Bowing Levers

[Paul Read]

I have a Lachenal with raised metal ends from around 1904, I believe. It has two thumb-operated levers. A friend tells me they are 'bowing levers' used to simulate fiddle bowing effects. I understand that this has been discussed on the forum before, but I can find nothing about them. Perhaps I have the wrong term for them. Does anybody have any information?

 

Thanks

[allan atlas]

DEAR PAUL: yes, they've been discussed to great length. . . . .there's a summary in my CONTEMPLATING THE CONCERTINA. . . .published this past Fall by the Button Box. . . . . . . .

 

BEST ADVICE: put everything on "open" and make believe they're not there...........allan

[goran rahm]

BEST ADVICE: put everything on "open" and make believe they're not there...........allan

 

Why so negative Allan..? Here we have an instrument provided with the elusive bowing valves and a curious 'freshman' ready to use them....Why not stimulate some optimism and some inspiration from the Alsepti tutor for a year or two in order to find out if there is anything in it you haven't discovered....?....:-)

Goran

[Paul Read]

Thanks guys.

 

Alan, your book was supposed to be in my Christmas stocking but Santa blew it! Sometime soon though.

[AlexCJones]

If there are no photographs of such an instrument on the web, then it would be really neat if you would photograph it, and append the image to a reply in this topic.

 

Thanks!

 

BTW, the Horniman Museum's collection of Concertina photographs is still off line.

[Dave Prebble]

Hi Alex,

 

Here is a picture of a Lachenal New Model with bowing valve currently for sale by Chris Algar.

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...95&category=359

 

Regards

 

Dave

[wes williams]

I think you'll find the patent at www.maccann-duet.com.

[allan atlas]

FOLKS: you'll also find a good illustration in alsepti's tutor. . . . .though it is a line-cut illustration. . . . . .

 

Göran: by all means, Paul should have a go at it. . . . . . .by the way, i recently came across a review of one of Regondi's concerts in Vienna (i think it was in Vienna) during the winter of 1840-1841. . . . . .quite aside from the fact that he performed with Mozart's son. . . . .one of the reviewers mentioned that he played the instrument with FIVE fingers (on each hand)................allan

[Stephen Chambers]

i recently came across a review of one of Regondi's concerts in Vienna (i think it was in Vienna) during the winter of 1840-1841. . . . . .quite aside from the fact that he performed with Mozart's son. . . . .one of the reviewers mentioned that he played the instrument with FIVE fingers (on each hand)................allan

 

So that was his secret !

 

(Don't tell Douglas Rogers, he'll never get over it.)

Edited January 16, 2004 by Stephen Chambers

[goran rahm]

Stephen:"So that was his secret !"

 

Goran:Hm..secret fifth finger carefully hidden on the (child) portraits...well, we hardly need to believe that..... Another more substantial 'secret' I rather think could be:

that Regondi likely had extreme laxity of fingers ( and other joints... since that character usually is general) and very thin fingers as well ....judging from some of the suggested fingerings of his which are not practicable otherwise.

[Dave Prebble]

"So that was his secret !"..................

Another more substantial 'secret' I rather think could be:

that Regondi likely had extreme laxity of fingers ( and other joints... since that character usually is general) and very thin fingers as well ....

Or perhaps, in the absence of a computer keyboard, developed his skills by devoting more time to actually playing the instrument ??

 

Dave

[JimLucas]

...Regondi likely had ... very thin fingers ....judging from some of the suggested fingerings of his which are not practicable otherwise.

Are there any known photos of Regondi? It would be interesting to see whether Göran's speculation is correct.

[Paul Read]

Using thumbs on the bowing valves and not using the finger rest would result in using '5 fingers' wouldn't it?

[goran rahm]

Or perhaps, in the absence of a computer keyboard, developed his skills by devoting more time to actually playing the instrument ??

Dave

 

Certainly one other reason...otherwise from early years being wipped by some ambitious guardian seems to be the safest way of becoming a 'wonder child'....

Joke aside....Dave, have a go at some of the Regondi fingering advise in case you haven't and you will find evidence of what I mean....:-) some of it IS *impossile* without the requirements I mentioned ...practise does not help....

Goran

[Dave Prebble]

Hi Goran,

 

Perhaps you were not whipped enough as a child ?

 

Dave

[allan atlas]

PAUL: regondi didn't have bowing valves. . . . .alsepti didn't develop them until after regondi passed away. . . . . .R died in 1872. . . . . . alsepti (and ballinger, his co-purveyor of outright fraud) describe the valves in their patent, No. 8290, , which is dated 8 July 1885. . . . .Allan

[goran rahm]

. alsepti (and ballinger, his co-purveyor of outright fraud) describe the valves in their patent, No. 8290, , which is dated 8 July 1885. . . . .Allan

 

Let's not get into an arguing battle on this issue...but Allan...can you say if you yourself ....or anyone you know well ....really has tried to evaluate the bowing valves thoroughly in practise??

Goran

[allan atlas]

Göran: to be quite honest. . . .i do NOT know anyone (least of all myself) who has tried the bowing valves "in the flesh". . . .in part, of course, because i don't know anyone who has played on an instrument outfitted with them. . . . . .

 

needless to say, though, i disagree with the very premiss that led those co-conspirators in fraud to develop them in the first place. . . . . .the bellows on the English concertina are not the same as the bow on a string instrument. . . . . .except in the most minimal sense.....................

 

but let's not open up that pandora's box again. . . . .it leads nowhere..........allan