Melodeon.net Forums
Discussions => Teaching and Learning => Topic started by: Tostig on January 05, 2013, 12:54:28 PM
-
Hello
I've never played any instrument but am seriously considering trying.
Is the Melodeon really the easiest instrument to learn on?
I'm nearly 70. Is it likely that I could get good enough that I could play a tune that people could dance to?
Tostig
-
Welcome to mel.net, you are definitely in the right place for advice and guidance!
Well it's not 'difficult' shall we say to play a basic tune at all. My Grandad started at 60 and stuck at it until this year (he's now 82) and could easily pump out tunes like 'shepards hey' and 'winster gallop' from within a few weeks.
The way the standard instruments are tuned, it's relatively easy to create a pleasing sound!
I suppose it's that age old saying, 'a minute to learn, a lifetime to master'.
-
Aha, and I spy DaddyLongLes looking at this thread, you should check out his videos on youtube, as he blogged his journey of learning the melodeon (and fantastically I might add 8)!)
-
I don't know about "the easiest", but it's certainly by no means the most difficult. There will be plenty of advice available here (don't be surprised if you get 8 different answers to any given question!), and remember that unlike orchestral instruments there is no orthodox method for melodeon, so there's no "right" and "wrong" way. Best of luck!
-
It is relatively easy to get a tune out of a melodeon. But even after ~40 years I have yet to master it (:)
-
Tostig, welcome to our knowledgeable and cheerful gang.
I agree with everything that has been said so far. I started with a Mouthorgan and found the transition to Melodeon fairly easy. The suck blow is the same. Once that comes naturally you are soon able to Oompah oompah the bass notes and away you go. The air button is a trickey little beast especially when you need a push note and there's no push left, but you'll soon get used to that one.
Do you play any other instruments and what type of music do you want to play?
Wish you lots of luck, you certainly won't regret taking up "The leather Lung"
-
Oops! Didn't read your post properly, no you don't play other instruments
-
OK. Thanks for that so far.
Following in from that, it is mentioned somewhere that you can't get all the notes out of a melodeon. Does this mean that there are tunes that you can't play? Like e.g. Danny Boy, or Waltzing Matilda or She walks through the Fair. My kind of music is folksie inc. Celtic and a lot of other stuff too and it would be very annoying to find that after spending years learning it wasn't possible to play half of the things I want.
Tostig
-
OK. Thanks for that so far.
Following in from that, it is mentioned somewhere that you can't get all the notes out of a melodeon. Does this mean that there are tunes that you can't play? Like e.g. Danny Boy, or Waltzing Matilda or She walks through the Fair. My kind of music is folksie inc. Celtic and a lot of other stuff too and it would be very annoying to find that after spending years learning it wasn't possible to play half of the things I want.
Tostig
There are melodeons and melodeons. Some have one row, others have two or three related rows with a few extra notes ("accidentals"). Others still have all the notes (e.g. "semitone boxes", which make all the accidentals available, but are in some respects more difficult to learn to play).
All the tunes you mentioned (and thousands of others) are playable on any melodeon, even a one-row machine. But not in any key - the instrument will impose the key or keys in which you can play various tunes.
My advice: get stuck in - you'll have fun.
PS For a demonstration of what the missing notes on a melodeon can mean, see the recent thread on here linking to a man playing the tune "La Partida" on a D/G box. This is a tune stuffed with "accidentals". Very capably he plays it, too, except that the notes he is obliged to miss out mean that his interpretation is fudged in a way that is very unsatisfactory to anyone that knows the tune. But from the selection of tunes you mentioned, I don't imagine this kind of piece is on your radar. Not just yet, anyway. (:)
PPS This article on melodeons (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatonic_button_accordion) (expanded recently with input from many people on here) may give you some useful information. Or it might just confuse... ;)
-
It is quite true that you can't get all the notes out of a standard two-row melodeon, unless you go for a chromatic button accordion, which is a slightly different instrument. However, you don't need all the notes. A two-row melodeon enables you to play in two primary keys, one on each row, and provides all the notes to enable you to play in those keys. In Britain, the most common instruments have one row in D and the other in G because most folk music tunes are in those keys. In continental Europe, it is more common to have one row in G and the other in C. You can play in some other keys on these instruments, but there are some keys that would be unavailable because you won't have all the notes.
