UncleJaque gets Concertina 4 Christmas!

Subject: UncleJaque gets Concertina 4 Christmas!
From: GUEST,Uncle Jaque
Date: 26 Dec 02 - 11:07 PM

There wasn't really much that I "wanted" for Christmas this year, and "Aunt Martha" my Wife of 30+ years now had a hard time getting a specific Santa - Clause list out of me.

        Whenever we pass a Yard Sale or Flea Market and I beg to stop and peruse, the predictable admonition is that I have too darned much "stuff" already, and Lord knows, we don't need any more junque to clutter up our quarters.
As much as I hate to admit it, she is right, of course.

   I hardly use most of my stuff any more anyway, and am trying to get a little less attached to the material World as it is - not that I ever was particularly materialistic, I suppose.

        So your affectionate old Uncle J. was not really lusting over anything in particular... although there have been a few things that I wouldn't mind adding to the collection from time to time;

        Such as that beautiful little 1850's tiger-stripe maple Parlor Guitar I saw last Month at the Vintage Fret Shop in Ashland NH, complete with it's original wooden "coffin" case.
It was a bargain at the $1000 asking price , I opine, and even with nylon strings it sounded and looked really pretty - but being currently between careers such an expense is hardly in the cards.

        What Aunt M. does know, however, is that I have a certain proclivity for peculiar musical instruments which were around in the mid 1800's, as well as for Traditional Sea Music. I had been shopping around for a concertina, but found that decent used ones are few and far between. Those which do show up on the market fetch a hefty price, frequently in excess of $1000 - again, out of my pay grade.

        So imagine my delight on Christmas Morn, as I opened my last gift - and out of the box plucked a little Concertina!

        Now Auntie M. knows even less about concertinas than I do. Nonetheless, she had called several Music Stores, inquiring about concertinas. Several of them didn't even know what they are, while a few did but couldn't imagine why anyone in their right mind would ever want one of the bloody things - and would hardly be caught selling any of them.

        At one of the biggest places in Portland, ME, they didn't have any, but offered to order... a Hohner. Intuitively she knew that this was NOT the way to go, so made one last call to "Buckdancer's Choice", also of Portland. The young lad there advised that although they normally didn't waste shelf space on them (or something to that effect), they had taken one in trade a few days earlier.
But when asked if it was "Old Fashioned" (a prerequisite for me, don't you know) the lad said that it was quite modern. Sue envisioned plastic laminate hot pink "Mother-of-Toilet-Seat" adornments, which would never do of course at a Shanty Hoot or Civil War Reenactment.

        But she still had this nagging intuition, or "6th Sense" to check it out - so while in Town stopped by to take a look at this mystery squeezebox.

        Sure enough; it was made of wood, and had a pretty traditional look to it. She even thought to have a more knowledgeable Associate play every note - and she has a pretty good ear for pitch. And then it just "felt right", so "viola" into Santa's proverbial sleigh it went.

        Not only did she select an instrument I've been curious about of late, but it is an Anglo (which is what I have been advised to start with) in the key of "C" and "G".

        Now I might have chosen a "G"/"D" given the choice, but no complaints; My primary tin whistle is a Clarke in "C" and most of my guitar stuff tends to hang around "G".

        A book came along with the deal, and it is NOT, for some strange reason, a Mel Bay "Fun With..." book. It has quite a few pages of old Victorian Music with concertina tab, including some of my favorites like "Kathleen Mavourneen".

         After running up and down the C and G scale and laboring through a couple of tunes by the book, putzing around with the hand straps and which finger to use on what buttons (the book doesn't say, so I'm just figuring it out as we go), I started noodling around to see if I could coax a tune out by ear.

        Whatd'ya know; I'm no virtuoso by a long shot, but darned if I'm not getting a few recognizeable (albeit rather halting and herkey-jerky) tunes out of the little bugger - and it has a really sweet sound to it to boot.

        Now as to what breed of beast this is, I have never heard of it; the decal on one of the hexagonal flats (6 1/2" between them, by the way) says "Paul Beuscher". Does that ring a bell with anyone?

        According to the Music Store Guy, they had taken it in trade from a Customer who had bought it some time ago while visiting in France, but had never learned to play or like it very much.

        The finish and workmanship are not what i would call "Old World" quality by any means, but it seems to be a sturdy little box with "Real" leather straps and bellows.
It has 20 natural white buttons which would pass for ivory or celluloid (a mid-19th Century early form of plastic made from wood fibers).
I know from a previous inquiry posted on MC that 30 buttons are better, but all things considered I think that we did all right - especially for a "Training Box".   

