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A Question Of Statistics.


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At my local session in Cheshire (which may be fairly heavily Irish or fairly heavily English, depending on who turns up) there are at least 5 regular EC players, although it is unusual for them to all turn up together.

 

FIVE!!!!!! :o

 

I've set eyes on precisely TWO in the last 16 months - my own here, and Brian McNeill's in Marlborough, when I flew over to see him with Feast of Fiddles.

 

I got to squeeze his though. Just a tiny tad nicer than my own. :rolleyes:

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....... It's an interesting thought, isn't it ... I wonder where they all are now. ....... How many were just dumped or burned! :( ...

 

Cheers

Dick

 

Eh Up Dick,

 

Glad to say I cannot recall personally ever having burned a concertina, though my playing has left scorch marks on a few B)

 

I do look back with embarrassment on the wanton destruction I took part in in the sixties. At most village fetes around Sussex, there would be a competition for the adults to smash up pianos, by any means, into lumps small enough to pass through a toilet seat.

The accompanying event for juniors was to smash up a concertina into pieces that would fit through an inch & a quarter napkin ring. I took part in this event more times than I now care to remember, and always recall just how tough Jeffries reed pans were to break up! ..... by contrast, Edeophones were a cinch :lol:

 

Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa :ph34r:

 

Regards

 

Dave P

 

Hi Dave,

 

I can understand the smashing up of Pianos, especially given that it's so hard to get rid of an old one, or even a half decent one, these days.

Nobody wants them.

However, sad to hear about the Tina smashing.

 

Now if it were Piano Accordions, I could get into that, big time! :lol:

 

Cheers

Dick

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You won't see my duets down folk clubs very often, and that's nothing to do with shyness. I just don't play folk. Use your squeezebox for folk music and welcome, but don't for a moment think that's all they are good for, or that you'll be able to count them through folk events.

 

No, I realise that Dirge, but it is a start. However, I'd far rather hear that these instruments were being played in Folk circles, than that they were just gathering dust on some collectors shelves or museum's glass cases! :(

 

Obviously this thread is not an exact science, I am just looking for impressions to give me a picture, however vague. After all, a vague picture is better than no picture.

 

Your comments do make me wonder how often the English Concertina is discussed amongst playing enthusiasts on Classical Music of Jazz forums? ;)

 

Cheers

Dick

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The Concertina is potentially far too versatile an instrument to be merely labeled ( as it so often is ) 'A Folk Instrument'. It deserves greater respect.

Agreed, but on the other hand, "folk" deserves greater respect than it often gets.

 

Ah, now if only we could see ourselves ...... the way others see us! ;)

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The Concertina is potentially far too versatile an instrument to be merely labeled ( as it so often is ) 'A Folk Instrument'. It deserves greater respect.

Agreed, but on the other hand, "folk" deserves greater respect than it often gets.

 

Hmmm sometimes. Sometimes less...

 

So it's just the same then, as any other musical form really, isn't it?

 

Perhaps there's no bad music ...... just BAD musicians!

 

Cheers

Dick

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At my local session in Cheshire (which may be fairly heavily Irish or fairly heavily English, depending on who turns up) there are at least 5 regular EC players, although it is unusual for them to all turn up together. I'm the only Anglo.

 

5 eh ... hmmmmmm

 

I dare say that could work, on the other hand, I remember hearing a session of only five Anglos in a wee pub in Miltown Malbay, back in the late 70s & I'm sorry, but to my ears, a Concertina enthusiast, it was the musical equivalent of five cats fighting in a bag!

 

Sometimes less really is more! ;)

 

Cheers

Dick

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At my local session in Cheshire (which may be fairly heavily Irish or fairly heavily English, depending on who turns up) there are at least 5 regular EC players, although it is unusual for them to all turn up together. I'm the only Anglo.

