- Dick, much comforted to hear I hadn't been lecturing you ! But beware! when I talk about ergonomic playing I may get quite stubborn and annoying..:-)
- Alan, thanks for ( as I interprete it) supporting the *Dismiss the fingerplate cause* ! I have been planning some tactics for removing them from all concertinas within reach...welcome to join the party!
The early history of the english concertina is a piece of mystery tp me.Many (maybe most..) of the early prominent performers recommended that it should NOT be used (at least not for supporting the instrument) still the vast majority of players later on (and most tutors) keep on using a device which obviously was never intended to be used as it actually is! Most remarkable!
-Chris...I don't agree there is a "relative ease" playing octaves on the english ! Personally I rather think it is a really nightmare and compared to doing it on the piano absolutely bisarre...
- All of you folks...As I see it the english ought to be regarded as a lot more suitable for the typical (fluent, fast, ormanemted) Irish folk dance-music than the Anglo which as I see it on the other hand is a lot more handy for the typical ( bouncy, moderate, straight )Morris style. Only historic accidents and tradition (strong influences) are responsible for the use of "Anglo for Irish" which in real makes it all a lot more tricky...( I risk being stoned for that , I know, but I got some security distance to rely on...)