If you provide some indication of the kinds of tunes you would like to play, we can advise you about the type of melodeon that might suit you best.
-
Well, the available notes on any melodeon will vary according to its specification; for instance a 1-row will normally be truly diatonic and will offer you only the notes of the major scale in its home key. A 2-row "4th-apart" box will offer you a wider choice - obviously the major scales of two keys (for instance D & G or C & F), and most will also give you a few accidentals. A "2 and a bit" row or a 3-row will widen the scope even more, and will probably provide all the notes you'll ever need. A 2-row "semitone apart" box (C/C# or B/C, for example) is fully chromatic in the right hand, but its playing techniques and fingering patterns are quite different from the 4th-apart style. Have a look at the keyboard layout diagrams (links on the home page here) and you'll see what I mean (I hope!).
Cheers
Graham
-
Well there you are - three minds with a single thought (well, nearly!) ;D
Graham
-
Well there you are - three minds with a single thought (well, nearly!) ;D
Graham
Well that makes a change
-
I learnt four morris tunes 25 years ago in order to join Okendon Morris[in Okehampton] stopped playing and sold the box after a few months later when the side disbanded, and never found out what the buttons on the left side did. Started again aged 75 and have 'learned' arround 20 tunes, all picked up from Melnet. This is the best distant learning site ever. If you get anything like the satisfaction, not to say excitement that I have had from playing melodeon then your journey will be well worth it. And I think I'm starting to make sense of the left hand side...But a word of warning; there is a very good chance that you might pick up a nasty attack of M.A.D in time .There is no cure.....
-
Well there you are - three minds with a single thought (well, nearly!) ;D
Graham
Well that makes a change
;D ;D ;D
-
Welcome Tostig ,if you like celtic music and the didly didly bits ,you would be better off with a two row B/C or C#/D tuned box[melodeon]this is what Irish players use, it is harder to learn but worth it if you like that type of music ,You can play the D/G melodeon as mentioned but it will not be as authentic in my opinion.
-
th e DG melodeon is easier to learn than the BC and is the most widely played system with regard to english folk music . It is fine if you are happy playing in D and G and tunes such as danny boy & waltzing matilda are not a problem.
The BC button accordion ( sometimes also refered to as a melodeon ) is more difficult initialy but provides a greater range of keys.
The choice could also be influenced by whether you intend playing with others and the type of instrument and keys they use.
george
-
I have sent you a personal message.
-
Thank you all. The way that you have all spent time and thought on what you probably think is a hopeless case (and probably rightly so) is moving.
I think that you have persuaded me that I could possibly get to a level that will be acceptable to me.
I have downloaded a load of stuff that needs studying (Daddy Long Les comes to mind) before I go any further. I will probably be back with the next question shortly.
Thanks again
Tostig
-
Oh yes, I firmly believe you can learn mostly anything at any age. (:)
Treat yourself to an instrument and start off with picking out nursery rhymes and things like that, songs that you can hum or sing inside your head.
Print off a copy of the sheet that shows which notes relate to which keys to press.
In a few weeks you will be amazed at how far you have advanced!
-
Welcome Tostig ,if you like celtic music and the didly didly bits ,you would be better off with a two row B/C or C#/D tuned box[melodeon]this is what Irish players use, it is harder to learn but worth it if you like that type of music ,You can play the D/G melodeon as mentioned but it will not be as authentic in my opinion.
I really don't see what is so innatley "authentic" about B/C and C#/D boxes and Irish (never liked the misleading word "celtic") traditional music. Of course there's custom and habit that's built up and I'm not decrying them as tuning systems.
