peelypost Posted January 16, 2008 Share Posted January 16, 2008 Greetings, I recently went to a folk club for the first time since I have started playing concertina (English) and noticed that every person playing English (well, there were 3!) had wrist straps a la Anglo. I have never seen these on any of the videos I have seen and wondered how many Ec players use wrist straps. It seems to make a lot of sense as a method of reducing thumb stress on the pull, and I am tempted to give it a try. Any thoughts? Neil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squeezora Posted January 16, 2008 Share Posted January 16, 2008 (edited) Hi Neil, Here are some videos that show me playing an English concertina with thumb and wrist straps. They are red leather, so it should be pretty easy to pick them out. I have two other concertinas that had wrist straps and I took them off and I have one that never had wrist straps. I like them on the large Wheatstone Bass/Baritone, but don't use them on the treble or the two Tenor/Trebles that I play. The Bass/Baritone is kind of big and heavy, so it does give me a little security while playing, but I probably could manage alright without. I don't think it's a big issue whether you use them or not, it's more a matter of preference. So don't worry too much about this in the beginning, Juliette see me at: < www.juliettedaum.com > L'ENFANT DEMON <a href=" target="_blank"> Cancion de cuna <a href=" target="_blank"> Fandanguillo <a href=" target="_blank"> Edited January 16, 2008 by squeezora Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiddlerjoebob Posted January 16, 2008 Share Posted January 16, 2008 Greetings, I recently went to a folk club for the first time since I have started playing concertina (English) and noticed that every person playing English (well, there were 3!) had wrist straps a la Anglo. I have never seen these on any of the videos I have seen and wondered how many Ec players use wrist straps. It seems to make a lot of sense as a method of reducing thumb stress on the pull, and I am tempted to give it a try. Any thoughts? Neil. I use them on a Morse Albion and find them very comfortable. Initially I had them too tight, it worked for some notes but made others harder to reach. Now I find as they are less tight that they help in a general way and prevent wrist/thumb fatigue. I like them. Randy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimLucas Posted January 16, 2008 Share Posted January 16, 2008 I recently went to a folk club for the first time since I have started playing concertina (English) and noticed that every person playing English (well, there were 3!) had wrist straps a la Anglo. Wrist straps on an English? Yes, some folks like them, especially on larger instruments. "A la anglo"? Not likely. The anglo doesn't have wrist straps. It has hand straps. I have yet to see an anglo player try to put his/her wrists through those straps. The way the wrist straps on an English are used during playing is quite different from the way the hands straps on an anglo function. I've never felt the need for them, even on instruments larger than Juliette's largest. But as you can see from both her post and Randy's, different people have different feelings about them. E.g., while many people speak in favor of wrist straps on the larger and heavier Englishes, the Morse Albion on which Randy says he uses wrist straps is possibly the lightest-weight treble English available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peelypost Posted January 16, 2008 Author Share Posted January 16, 2008 Greetings, I see the difference between hand and wrist straps, Jim - thanks for correcting me. I want to give this a try. Where do you fix them? Do you have any tips for sourcing leather for the straps (I'm thinking of recycling a leather belt)? Thanks all, Neil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris Posted January 16, 2008 Share Posted January 16, 2008 (edited) Hi Neil if it was the night that you were at Swan Folk then Nic's Homewood has hand straps (fairly heavy concertina) at least one of the ones Bill Whaley played was a fairly large Duet (I think they always have hand straps too) Tony's just had thumbstraps if it wasn't the night at the Swan then Ignore the above chris you could also consider a neckstrap Edited January 16, 2008 by chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimLucas Posted January 16, 2008 Share Posted January 16, 2008 I want to give this a try. Where do you fix them? Do you have any tips for sourcing leather for the straps (I'm thinking of recycling a leather belt)? If you do a Search on +"wrist straps" +English you should find some useful earlier discussions. Where to attach the straps? Maybe not as informative as you'd like, but the photos in this post and this one should help. Note also that like hand straps on anglos and duets, wrist straps on the English are normally not simple straps, but wider in the middle, with the width extending only to one side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiddlerjoebob Posted January 16, 2008 Share Posted January 16, 2008 (edited) I got my straps from the Button Box along with the "thumb screws" and the threaded inserts. Aprox. $20.00...I forget exactly.... The straps themselves are, as Jim says, asymmetrical so they wrap around your wrists properly and comfortably. They are also very thin, soft leather. I wouldn't use a cut up belt. For me the whole idea is comfort... As a woodworker I have had wrist and hand issues over the years. When I started the concertina last spring, I decided not to wait and see if playing the concertina brought back any discomfort. The straps may not be necessary for me, especially on this, admittedly, light instrument. But, I decide to start right of with them just in case. I have found it takes a long time to recover from repeptive stress injuries. After hand two surgeries, 15 years ago, I have made a pact with myself to "have mercy on myself." So far so good... Randy forgot to spell check Edited January 17, 2008 by fiddlerjoebob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Dunk Posted January 16, 2008 Share Posted January 16, 2008 I want to give this a try. Where do you fix them? Do you have any tips for sourcing leather for the straps (I'm thinking of recycling a leather belt)? Thanks all, Neil. Parts are available from David Leese (threaded inserts and thumb strap type screws) you will also need short wood screws and screw cups for the fixed (non adjustable) ends of the straps. David also sells straps for anglos and duets so give hime a call and he'll advise on the requirements for wrist straps. Fixing points will obviously vary slightly depending on the size of the 'tina and the length of the straps. With the concertina in the normal playing position - thumb straps at the top - the screw holding the top of the wrist strap will be fitted about an inch and a quarter down from the corner on the flat facing your chest. the bottom of the strap fixes on the next flat around (facing your lap) an inch and a quarter from the farthest corner. Sounds complicated doesn't it? So here's a picture of my concertina with wrist straps fitted as described. Do be careful about the location of the fixing points and the length of screws, you don't want to foul the action inside and that's a bit harder to see in a Jackie! Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Dunk Posted January 16, 2008 Share Posted January 16, 2008 I should add that I've taken the wrist straps off my concertina because I don't use them. Sally likes wrist straps and wanted a set on her concertina so I bought the bits from Steve Dickenson because I wanted original Wheatstone hardware for the 1916 Model 2. The pics show both the top and bottom fixings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Jowaisas Posted January 17, 2008 Share Posted January 17, 2008 (edited) I have significant arthritis in both thumbs and find wrist straps invaluable in sharing the load of drawing the bellows. Between the thumbs, wrist straps and finger plates (pinkie rest) there are three contact and distribution points. Initially, I tried wrist straps to help manage the balance of an Edeophone tenor treble. I liked the results so I tried them on a treble. I found they really helped me get as much "punch" on the draw as on the push. One caution: You will want to experiment with how tight or loose you make your straps. Too tight and you may put too much pressure on your little fingers. Too loose and you will not have their full advantage on the draw. Good luck! Greg Edited January 17, 2008 by Greg Jowaisas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiddlerjoebob Posted January 17, 2008 Share Posted January 17, 2008 When I installed my straps I used threaded inserts on both ends with thumb screws. This way if I choose to remove the straps, even for a short while, the remaining hardware is a bit more atractive then a hole where a wood screw had been. Randy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Dunk Posted January 17, 2008 Share Posted January 17, 2008 Not quite the same but I replaced the hardware after removing the straps, the lower holes have tiny woodscrews in screw-cups in them. I wasn't trying to hide 'unsightly' holes (which are virtually invisible anyway) so much as keeping the fixings in a safe place! Had I have liked using the wrist straps on my 'tina I would have replaced the gold blocked Wheatstone ones with plain modern straps and preserved the originals as a little bit of history to go with instrument. Always assuming I don't loose them of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Pierceall Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 (edited) I should add that I've taken the wrist straps off my concertina because I don't use them. Sally likes wrist straps and wanted a set on her concertina so I bought the bits from Steve Dickenson because I wanted original Wheatstone hardware for the 1916 Model 2. The pics show both the top and bottom fixings. Wrist straps are a sort of trade-off for me. I lose some maneuverability, but I gain much more control of the instrument in general. When I first tried using them, I didn't like the feeling of being hemmed in, and I removed them. Later on, I had second thoughts and gave them another try, and they've remained on ever since. Mike Edited January 25, 2008 by michaelpier Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiton1 Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Wrist straps give me some extra control while playing Irish music (and other music) on a EC. I need them for extra comfort and dynamics. Can play without them but doesn't feel as good. There are even a few effects that are hard or impossible to make without them. So I am definitively in favour. Hermann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buikligger Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Wrist straps give me some extra control while playing Irish music (and other music) on a EC. I need them for extra comfort and dynamics. Can play without them but doesn't feel as good. There are even a few effects that are hard or impossible to make without them. So I am definitively in favour.Hermann Hi Hermann and all, this week I found someone who is going to install some wrist straps on that lovely English tina i bought from you last year. I started by just using the thumb straps. Next i installed some loops left and right where i put my 4 fingers through, thumbs on top of it and in the straps; comparable to the Anglo hand straps but only fixed at the topside. But my thumbs hurt to much from pulling. So I welcome the wrist straps. kind greetings Dirk, Flanders, Belgium Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiton1 Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Hi Dirk, Hope you are doing well on your concertina. I think you will find that straps will give a little advantage when playing Irish music. All the best, Hermann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henrik Müller Posted February 26, 2008 Share Posted February 26, 2008 I recently went to a folk club for the first time since I have started playing concertina (English) and noticed that every person playing English (well, there were 3!) had wrist straps a la Anglo. Wrist straps on an English? Yes, some folks like them, especially on larger instruments. "A la anglo"? Not likely. The anglo doesn't have wrist straps. It has hand straps. I have yet to see an anglo player try to put his/her wrists through those straps. The way the wrist straps on an English are used during playing is quite different from the way the hands straps on an anglo function. I've never felt the need for them, even on instruments larger than Juliette's largest. But as you can see from both her post and Randy's, different people have different feelings about them. E.g., while many people speak in favor of wrist straps on the larger and heavier Englishes, the Morse Albion on which Randy says he uses wrist straps is possibly the lightest-weight treble English available. - "A la anglo"? Not likely. - I just found a photo of myself, from the Christmas session in Lund, Sweden in 2006. Sorry, those are handstraps /Henrik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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