 

Been there .. though probably not regularly enough to be counted as regular :-)

There are couple of sessions that I do go to regularly. at one small one, I know of around 4 EC players (including myself), though rarely more than 2 at a time.

The other session is quite large, and a hot bed of ECs with rarely less than 3 and if we all turned up at once, maybe as many as 6 (plus a lone anglo player)

 

Must say, I think that perhaps 2 sounds like a far more sensible number to work with, but then that's just me. I don't like hearing two Banjos competing in a session either, or 2 Accordions for that matter ....

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At my local session in Cheshire (which may be fairly heavily Irish or fairly heavily English, depending on who turns up) there are at least 5 regular EC players, although it is unusual for them to all turn up together.

 

FIVE!!!!!! :o

 

I've set eyes on precisely TWO in the last 16 months - my own here, and Brian McNeill's in Marlborough, when I flew over to see him with Feast of Fiddles.

 

I got to squeeze his though. Just a tiny tad nicer than my own. :rolleyes:

 

Och surely though, it's not the quality of the instrument that is so important, but rather the quality of the musicianship! ;)

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Sometimes less really is more! ;)

"
Less
" is "more"???

I thought that in Irish, the word for "little" sounds rather like our English "big", while the Irish word for "big" sounds like our word "more".

 

An inferiority complex is not, it seems, the lot of the Irish. :D

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Sometimes less really is more! ;)

"
Less
" is "more"???

I thought that in Irish, the word for "little" sounds rather like our English "big" ....

 

An inferiority complex is not, it seems, the lot of the Irish. :D

 

No Jim, not BIG ~ BEG. ;)

 

& of course we all know, they've been BEGGING the Brits to get out for many, many years! :rolleyes:

 

I wonder though, once Scotland & Wales become totally independent, will regions like Northumberland &/or Cornwall & Devon sue for their independence too? ;)

 

Cheers

Dick

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....... It's an interesting thought, isn't it ... I wonder where they all are now. ....... How many were just dumped or burned! :( ...

 

Cheers

Dick

 

Eh Up Dick,

 

Glad to say I cannot recall personally ever having burned a concertina, though my playing has left scorch marks on a few B)

 

I do look back with embarrassment on the wanton destruction I took part in in the sixties. At most village fetes around Sussex, there would be a competition for the adults to smash up pianos, by any means, into lumps small enough to pass through a toilet seat.

The accompanying event for juniors was to smash up a concertina into pieces that would fit through an inch & a quarter napkin ring. I took part in this event more times than I now care to remember, and always recall just how tough Jeffries reed pans were to break up! ..... by contrast, Edeophones were a cinch :lol:

 

Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa :ph34r:

 

Regards

 

Dave P

 

Hi Dave,

 

I can understand the smashing up of Pianos, especially given that it's so hard to get rid of an old one, or even a half decent one, these days.

Nobody wants them.

However, sad to hear about the Tina smashing.

 

Now if it were Piano Accordions, I could get into that, big time! :lol:

 

Cheers

Dick

 

Hi Ptarmi,

 

The deep sense of shame and guilt I now must bear, is only eased a little by Amitriptylene and the ministrations of skilled psychotherapists. I am trying to redress the balance but know that I am doomed to pass my days repenting my sins and serving out a lifetime of penance rebuilding concertinas from bags of scrap.

 

Dave

 

ps .... it is April the first isn't it ??? .... Nurse, Nurse, .... is it time for my pills yet ???

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Hi Ptarmi,

 

The deep sense of shame and guilt I now must bear, is only eased a little by Amitriptylene and the ministrations of skilled psychotherapists. I am trying to redress the balance but know that I am doomed to pass my days repenting my sins and serving out a lifetime of penance rebuilding concertinas from bags of scrap.

 

Dave

 

ps .... it is April the first isn't it ??? .... Nurse, Nurse, .... is it time for my pills yet ???