However, they're not even identical sounding styles between the two systems. Sure, not so far apart, but the differences were evidenced to me when I found out the fact that all nearly all my favourite Irish box players were C#/D or one row players.
Historical accident is much to blame for all this, and the melodeon/accordion is a pretty recent addition to the mix of all our musics. It wasn't so long ago when many more were still playing one row boxes in Ireland and still experimenting with many other tuning combinations. One row melodeons seem to be making a welcome (though still small) come-back in recent years.
Opinions, wonderful things, we can all have one ;)
-
Spot on Andrew, there is something special about one rows.I remember being quite suprised as a nipper the first time I saw a two row melodeon being played, after only seeing one rows around the Essex pubs.And I do'nt really understand why tyros are often told that they are more difficult to play than two rows....although someone is bound to tell me any time now.....
-
Spot on Andrew, there is something special about one rows.I remember being quite suprised as a nipper the first time I saw a two row melodeon being played, after only seeing one rows around the Essex pubs.And I do'nt really understand why tyros are often told that they are more difficult to play than two rows....although someone is bound to tell me any time now.....
One reason, for D/G players anyway, is that you need to play a 1 Row mostly in the dusty end so needs a whole new mind set.
-
Spot on Andrew, there is something special about one rows.I remember being quite suprised as a nipper the first time I saw a two row melodeon being played, after only seeing one rows around the Essex pubs.And I do'nt really understand why tyros are often told that they are more difficult to play than two rows....although someone is bound to tell me any time now.....
One reason, for D/G players anyway, is that you need to play a 1 Row mostly in the dusty end so needs a whole new mind set.
Yes, there's something in that. Fortunately I was encouraged at the beginning to learn tunes in both positions where possible, but there are other issues as well.
Melodeons are inherently limited instruments and as people here have often pointed out, this is a big part of their charm. The modern session, however, is much more wide ranging and intense than what I have seen of the past (ie. on film). This is more true of the modern English session I think. I wasn't there at those sessions so I can easily be contradicted by those who were :-)
These days people generally want a rather more flexible instrument with which they can join in with all those fiddle players. Playing a D one-row in a session can work, but it is both loud, and there's too much going on that you just miss out on. A D/G is simply easier to join in with.
I would very rarely go to a session with a one-row box, even less so with one in C. The one-row these days is more of a niche instrument. I love it and try to slip it in as much as I can at dances and concerts.
-
Nothing wrong with the one row Andrew I play that myself as well as but when people express a desire to play [CELTIC ],they normaly mean traditional Irish music in my experience,so the best course would be a semi tone box as a D/G seldom hits the same spot but as you quote we all have different opinions ;)
-
Hello
I've never played any instrument but am seriously considering trying.
Is the Melodeon really the easiest instrument to learn on?
I'm nearly 70. Is it likely that I could get good enough that I could play a tune that people could dance to?
Tostig
Welcome to melnet Tostig.
The melodeon is not the easiest instrument I've ever tried to play but it's certainly the most addictive!
Be prepared for a few aches and pains as your body adjusts to all the new things it is being asked to do and don't practise for too long at first.
I started on a DG and this worked well for me. I suggest you get yourself a Hohner Pokerwork or Erica to start with - very light weight and not crazily expensive. Buy from someone reputable on here like Theo, Martyn White or Lester. eBay purchases can have hidden costs if the instrument you buy is out of tune or has problems.
In answer to your question - there's no reason why you shouldn't be able to play a few dance tunes with the right hand only after a few weeks, gradually adding the left hand as and when you can.
Lots of luck and let us know how you get on.
Les
-
One reason, for D/G players anyway, is that you need to play a 1 Row mostly in the dusty end so needs a whole new mind set.
An excellent thing for all of us ;)
-
One reason, for D/G players anyway, is that you need to play a 1 Row mostly in the dusty end so needs a whole new mind set.
