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My favorite reaction came about many years ago, when I had been driving in the Outer Hebrides with my friend Mairi, a native Gaelic-speaker. It had been uncharacteristically sunny, and I was wearing dark sunglasses. At our destination in South Uist, we enlisted the help of two local men to unload our car. Afterward, as we shared a few drams with them, I brought out my concertina and played a few tunes. One of the locals said something in Gaelic to his companion, and I asked Mairi to translate. "He says you play very well," she smiled, "for a blind man." B)

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I remember when I first old my extended family I was learning to play a concertina....first I got the question 'what's that'. Once explained I got the question 'Why did you choose something odd like that?'

Than my uncle regaled me with a tale of how he'd taken a piano accordion on a road trip as a lad and ended up destroying it. :blink:

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At our local friendly session I'm the only concertina player and as I'm learning I tend to play slow airs, but my jigs reels etc are not up to speed so I often get left behind when the others join in. But they always say they love the sound of the instrument. We often get an accordion player comes along and drowns everyone out so they like the concertina.

 

I recently sat on a local harbour wall playing and got lots of smiles and kind comments from passing couples, some even stopped to listen for a minute or two. Nobody pushed me in the water which, for me, clocked it up as an achievement !

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At our local friendly session I'm the only concertina player

 

I've been taking mine to a Folk Club/Song Circle. It's usually me and a dozen singer-songwriter types with guitars, so I keep my offerings short, and rely heavily on the novelty factor! Many of the group had never seen or heard a concertina until I joined in (they're pretty thin on the ground here). So far, so good!

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I have seen two kinds of reactions.

 

1. Some people's first impression was that muy anglo concertina (a HOHNER D40/9) is an accordion for kids, like a toy-accordion: small, with brilliant colors (red and green),... :blink:

 

2. However, other people first impression was that my concertina is like a bandoneon for play "tangos". B)

 

They are two very different opinions. But, qhen I begin to play the concertina, the opinion of people change to only one opinion: they like it! :)

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Here's the stereotypical conversation I usually have:

 

Other People: Oh, you play the accordion?

Me: No, I play the concertina.

OP: Aren't they the same thing?

Me: Nope. Two different instruments.

OP: I just figured since they both have buttons and bellows that they were basicly the same thing.

Me: Using that logic a banjo and a cello is basicly the same instrument since they both have a neck and strings...

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If I wasn't 'geek' enough by the fact I play irish music in my country, I'm a geek too because I'm the only concertinist in the session where I usually play- and, as far as I know, the only one in Madrid that has not a crappy chinese/ 20 keys or Hohnner box -.

Another musicians thought that I was going too give up when they saw my Stagi, opinion that changed when they saw my Morse :)

 

Regular people thinks usually this is an accordion, but when I explain them how the box works, most of they say: Ah, then is more like a mouth organ with a bellows! - I like to think that the anglo is the quintessentially perfectioned mouth organ B) -.

 

My wife likes it - not as much as my fiddle playing - but she is mancunian, so she knew about the 'tina... In fact, one of the things that helped to conquest her was the fact that I knew what Morris Dance is and that I like it :D

 

Cheers,

 

Fer

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Fer - you can tell fellow Madrileños that you're playing Galician tunes - they probably won't know the difference! ;)

 

No, ta'. ;) I've had enough galician bagpipes for the rest of my life. I like the tunes, but then they remind me of the bagpipes and then I hate themwith all my soul - I ignore if this expression is correct in english -.

 

But you're right, they probably wouldn't tell the difference. Indeed, when some out-of-the-scene people hear us playing, they usually say: 'nice music, but are you going to play the same tune all night long? :blink: :lol:

 

Cheers,

 

Fer

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I live in a part of town that is concentrated with lots of small houses and I often practice out on my back porch. I had really no idea whether any of the neighbors could hear it or not until one day one of my neighbors from two doors down said: "Have you heard that wonderful accordion music that someone is playing. It's just like living in an Italian restaurant."

 

I said "That was me, and it is a concertina." She said "Oh can you play any sea shanties".

 

So far I play cord exercises, Christmas carols, Godfather themes, and the tones from Close Encounters of the Third Kind. I suppose I'll add sea shanties soon.

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Just wondering what kind of reactions you get from other people, regardng playing concertina?

 

I have been met with a mix of support and ridicule. I think the ridicule comes from a bit of ignorance about the instrument (some people don't really know what it is and think only of accordians) but also perhaps a bit of surprise that I am playing it. I am in my 30s so perhaps people think it funny that, after a non-musical life thus far, I have suddenly become obsessed with concertinas.

 

So, yes, just wondering what reactions you all get, or got when you first started playing?

 

 

My cover story is that I could not afford an Ipod.

 

. People have stopped to take my picture with their kids. They take the picture and leave the kids.

 

I sit on a rock at the sea wall and play, like a male Siren luring tourists to their death.

 

People jokingly ask where my monkey is. I sadly explain it was run over by drunkard on a riding lawnmower.

 

Most people unintentionally call it an accordian and I chide them.

I explain an accordian is a first cousin of the Concertina, so they cannot legally get married and change their names.

 

Most know 'squeeze box' and and make a semi-lurid gesture as they've all heard that Credence clearwater song.

 

A few have complimented me on my Xylophone playing. I say "thank you"

 

I have made a dollar off of this, although some shill was going to throw his grubby pocket pennies into my new case and I

had to ward him off.

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Heh. I like all of these, but my inner pedant says:

 

Most know 'squeeze box' and and make a semi-lurid gesture as they've all heard that Credence clearwater song.

 

Do you mean The Who?

 

Mama's got a squeezebox she wears on her chest

And when Daddy comes home, he never gets no rest

She's playing all night, and the music's all right

Mama's got a squeezebox, Daddy never sleeps at night.

 

jdms

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Heh. I like all of these, but my inner pedant says:

 

Most know 'squeeze box' and and make a semi-lurid gesture as they've all heard that Credence clearwater song.

 

Do you mean The Who?

 

Mama's got a squeezebox she wears on her chest

And when Daddy comes home, he never gets no rest

She's playing all night, and the music's all right

Mama's got a squeezebox, Daddy never sleeps at night.

 

jdms

Yes, my apologies , thank you

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I've had little children want to touch it.. which I now try and not let them touch it. The standard, if a friend wants to hold it, "If you pull or push the bellows be sure to push a button---any button---in."

 

If I get a small child wanting to have a go I keep a firm hold on the concertina and tell them to press one button at a time as I work the bellows, moving their finger up a button after each push/pull until they've played a scale :D Then I tell them how clever they are and they go away pestering their parents to buy them a concertina :lol:

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