G'day again Zany Mouse ...

Aaaarghhh! That's the second time I gone and confused the Sally Army concertina (Butterworth / Crane / Triumph) with the Maccann! Sorry about that ... If I had found a Crane (Triumph ... &c) concertina in Hobart in 1966 - I would probably still be playing it. It's a system with elegant simplicity ... and plays arrangements of simple, human tunes (like Salvationist hymns!) beautifully. Good concertinas in the this system are rare ... you have to wait for someone to die, mostly, because there is real loyalty to the system.

Conversely, Maccanns can look really weird ... but play wonderful, complex, tunes and accompaniment ... eventually! Iris Bishop was really lucky to have heard the last of the old stage virtuosi (Tommy Williams ... ?) when she was wondering what to do ... and how ... with the strange concertina she had bought - the gods were with us, that night.

Anyway, you may be aware that there is a Mudcatter calling himself "Crane Driver". He visited Sydney late last year .. and plays very nicely. PM him for specific tips on suitable music sources.

Regards,

Bob