An excellent thing for all of us ;)
I couldn't agree more-and possibly a good way to start too! When I first played I didn't know many other melodeon players, and there wasn't a Melnet, so I didn't know that there was a "dusty end" on a D/G box that I should avoid. It was all just notes on a keyboard, some higher than others, but all there to be used. I don't know if it's made me a better player, but at least I don't worry about the upper notes...no more than any of the others, anyway...
-
I think one of the reasons many D/G players fight shy of the top octave may be that it's so high-pitched (not so bad if you have 3 voices, but approaching dogs-and-dolphins territory with a 2-voice) and can sound uncomfortable.
Graham
-
I think one of the reasons many D/G players fight shy of the top octave may be that it's so high-pitched (not so bad if you have 3 voices, but approaching dogs-and-dolphins territory with a 2-voice) and can sound uncomfortable.
Graham
Same thing with my CG concertina, the high G octave is not really that enjoyable to play.
-
Spot on Andrew, there is something special about one rows.I remember being quite suprised as a nipper the first time I saw a two row melodeon being played, after only seeing one rows around the Essex pubs.And I do'nt really understand why tyros are often told that they are more difficult to play than two rows....although someone is bound to tell me any time now.....
I have played Cajun music for years now, which is almost exclusively played on a one-row, most often tuned in C. Playing songs in G or F is actually quite easy, there is only one note missing and it is no problem to play around it. A highly skilled player can "fudge" play in as many as 5 keys by using chords and filling in the gaps. But, the Professional players I know usually carry at least 3 separate instruments tuned in C, D, and Bb (I have seen players who have 7 different melodeons in that many different keys).
Wanting to play in all keys is one big reason I recently acquired a Hohner "Double Ray" which is a B/C semi-tuned two row. I wouldn't say it is more difficult, but does require a different approach in technique. It has been fun learning.
I started learning the melodeon when I was 57 and will say it is NEVER too late to start. Scientists have determined that one way to keep your mind active and healthy as you grow older is to learn a complex new skill. Learning to play an instrument is one of the very best.
-
Hello again again,
Having spent the last several days looking at sites listening to melodeons in general and to Daddy Long Les in particular, I am now in a quandray (I don't think that I mentioned that I have broken my leg so am also in bed for now so have nothing better to do and at least another 3 weeks still to go).
Les says buy a D/G as do most 'authorities'. But i think that I like the sound of a G/C better, but I may be wrong. Certainly I like to sing to myself and Les seems to think that a D/G is not very good to sing along to (I have eliminated a B/C as too specialised for me).
The other problem is money. There do not seem to be a lot of second hand boxes around and certainly not in the £300 ish class that Les seems to spend which means that I could be looking at 6 or £700 which is not an amount to be thrown away (there is a C/G on here not selling so far for £650 with a new price of only £700 so a more realistic price would be £600 s/h meaning a drop of at least £100 if I get it wrong) which means trying to get it right first time, when I know very little and have uneducated ears and no music theory.
Question 1. If one turns up at a dance, English country, would it be possible to join in with a C/G (assuming some skill)?
Would George Garside's book be of any use with a C/G now that I have spent £12 for 25 pages? Or is there somewhere that one can buy D/Gs which are ready to play for £300 ish?
-
There is a DG Delicia in eBay no 121049745297 £150 buy it now. A very good price. Cheaper than the cheapest new Chinese and much better quality. Only possible problem is its collection only from Cambridge. Some sellers who say collection only will send if asked, or will let you arrange a courier to collect, failing that there might be a member here who would help out.
-
Melodeons also are "an investment". So in the worst case scenario, unless you've bought a a complete turkey (and with the joy of Ebay probably even then) you will be able to send it to a new home and recoup a large chunk of your investment. If you can bring yourself to part with it 8).
-
OK. Thanks for that so far.
Following in from that, it is mentioned somewhere that you can't get all the notes out of a melodeon. Does this mean that there are tunes that you can't play? Like e.g. Danny Boy, or Waltzing Matilda or She walks through the Fair. My kind of music is folksie inc. Celtic and a lot of other stuff too and it would be very annoying to find that after spending years learning it wasn't possible to play half of the things I want.
