Wheatstone Aeola Maccann 72 Button Duet Concertina.

[Dirge]

Here's my 71 and an example of what you can do with a larger duet. Only 138 numbers earlier than this one, but probably a little softer than it because of having lots of dural instead of brass. One take and warts and all but it gives an idea of what you can do; this is a bit of Schumann well known to all piano learners. Couldn't do it on less than a 71, I don't think.

 

Hi Mr Dirge...!

Just had a listen to the Schumann bit...Remember it from my youth!!

Jolly nice too. Yes, it would be very tricky on a 58. But thats the wonderful versatility of the beast, isn't it?

My style of playing is much more idiosyncratic. Am in the middle of doing a couple of tracks for the "Duet International" CD set due out next year.

I'm very much a "By Ear" man. One of the first pieces I attempted was 3/6 ths of Peter Warlocks Capriol Suite...Learnt from my brothers EP!! (Not a dot in sight!).

Obviously it's not grammatically correct (in the music sense!). But it can still raise the hairs on the back of my neck when I get it right!! (not very often!!)

 

Hope to hear more of your playing sometime!!

Regards Ralphie

 

PS. Thanks Irene for putting up the pics..... Will need a CD Rom of them sometime. Hard Drive totally knackered..Lost everything! x

 

Hi Ralphie, glad you liked it. I was looking forward to meeting you properly this summer. Next year?

 

I'm rendered breathless by the way you and Iris Bishop seem to just troll out spectacular stuff by ear. Hopefully a bit of that skill will come to me in time, (at the moment I can bash out chords, but nothing subtle off the cuff) but in the meantime I'm enjoying rediscovering the classics having neglected them for years. That, for me, means reading the notes fairly literally, and THAT means, for now, a bigger instrument.

 

I also get the shivers when I get it really right. As you say, a wonderful instrument with such potential.

 

Cheers

Dirge

[Irene S.]

Here's my 71 and an example of what you can do with a larger duet. Only 138 numbers earlier than this one, but probably a little softer than it because of having lots of dural instead of brass. One take and warts and all but it gives an idea of what you can do; this is a bit of Schumann well known to all piano learners. Couldn't do it on less than a 71, I don't think.

 

Hi Dirge!! Sorry the logistics for Ralphie and myself meant we didn't get that get together this summer ... but who knows next time you're over perhaps we can manage a proper Maccannics meet. I too remember the Schumann - I never got to play it, but my mother played it a great deal (although a tad faster than that I think) - brought back a few memories.

 

One of the first pieces I attempted was 3/6 ths of Peter Warlocks Capriol Suite...Learnt from my brothers EP!! (Not a dot in sight!).

Obviously it's not grammatically correct (in the music sense!). But it can still raise the hairs on the back of my neck when I get it right!! (not very often!!)

Looking forward to hearing that at some time. At the moment I'm intrigued about which 3/6ths of the suite you decided on (although I think I can guess at least one movement you wouldn't have attempted!!)

Re the pics and the hard drive - sorry to hear about that . I'll sort something out if you need it... let me know

Edited September 19, 2009 by Irene S

[Joe Holloway]

Ralphie said "No doubt someone will put me right?" ... since I suspect that was aimed at me (?) , and I can't resist a challenge .....

 

The six sided concertina which Ralph refers to is number 31479 - according to the Wheatstone ledgers manufacture date May 10th 1927, and a 58 key.

(He said it was louder than the Aeola ... I can definitely agree it certainly IS loud! Good job my neighbour's on holiday at the moment.)

Checking the ledgers it seems the Aeola (also registered as a 58 key) has had it's birthday already, as the date given is September 1st - so it presumably spent it's time languishing in a shop somewhere until it reached the grand old age of exactly a month. (Had to go researching again, didn't I!!

 

At the moment I can't track the pic I wanted down ... so here's one of Ralphie's six sider and his Aeola together in the sunshine! One of the Aeola enjoying the Stowmarket sunshine in 2007, and one of Ralphie playing the Aeola at the ECMW in June. (Please note that all photos are my copyright, should the issue ever arise )

 

Hope that suits your requirements Ralphie?

 

 

 

 

Hi,

 

Can you tell me what the measurement of the concertina is from top to bottom in inches ?

 

Thanks,

 

-Joe-B^)

[kobastal7953]

Ralphie said "No doubt someone will put me right?" ... since I suspect that was aimed at me (?) , and I can't resist a challenge .....

 

The six sided concertina which Ralph refers to is number 31479 - according to the Wheatstone ledgers manufacture date May 10th 1927, and a 58 key.

(He said it was louder than the Aeola ... I can definitely agree it certainly IS loud! Good job my neighbour's on holiday at the moment.)

Checking the ledgers it seems the Aeola (also registered as a 58 key) has had it's birthday already, as the date given is September 1st - so it presumably spent it's time languishing in a shop somewhere until it reached the grand old age of exactly a month. (Had to go researching again, didn't I!!

 

At the moment I can't track the pic I wanted down ... so here's one of Ralphie's six sider and his Aeola together in the sunshine! One of the Aeola enjoying the Stowmarket sunshine in 2007, and one of Ralphie playing the Aeola at the ECMW in June. (Please note that all photos are my copyright, should the issue ever arise )

 

Hope that suits your requirements Ralphie?

 

 

 

 

Hi,

 

Can you tell me what the measurement of the concertina is from top to bottom in inches ?

 

Thanks,

 

-Joe-B^)Hi.Nine & a half inches from top to bottom. Norman B.

[Irene S.]

A confusing question, and a confusing answer there!!

Joe B - did you mean Norman B's Aeola (since I note from the pics that it is an Aeola and not a concertina)... or Ralphie's concertina, since you've quoted my reply ?? (If the latter I'll go away and measure it, since it is, as he said currently on loan to me )

 

I'm assuming that the reply from Norman B MUST refer to the Aeola that he has up for sale, and which we have all lost sight of (sorry Norman).

