Woman's Accordion

[allan atlas]

FOLKS: but to keep things in perspective: women account for only twelve percent of the transactions in the Wheatstone ledgers. . . . .needless to say, there are some things that we do not -- cannot -- know:

 

1. how many instruments purchased under a woman's name ended up in the hands of a husband, brother, nephew, uncle, etc. . . .

 

2. how many instrument purchased by men ended up in a woman's hands

 

3. how many women purchased Wheatstone concertinas from dealers for whom we don't have records

 

4. how many women played instruments other than those made by Wheatstone. . . . .

 

 

 

obviously, without answers to these questions, our conclusions must always be guarded. . . . . .

 

but that the instrument was seen as suitable for a woman -- which is, i think, rather different than saying that it was a woman's instrument -- is very clear from the manufacturers' adverts, from the introductions to tutors, from classified adverts, etc....................allan

[Guest Peter Laban]

On the other hand, what percentage of players did in fact play Wheatstones? In Ireland certainly very few, if any. Fact remains that in Ireland anyway the suitability for a woman accounted for large numbers of women playing the concertina. The flute would have been deemed not suitable for women at all while the fiddle would, for most people, have been too expensive. It was the concertina from the hardware shop that was in the hand of the players, quite a few of them (more so than with other instruments) women.

[geoffwright]

Thanks for the Bloom of Youth link, Ceemo, I listen to Ceili House but didn't know about this.

[allan atlas]

peter and folks: PRECISELY. . . .that was one of my points. . . .and remember: i'm dealing with the Wheatstone ledgers only....................i can make no claims beyond the information to be culled from them.............allan

[david_boveri]

better watch it there, m3838....someone on the session.org site made a quip about how ms. fox was holding her head in that lovely video and despite the fact that the person had already humorously apologized, the Inquisitors swooped in with their Red Hot Pokers and shrieked until the person had abased himself grotesquely out of proportion to anything that was said. ms. fox herself had already dealt with the original remark quite properly with humor.

 

in any event--whew, lovely video, lovely playing.

 

After having to fence off highly placed dermatologists twice in a row, I have no fear of inquisitors with mere Red Hot Pokers.

But the shoulder issue is rather severe, as I see it. And the excercize to get rid of it is quite simple and even fun. She just has to raise her shoulders as high as she can, sit in this funny position for a second, and then drop the shoulders down. A few times. She'll feel and look much better. Easy, huh? Tell her, somebody.

May be most concertina teachers in Ireland are old crackers, crooked and grumpy from hard work in the fields?

And their secret plot is to make every young one looking as crooked as them.

 

her site says she learned from noel hill.

[Guest Peter Laban]

her site says she learned from noel hill.

 

She did, briefly. It would be fairer to say Dympna O'Sullivan was her main teacher.