Tostig
Waltzing Matilda isn't celtic ;) unless australia has moved. lol!
My problem is I like pop and rock and jazz ....which don't fit on the box very comfortably (as well as folk). So I stick to folk on the box.
Hello again again,
Having spent the last several days looking at sites listening to melodeons in general and to Daddy Long Les in particular, I am now in a quandray (I don't think that I mentioned that I have broken my leg so am also in bed for now so have nothing better to do and at least another 3 weeks still to go).
Les says buy a D/G as do most 'authorities'. But i think that I like the sound of a G/C better, but I may be wrong. Certainly I like to sing to myself and Les seems to think that a D/G is not very good to sing along to (I have eliminated a B/C as too specialised for me).
The other problem is money. There do not seem to be a lot of second hand boxes around and certainly not in the £300 ish class that Les seems to spend which means that I could be looking at 6 or £700 which is not an amount to be thrown away (there is a C/G on here not selling so far for £650 with a new price of only £700 so a more realistic price would be £600 s/h meaning a drop of at least £100 if I get it wrong) which means trying to get it right first time, when I know very little and have uneducated ears and no music theory.
Question 1. If one turns up at a dance, English country, would it be possible to join in with a C/G (assuming some skill)?
Would George Garside's book be of any use with a C/G now that I have spent £12 for 25 pages? Or is there somewhere that one can buy D/Gs which are ready to play for £300 ish?
Well if you turned up at an east anglian session with a C/G you'd be ok for the tunes in G, and if people got out their one rows in C you'd be ok then as well. ;) I play a D/G and then have a one row in C (I have to make a rule no more than one box of each key I can't afford to buy boxes at every whim like some people.... ;)).
What part of the country are you in? (no need for specifics just general area) it might be good to go to a local session and see what is being played or find a workshop where you can have a go. As for the price yes not to be sniffed at but if you buy a good 2nd hand model you can resell without loss. IMO If you buy a pig of a box it'll put you off playing it.
-
Les says buy a D/G as do most 'authorities'. But i think that I like the sound of a G/C better, but I may be wrong. Certainly I like to sing to myself and Les seems to think that a D/G is not very good to sing along to (I have eliminated a B/C as too specialised for me).
Although sometimes we might wish it were otherwise, is a fact of life that in England and Wales, most melodeon players will be playing D/G instruments much of the time. The instrument suits the majority of 'folk' tunes and dance tunes in the way they are played these days, in sessions, ceilidhs, morris, etc.
One thing about learning the melodeon is the huge boost and progress one can make by playing along with other people and for that you really need to be playing an instrument in the same tuning as everyone else. As Andrew Wigglesworth has said earlier in the thread, if you have a D/G box it is simply easier to join in with.
People who know me on this forum will know that I love playing in other keys, particularly C and F, but at the same time I am pragmatic and if I want to play along with others, I will need a D/G box most of the time. So that's what I recommend someone to start with, and why.
Singing along with any melodeon is dependant on one's voice range. Some people do find the D/G box a bit high-pitched, and prefer a C/F or Bb/Eb box. But the D/G is not out of the question. Songs which are too high in G will often be OK in D. Bob Roberts, the sailing barge master, always sang along to a D/G box.
Question 1. If one turns up at a dance, English country, would it be possible to join in with a C/G (assuming some skill)?
Would George Garside's book be of any use with a C/G now that I have spent £12 for 25 pages? Or is there somewhere that one can buy D/Gs which are ready to play for £300 ish?
The tunes played for ceilidhs, country dances, etc., in England will nearly always be in the key of D or G, sometimes A major and E minor. As a beginner, the instrument you need for these is a D/G. It is possible to play in D on G/C box but for a beginner it's not so easy and it doesn't 'fit' nicely on the instrument. Playing in A major on a G/C box is even worse.
