand G/F# button to D/E...no harm in asking ...

None at all! I'm not sure what button you're talking about though. Our 30-button has no "extra" buttons, so we'd have to add one. Where would it go? What octave G/F# would it be?

 

The situation with our boxes is that there is easily room for 16 reedplates/side and the right side already has 15 plus the air valve location. That's why installing another reedplate on the left is fairly easy - there's an extra space! No so on the right - though there is some inboard space, but getting to it is pretty hard with the levers located where they are. Knowing where the "extra" button would be located and the reeds' pitches will let me see what finagling would be needed.

 

-- Rich --