Edited September 21, 2009 by Irene S

[Joe Holloway]

A confusing question, and a confusing answer there!!

Joe B - did you mean Norman B's Aeola (since I note from the pics that it is an Aeola and not a concertina)... or Ralphie's concertina, since you've quoted my reply ?? (If the latter I'll go away and measure it, since it is, as he said currently on loan to me )

 

I'm assuming that the reply from Norman B MUST refer to the Aeola that he has up for sale, and which we have all lost sight of (sorry Norman).

 

Hi Irene,

 

Yes, I meant Raphie's. I found the size of Norman's in the ledger and that was confirmed by his reply. Thanks Norman.

 

I wanted to understand the physical size difference between a 57/58 key and the full 70 key instrument.

 

This is all in a vague effort to try and compute how much difference there might be in responsiveness, which I could understand completely, if I could get such an instrument(s) in between my hands for even five minutes.

 

But, I digress.. A measurement would be wonderfull..

 

Thanks,

 

-Joe-B^)

[Irene S.]

I wanted to understand the physical size difference between a 57/58 key and the full 70 key instrument

 

But, I digress.. A measurement would be wonderfull..

 

Thanks,

 

-Joe-B^)

 

The tape measure reveals the relevant figure to be 7".

 

 

I'm intrigued when you refer to the 70/71 as "the full instrument". Are you discounting the bigger beasts like the 81 from your calculations??? And how does that tell you anything about responsiveness .... I shall probably regret asking that one.

[Ralph Jordan]

A confusing question, and a confusing answer there!!

Joe B - did you mean Norman B's Aeola (since I note from the pics that it is an Aeola and not a concertina)... or Ralphie's concertina, since you've quoted my reply ?? (If the latter I'll go away and measure it, since it is, as he said currently on loan to me )

 

I'm assuming that the reply from Norman B MUST refer to the Aeola that he has up for sale, and which we have all lost sight of (sorry Norman).

 

Hi Irene,

 

Yes, I meant Raphie's. I found the size of Norman's in the ledger and that was confirmed by his reply. Thanks Norman.

 

I wanted to understand the physical size difference between a 57/58 key and the full 70 key instrument.

 

This is all in a vague effort to try and compute how much difference there might be in responsiveness, which I could understand completely, if I could get such an instrument(s) in between my hands for even five minutes.

 

But, I digress.. A measurement would be wonderfull..

 

Thanks,

 

 

-Joe-B^)

 

 

Hi Joe, The Aeola and the Hex box are both around 7 inches across as Irene says.

As for responsiveness, when I first got the Aeola, Having cleaned it up, fixed stuck reeds etc, It played like a dog! It had obviously been hidden away for some years.

Gradually, it came to life, and now it's action is pretty fast. Either it's changed, or I have!

 

Also, because I use it all the time, the bellows are beginning to leak a bit, which ironically, suits my style of playing. It lets me get more "bounce" into a tune. (I play a lot for dancing BTW).

 

IMHO though. the bigger Duets have obviously more Bass end reeds which are longer, and therefore need more air before they leap into action. Hence my comment earlier re response times. But Hey. We are all different!

I think I've found the one for me. (Would like to try something in the 60 key range though).

 

Put it this way. Have been playing the bugger since 1973, and I'm still finding new things!!

 

Good luck with your quest, and remember.....A Concertina is not just for Christmas, it comes in useful when you run out of logs on Boxing day!

[Joe Holloway]

A confusing question, and a confusing answer there!!

Joe B - did you mean Norman B's Aeola (since I note from the pics that it is an Aeola and not a concertina)... or Ralphie's concertina, since you've quoted my reply ?? (If the latter I'll go away and measure it, since it is, as he said currently on loan to me )

 

I'm assuming that the reply from Norman B MUST refer to the Aeola that he has up for sale, and which we have all lost sight of (sorry Norman).

 

Hi Irene,

 

Yes, I meant Raphie's. I found the size of Norman's in the ledger and that was confirmed by his reply. Thanks Norman.

 

I wanted to understand the physical size difference between a 57/58 key and the full 70 key instrument.

 

This is all in a vague effort to try and compute how much difference there might be in responsiveness, which I could understand completely, if I could get such an instrument(s) in between my hands for even five minutes.

 

But, I digress.. A measurement would be wonderfull..

 

Thanks,

 

 

-Joe-B^)

 

 

Hi Joe, The Aeola and the Hex box are both around 7 inches across as Irene says.

As for responsiveness, when I first got the Aeola, Having cleaned it up, fixed stuck reeds etc, It played like a dog! It had obviously been hidden away for some years.

Gradually, it came to life, and now it's action is pretty fast. Either it's changed, or I have!

 

Also, because I use it all the time, the bellows are beginning to leak a bit, which ironically, suits my style of playing. It lets me get more "bounce" into a tune. (I play a lot for dancing BTW).

 

IMHO though. the bigger Duets have obviously more Bass end reeds which are longer, and therefore need more air before they leap into action. Hence my comment earlier re response times. But Hey. We are all different!

I think I've found the one for me. (Would like to try something in the 60 key range though).

 

Put it this way. Have been playing the bugger since 1973, and I'm still finding new things!!

 

Good luck with your quest, and remember.....A Concertina is not just for Christmas, it comes in useful when you run out of logs on Boxing day!

 

 

Hi Ralph,

 

That's only a quarter inch larger than my current English, which should make it a fairly manageable instrument.

 

I wouldn't mind trying something larger as well. Playing for dancers is just plain hard work, but fun

 

-Joe-B^)

[michael sam wild]

Norman's now put it on eBay, best of luck!