New Member

[WendyG]

Hi

I am now the proud owner of a Rochelle concertina, purchased from Concertina Connections. I have no musical instrument knowledge except for taking a few guitar lessons at school 33+ years ago. So I am a complete beginner. I did purchase about a month or two ago, a second-hand Scarletti English from Hogoblin (who checked it over first) but I found playing it uncomfortable as I have arthritis of the basal thumb joint and had difficulties reaching the buttons closest to my palm (I have normal sized hands, so not sure why the trouble). I want to play Irish and folk music so the Anglo is probably the way to go anyway.

 

I live in Boston, Lincolnshire in the UK.

[Mikefule]

Welcome to the forum.

 

You will be able to play perfectly acceptable folk music on the Rochelle. Start in the middle row and find some tunes you can already hum or whistle, that are fairly simple. Even stuff like "Oh Susannah", "When the Saints" and "Camptown Racetrack 5 miles Long" will get you used to finding the right buttons.

 

When you can play the medlody confidently, start experimenting with the left hand.

 

Irish players tend to play mainly single note melodies, but they do clever stuff playing in a different key from the "natural" key of the box. the English style (I note you are in England!) tends to be melody on the right hand, accompaniment on the left.

 

Keep practising. Pick it up every time you have a spare moment. Just learn to enjoy the sound it makes, and try something a little bit different each time.

 

Take every opportunity to hear the instrument played, take every opportunity to try other boxes (so far, no one has ever refused to let me try theirs), and ask lots of questions.

 

And this forum is a great place to get answers to technical questions, and to find encouragement. :0)

[Ken_Coles]

Keep practising. Pick it up every time you have a spare moment. Just learn to enjoy the sound it makes, and try something a little bit different each time.

 

All true, but I would add one caution: The older you are, the more careful you should be about keeping your practice sessions short and with plenty of rest and stretching inbetween. Then, if you are prone to any sort of orthopedic problems (your mention of arthritis brought this to mind) you can avoid creating new issues. Good luck.

 

Ken

[WendyG]

Many thanks for your welcome. I do intend to practice little and often until I get used to holding and playing the concertina. Hopefully this will but less stress on my joints and in the longterm allow me to play for longer.

 

Wendy