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Redesigning The Concertina


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I find it interesting that many folks say they want a push F#, yet I don't recall anyone yet saying they would like a pull E instead. Seems to me that would be just as effective for rapid D-E-F# runs (and the reverse), and it would otherwise provide as many benefits -- though not the identical ones -- as the push F#.

 

That's an interesting point. For some reason in the music that I play that particular run hasn't really come up much. At least not in that register; you have the E in both directions in the next octave up, but still the F# only on the pull.

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I find it interesting that many folks say they want a push F#, yet I don't recall anyone yet saying they would like a pull E instead. Seems to me that would be just as effective for rapid D-E-F# runs (and the reverse), and it would otherwise provide as many benefits -- though not the identical ones -- as the push F#.

 

That's an interesting point. For some reason in the music that I play that particular run hasn't really come up much. At least not in that register; you have the E in both directions in the next octave up, but still the F# only on the pull.

 

Well that is a run of notes that is not too common in the tunes I play, and if I need to do it, I will tend to play the push D, E and then pull the F#. I don't think single bellows reversals really hamper a triplet much. For me (and the reason I am ordering my Suttner with the push D# on the right side replaced by the low F#) its the EF#G triplet which does show up in a fair number of tunes (Particularly tunes I learned from box players).

 

That being said, I thought long and hard about ordering the Suttner that way (and of just ordering the 38 button with a standard note configuration). There are a couple of reasons I think anyone who seeks to play Irish Music should be careful about overly modifying their instruments. 1. Part of the various idioms of Irish Concertina Music revolves around working around the limitations of the instruments as they are. Each change from a standard concertina has the potential of removing the player a little farther away from the standard idioms. 2. One can grow awfully dependent on a customized box; enough so that should you need to borrow one for some reason, you can't really play the other instrument. 3. Resale value of course. While an instrument that has only one note different might not take a big hit on resale, one that is extensively different might.

 

--

Bill

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