The other point is that unless it is a 'scratch band', open to all comers, the bands at country dances will usually be a pre-booked group who play by themselves and would not normally welcome other musicians 'joining in' unless by prior arrangement.
George's book is geared to the D/G box and whilst the techniques in theory could be applied to a G/C instrument, the notes produced by the instrument would be different from the printed music in the book. Also, as others have mentioned, the G/C instrument is generally played in a different (upper) part of the keyboard, which George's book does not cater for.
So (as you have now decided not to pursue the Irish/Scottish B/C semitone tuned route) in summary, I would overwhelmingly recommend the D/G box as a starter for all the reasons given by all of us here so far. If you want to explore the G/C or other tunings at a later stage, that's possible too, but the D/G will give you a thorough grounding and will almost certainly give you the most enjoyment. Which is hopefully what it's all about.
-
Although sometimes we might wish it were otherwise, is a fact of life that in England and Wales, most melodeon players will be playing D/G instruments much of the time. The instrument suits the majority of 'folk' tunes and dance tunes in the way they are played these days, in sessions, ceilidhs, morris, etc.
We seem to be in a viscous circle where D, G and A have become the standard session keys, and fiddle players complain that they never get play in anything else. This is largely a consequence the D/G melodeon having being introduced in order to play along with fiddlers!
-
Waltzing Matilda isn't celtic ;)
No, it's from the south-east of England....... ;D
-
Although sometimes we might wish it were otherwise, is a fact of life that in England and Wales, most melodeon players will be playing D/G instruments much of the time. The instrument suits the majority of 'folk' tunes and dance tunes in the way they are played these days, in sessions, ceilidhs, morris, etc.
We seem to be in a viscous circle where D, G and A have become the standard session keys, and fiddle players complain that they never get play in anything else. This is largely a consequence the D/G melodeon having being introduced in order to play along with fiddlers!
... and when you play stuff in other keys they don't even try to join in (yeah, generalisation, I know).
I think it's a little unfair to blame melodeon players for something that fiddle players also do. I go along to an Irish session (not another D/G player there ... ever!) and guess which keys they play in?
Yep, D, G, A, A dorian, E dorian. When I stray into B minor no-one follows.
-
Thankfully the fiddle players round here play in a very wide range of keys, in fact a friend told me off (in the nicest possible way) for playing The Wonder in G when it was originally written by James Hill in B♭. Looking through old ms there are lots of tunes in flat keys and I think it is a shame that in those parts where DG predominates a lot of the other keys are currently neglected.
-
Waltzing Matilda isn't celtic ;)
No, it's from the south-east of England....... ;D
NO!, your thinking of Walking the Bulldog.
e.g " up came a vagabond to camp by the Lilly pond under the shade of an old Oak tree" Etc.
-
Waltzing Matilda isn't celtic ;)
No, it's from the south-east of England....... ;D
See Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waltzing_Matilda) :
[ Banjo ] Paterson wrote the piece while staying at the Dagworth Homestead, a bush station in Queensland. While he was there his hosts played him a Celtic folk tune called "The Craigielee" and Paterson decided that it would be a good piece to set lyrics to, producing them during the rest of his stay.
The tune is probably based on the Scottish song "Thou Bonnie Wood of Craigielea"
So it is (partly) Celtic!
Then:
There is also speculation about the relationship the song bears to "The Bold Fusilier" (a.k.a. "Marching through Rochester"),
So that's the South East England connection ?
-
Waltzing Matilda isn't celtic ;)
No, it's from the south-east of England....... ;D
See Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waltzing_Matilda) :
[ Banjo ] Paterson wrote the piece while staying at the Dagworth Homestead, a bush station in Queensland. While he was there his hosts played him a Celtic folk tune called "The Craigielee" and Paterson decided that it would be a good piece to set lyrics to, producing them during the rest of his stay.
The tune is probably based on the Scottish song "Thou Bonnie Wood of Craigielea"
So it is (partly) Celtic!