        Now I wish that we lived closer to a concertina - playing Mudcatter so I could pick their brains for some tips on how to do it right... but for now am finding it to be even more fun than I had anticipated.

         Nothing like a "New Toy" to bring out the kid in ye, eh?

Subject: RE: UncleJaque gets Concertina 4 Christmas!
From: GUEST,Ralphie (at work...!)
Date: 26 Dec 02 - 11:32 PM

Uncle Jaque...
Welcome to the madness that is the world of Concertina players.
Congratulations on your present...Yes, maybe a 30 Key is better, but, for a starter box, 20 Keys are confounding enough.
Play the Duet myself, (here in London Town), IMHO a far superior instrument (only joking).
Nonetheless, a heartwarming story of a fine present. a credit to your wife, (who will now have to have the patience of Job, or a soundproof room to put you in!)
The name Beuscher rings a tiny bell, maybe other Anglo players can help?
No other marks? Wheatstone, Lachenal, Crabb, Jeffries ??
Whatever. Just enjoy it...and thanks for the cheery message.
All the best in 2003 Ralphie

Subject: RE: UncleJaque gets Concertina 4 Christmas!
From: Noreen
Date: 27 Dec 02 - 06:22 AM

Greetings from another Anglo owner! If you search for concertina in the Forum search, you'll come across at least a couple of threads which may be of some interest.
Not heard the name Beuscher here, sorry.

Have fun!

Noreen

Subject: RE: UncleJaque gets Concertina 4 Christmas!
From: Noreen
Date: 27 Dec 02 - 06:32 AM

Ah, it appears that Paul Beuscher (click here) is a long-established music shop in Paris, and unlikely to be the manufacturer of your new baby.

Does it have any other markings that might help?

Subject: RE: UncleJaque gets Concertina 4 Christmas!
From: Crane Driver
Date: 27 Dec 02 - 07:13 AM

Well done that woman! There can never be too many concertina players(!) Try http://www.concertina.info for more than you ever wanted to know about the little buggers. But I'm not sure about this business of an Anglo being "the one to start with" - the various systems of concertina are so distinct they're like totally different instruments, learning to play one will not help at all if you want to try another (like Ralphie, I'm a duet player - started on a duet and stayed with it).

It sounds like you're getting the hang of the Anglo already, which is great - you probably will want to trade up to a 30 key eventually, which is theoretically chromatic, but you've made a good start. Sorry I can't help, being UK based, but I'm sure you'll find someone.

Have a squeezin' New Year

Andrew

Subject: RE: UncleJaque gets Concertina 4 Christmas!
From: curmudgeon
Date: 27 Dec 02 - 07:50 AM

Good for you, UJ. Will you be bringing it to the Press Room Shanty Session?

You need to spend some time at www.concertina.net. There, Anglo players abound and will give all the dvice and help you might want. Look around on the site for all manner of onformation, incliuding the ,maker of you box. -- Tom

Subject: RE: UncleJaque gets Concertina 4 Christmas!
From: kendall
Date: 27 Dec 02 - 08:40 AM

Good for you! There are many tunes that just demand a concertina.

Subject: RE: UncleJaque gets Concertina 4 Christmas!
From: Charley Noble
Date: 27 Dec 02 - 09:22 AM

What joy, Uncle Jaque! I'll look forward to a viewing of what you've received.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble, who harbors a couple of Anglos himself

Subject: RE: UncleJaque gets Concertina 4 Christmas!
From: GUEST
Date: 27 Dec 02 - 02:27 PM

Thanks, all!

I'll check out Concertina.net; pretty sure I have it bookmarked, and have had something to do with a few of our past concertina - related threads in the course of getting educated on Concertina 101 right here at the Mudcat Institute!

I would be curious as to the maker of this little box, and where it rates in the quality scale. Sue (her "real" name - some here might have met her at the last China Seas Chanty Hoot) alluded as to how it was not an inexpensive instrument at all, and the fellow at BDC claimed that it is on the "lower end of the higher class" concertinas.
It well may be a cookie-cutter Bastari as far as I know - but heck; it works.

Tom - I think I have your E-mail and can send you a scanning of it from which you might be able to identify it.

If I do get to the Press Room as I would like to, I'll plan on bringing it along, so that it may not only be seen, but heard from as well. I'm not sure as if I'll be up to going public with it by then, but surely somebody there will be able to give it a good evaluation workout.

At the moment, I'm working on "Strike The Bell" (naturally), The Mermaid, and "Nearer To Thee", which seems to take on a whole new, and lovely personality on the concertina in spite of my awkward attempts at rendering it.

