Aeola T/T air hole

[Robin Harrison]

I hope the diagram is self-explanatory.

I don't recall seeing this type of air-hole arrangement before. It's with a slide (bowing) valve type air release, not an air button ( key).It's on a 1910 Aeola tenoer treble. The hole itself seemd quite small too at 6mm.

Anyone have any comment ?

As a way of getting air in or out of the instrument, it is quite inefficient and I wonder if this is the point. It enables you to maintain air pressure in the instrument while playing and gradually open or close the bellows without apparently altering volume,attack etc. One tends not to use an air release while playing an English because of the collapse of the pressure when you do.............this seems a development to avoid that.You can actually play with the valve open quite fine, although naturally the bellows move more quickly than usual.

At first I wondered if was part of the now-debunked Alseppi/Regondi bowing valve sceme but having tried it a little, if you know a passage is approaching where you need more air that you currently have and want to play it the passage with no bellows reversal you can anticipate and start to open the valve.Thus you can start the passage with either completely open or closed bellows. I could imagine a tecnically proficient concertinist might find this quite useful.

Regards Robin

Edited December 16, 2008 by Robin Harrison

[Pete Dunk]

The air valve on my Æola TT is fairly inefficient but I have no idea if it's for the same reason, next time I have it apart I'll take a look and let you know. I've always looked at the air valve on an English as a convenient way of closing the bellows if your technique isn't perfect and you finish a tune with them half open (which is most of the time with me!). The one you have might just be a custom special for a pro player Robin.

[Dirge]

The air valve on my Æola TT is fairly inefficient but I have no idea if it's for the same reason, next time I have it apart I'll take a look and let you know. I've always looked at the air valve on an English as a convenient way of closing the bellows if your technique isn't perfect and you finish a tune with them half open (which is most of the time with me!). The one you have might just be a custom special for a pro player Robin.

 

One of my duets seems to have a needlessly 'slow' air valve and I've always thought it must be for moving bellows position during play to plan for the next phrase.

 

It could be a training device to teach you to end the tune with the bellows closed; it's an irritatingly poor dump valve...(it hasn't worked yet)

 

Or just lack of space to get a bigger pad in?

[Geoffrey Crabb]

Although this doesn't seem a popular thread, here are a few notes on the subject.

 

Geoff

 

 

[Leonard]

Although this doesn't seem a popular thread, here are a few notes on the subject.

 

Geoff

 

Thanks for that, Geoff.