 

Hey Dave,

 

From what I've seen, you've already more than made up for your past sins! :)

 

But hey, what the heck .... we all needed a hobby! :lol:

 

Anyway, who amongst us could not be shamed, by someone producing a YouTube of some very embarrassing moment from our teens? 5.gif

 

And if this particular memory of yours is but a substance or alcohol induced phantasy, hey, don't worry, it could be worse, you could be imagining yourself doing something REALLY REALLY outrageous ......... like voting TORY! :blink: :wacko:

 

 

:ph34r:

 

 

.... bags of scrap

 

:unsure: :blink:

 

Hey Dave, I know the Royal Mail aren't perfect, but I hope that's not how a certain Ab/Eb Lachenal arrived at your door? :huh:

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Hi Ptarmi,

 

The deep sense of shame and guilt I now must bear, is only eased a little by Amitriptylene and the ministrations of skilled psychotherapists. I am trying to redress the balance but know that I am doomed to pass my days repenting my sins and serving out a lifetime of penance rebuilding concertinas from bags of scrap.

 

Dave

 

ps .... it is April the first isn't it ??? .... Nurse, Nurse, .... is it time for my pills yet ???

 

Hey Dave,

 

From what I've seen, you've already more than made up for your past sins! :)

 

But hey, what the heck .... we all needed a hobby! :lol:

 

Anyway, who amongst us could not be shamed, by someone producing a YouTube of some very embarrassing moment from our teens? 5.gif

 

And if this particular memory of yours is but a substance or alcohol induced phantasy, hey, don't worry, it could be worse, you could be imagining yourself doing something REALLY REALLY outrageous ......... like voting TORY! :blink: :wacko:

 

 

:ph34r:

 

 

.... bags of scrap

 

:unsure: :blink:

 

Hey Dave, I know the Royal Mail aren't perfect, but I hope that's not how a certain Ab/Eb Lachenal arrived at your door? :huh:

 

 

Fear not old chap.

 

It arrived in one piece with strains of 'Onward Christian Soldiers', eminating from the parcel.

 

be in touch soon

 

Dave

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Hi Ptarmigan

 

Like Jim states: "There are lies, damn lies, and statistics.", so, on average you may be lying, Whoops, I mean, statistically you may do correct statements and perform perfect computations. However, you are assuming that Scotland is representative for England and vice versa, and that (I think) is where the lie comes in (is there any scottish or english person that does not agree with me?). It is obvious that the amount of concertina players in different countries differs.

 

I understand what Alan felt, but to me there is nothing wrong with Alan's selection. But to me it seems that it is impossible for him to know all concertina players in the world, it would not surprise me if Alan knows more players in england than in africa or asia. This affects the number of players per nation (again, nothing wrong with that Al). There may be more concertina players out there from another part of the world that we don't know at all, they may talk another language and they may skip this whole forum (while some don't).

 

Even closer to england and scotland, how many dutch players are on the english international CD, wasn't that 2?. Does that say anything about the number of dutch english concertina players? (well if there are two on the cd then our statistical formula predicts says there are 26 players in the netherlands. I don't think we have that many, but again, there may be more than I know. Then there may be more countries where no representative is on the CD while more people play english concertina then they do in the netherlands.

 

So much for to say that I would not take the number of players on the CD as a reliable measure for the total number of players in a nation.

 

Greetings from a professional liar

Marien

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Fear not old chap.

 

It arrived in one piece with strains of 'Onward Christian Soldiers', eminating from the parcel.

 

be in touch soon

 

Dave

 

PHEW!

 

Well Dave, I guess I'll just need to learn a few Gospel numbers, when I get her back!

 

Cheers

Dick

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The Concertina is potentially far too versatile an instrument to be merely labeled ( as it so often is ) 'A Folk Instrument'. It deserves greater respect.

Agreed, but on the other hand, "folk" deserves greater respect than it often gets.

 

Ah, now if only we could see ourselves ...... the way others see us! ;)

 

Think of how you see pop music..and you've got it. ;) :P

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