Then:
There is also speculation about the relationship the song bears to "The Bold Fusilier" (a.k.a. "Marching through Rochester"),
So that's the South East England connection ?
Yes - that's the version I know as "the original" - but hey, we could all be wrong!
-
A gay fusilier came marching down through Rochester
Bound for the wars in the low countries
And he sang as he marched through
The crowded streets of Rochester
Who'll be a soldier for Marlborough and me?
Who'll be a soldier, who'll be a soldier
Who'll be a soldier for Marlborough and me?
And he sang as he marched through
The crowded streets of Rochester
Who'll be a soldier for Marlborough and me?
:||: :||: >:E
-
A gay fusilier came marching down through Rochester
Bound for the wars in the low countries
And he played his melodeon through
The crowded streets of Rochester, singing
"Who'll be a soldier for Marlborough and me?"
Trying hard not to make any comments about GAY fusiliers >:E :|||:
-
The Rochester Recruiting Sargent was written by Pete Coe.
-
The Rochester Recruiting Sargent was written by Pete Coe.
There was one collected/known verse and Pete Coe wrote the rest of it.
I'm not sure whether the original verse was known to have that tune or not.
-
Trying hard not to make any comments about GAY fusiliers >:E :|||:
Now that isn't worthy of a reply. >:(
-
I seem to have raised a discussion about Waltzing Mat. Meanwhile, so far, I seem to be committing myself. My taste in music is wide but I was trying to cover myself against going down a cul de sac and restricting myself to English Country Music by buying a D/G. The original reference to celtic was because my mother having been Irish many of the tunes from my childhood are also Irish. I go dancing with the CCC so the opportunities for joining in with a bit of music are often present though I would not even attempt such a thing for some time yet, if ever. But the availability of teaching aids and the like in D/G seem to almost push one down this way. This is not a problem if one can find a cheapish box to start on. Then one can always change later without much financial problems.
Thank you Theo for the pointer. I had avoided eBay because of the pitfalls for one with as little knowledge as me and sticking with the shops where the prices were not cheap. But now I have already enquired about possibilities there though so far without reply. I think the carriage problem could be overcome by, say, UPS but whether the seller will agree is something else.
My mention of those other tunes was from my memories of a small book called the 'YHA Song Book'. I could easily have said 'Abdul the Bulbul Ameer' or many others. It hardly matters as all such songs nearly all started somewhere on these islands.
I am still in the market for a useable D/G at a reasonable price. Somewhere around Gtr Manchester, M62 corridor is favourite.
-
I am still in the market for a useable D/G at a reasonable price. Somewhere around Gtr Manchester, M62 corridor is favourite.
Cleckheaton is reachable them. The Music Room might have a nice second hand bargain.
-
If you can get to The Music Room from the M62 in less than two minutes you will probably be done for speeding. If it takes you more than three minutes you may well be had up for obstruction . . .
-
The Music Room seems like a great shop. They have a good web site that lists s/h melodeons. Their cheapest D/G is £900
-
Can't remember what has gone before, and don't have time to look, but Theo has a Erica for half that. Good box.
-
Can't remember what has gone before, and don't have time to look, but Theo has a Erica for half that. Good box.
That looks like a lovely beginner box. With a box like that, particularly with a receipt showing it has been bought from/overhauled by Theo or any of the other respected fettlers of this parish you are likely to get your money back if you decide this whole melodeon lark isn't for you after all and decide to sell it on.
-
I am still in the market for a useable D/G at a reasonable price. Somewhere around Gtr Manchester, M62 corridor is favourite.
This Delicia DG is still on ebay at £150 buy it now (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/121049745297). Excellent box at a bargain price, can't imagine why it hasn't been snapped up. New they are between four and five hundred.
-
Yes. If the Delicia was in range I would buy it, but Cambridge is a long way away and he hasn't replied so I assume that he really means 'personal collection only'.
-
Yes, I have had a reply to my message. The Delicia is absolutely 'Collection Only".