I can see what you mean, Kendall, about certain songs just sort of naturally fitting this instrument as if they were made for it - as well they may have been. I have composed a couple of songs on the tin whistle, and I suppose that some of the great Sea Songs of the past might well have been "composed" as it were on a concertina.

A similar phenomenon seems to occur when I play Steven Foster's old tunes on the gut-strung Minstrel Banjo in the old Ab "Low Bass" tuning; many of them probably were written with just such an instrument in mind, as it was the primary instrument of American popular and Folk Music at the time, just ahead of the Fiddle and way out in front of the relative upstart, the guitar.

That is one big reason why I like to research the old instruments and playing styles as well as the music of History; sometimes when I play one of those old relics on the kind of instrument that they were originally sung to, they seem to mysteriously blossom or "unfold" with an emotional, if not Spiritual, power which just won't happen when they are done with modern instruments in the newer style - even though they might sound fine - if not better to our contemporary ears.

I can't begin to adequately explain it - it's almost like a certain presence is invoked, and "The Old Ones are there", much as we feel them on the Hallowed Ground at Gettysburg.
One of my more moving moments was sitting up on Little Round Top at Sundown playing some of the Old Tunes on my parlor guitar as the shadows crept across the Devil's Den.
A more powerful presence I have seldom felt.

That's one reason I'd love to hold one of our "Hoots" on the deck of an old Sailing Ship; I'll bet that we could about feel the Spirits a-comin up out of the deck planking. If you've never been around where that has happened before, it'll get the hair on the back of your neck standing up pretty well. But if you are there to remember and honor Them with a modicum of respect and integrity, it is not only an experience to be long remembered, but it's OK.

Now I can just about feel my fingers again, so time to play with the squeezebox some more!

Subject: RE: UncleJaque gets Concertina 4 Christmas!
From: Charley Noble
Date: 27 Dec 02 - 08:06 PM

Sounds like that man's in love! LOL

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: UncleJaque gets Concertina 4 Christmas!
From: EBarnacle1
Date: 28 Dec 02 - 12:40 AM

What CraneDriver said. Go for it.

Subject: RE: UncleJaque gets Concertina 4 Christmas!
From: Peter Kasin
Date: 28 Dec 02 - 12:41 AM

Well, Charley, it IS his main squeeze.

Subject: RE: UncleJaque gets Concertina 4 Christmas!
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 28 Dec 02 - 06:23 AM

Congratulations, Uncle J! My sweetheart is a player of both Anglo and English, and to me it's one of the sweetest sounds in the world. Next autumn you'll want to go to the annual "Squeeze-In" festival hosted by the Button Box . Check out the links, anyway, 'cause the Button Box is one of the best places to learn about (and buy!) squeeze-able instruments in the northeast. If you scan and email them a photo of your new baby, they'll probably be able to help you!
Enjly!

Subject: RE: UncleJaque gets Concertina 4 Christmas!
From: Gurney
Date: 29 Dec 02 - 02:06 AM

Good for you, mate, and well done your wife. Rub some leather preservative into the bellows leather, as they cost to replace and repair. If you put 'Concertina' on ALL the search engines you can find, you'll get an evenings viewing, and a lot of support, and a lot of nice new friends to email. Chris.

Subject: RE: UncleJaque gets Concertina 4 Christmas!
From: Charley Noble
Date: 30 Dec 02 - 08:21 AM

Uncle Jaque-

What's really fun is to take your new Christmas tool kit and see how many pieces you can take apart by unscrewing little thingies on your concertina. There must be a jillion different parts, including some springs that can even hit the ceiling!

No, you can't borrow my two.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: UncleJaque gets Concertina 4 Christmas!
From: Jock Morris
Date: 30 Dec 02 - 09:12 AM

Be VERY careful about rubbing anything into the bellows leather. Some old concertinas weren't made with waterproof glue, so an over enthusiastic application could find your bellows falling apart. Use a little applied sparingly to the folds of the bellows.

Congratulations on getting an anglo; I have four of the little blighters here and love them!

Scott

Subject: RE: UncleJaque gets Concertina 4 Christmas!
From: curmudgeon
Date: 30 Dec 02 - 09:18 AM

Colin Dipper, the master of concertina makers, advises against treating the bellows with anything, ever. To keep them from drying out, however, keep a real chamois in the case or wrapped around the bellows -- Tom

Subject: RE: UncleJaque gets Concertina 4 Christmas!
From: Noreen
Date: 30 Dec 02 - 09:54 AM

...keep a real chamois in the case or wrapped around the bellows...

Someone has to say it, Tom... wouldn't it do more damage kicking its way out?