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[David Summers]

Just been to Jackie Oats gig. Highlight for me was John Spiers - he had 8 melodeons, and used every one.

Think all were in different keys, all fourth apart, so the standard DG, CF, then BbEb, and a whole lot others I hadn't heard off. Some two voice, some three (where there was a switch behind the keyboard to take out the low voice).  Think several were franken boxes, one he could switch in any out a third on the right hand!

Two Pokerwork, others I didn't recoginse, several from the 1930s.

Inspiring to see.

[richard.fleming]

I'd be very interested to know about the tunes - or, more precisely, what keys were the tunes in?

[Graham Spencer]

I'm sure Squeezy will be along to tell us more in due course........

[Anahata]

Pedant alert: while "Spires" (as in dreaming..., of Oxford) is a useful pronunciation guide, it's spelt Spiers.

[John MacKenzie (Cugiok)]

Aye, that's always a surprise to me the spires pronunciation, as up here in Scotland, it's always pronounced spears.
Dreaming spears anybody?


Sir John

[David Summers]

I'd be very interested to know about the tunes - or, more precisely, what keys were the tunes in?

He did tell me the keys, but it was a long list, and other than the obvious ones just remember he had several esoteric keys.

Songs were I guess largely chosen by Jackie, folky christmas things, and other songs that were close enough.

Anyway back to keys, on 4th apart systems there are at most 12 possible keys, but hard to see you would need all, e.g. can play a tune in D on a DG, but probably also on an AD. Guess a lot of it may be to do with left hand, and how grunty the left hand was being, in some songs John wasn't doing much more than a drone with the left hand that slowly walked. Anyway guess bass and chords on the left hand changed alot (the 3 row had a full bank of left hand buttons, like a piano accordion; not sure if it was free bass, or arranged in bass/major/minor chords)

Thinking back on it, although not watching closely, don't remember him using the half row on his 2 and a half row boxes (which is what I thing was the majority of the boxes)  - and I guess with that many boxes, can avoid boxes with tricky fingering if needed.

[David Summers]

Pedant alert: while "Spires" (as in dreaming..., of Oxford) is a useful pronunciation guide, it's spelt Spiers.

Doah - that will teach me to type messages when back late at night after a gig! I've modified ....

[David Summers]

Oh yes - other interesting thing noticed, he did a form of vibrato that I've not seen before  (e.g. more wobble on the notes than the dampness gives). He used his right hand to massage the bellows, as left hand was on the draw. Only other time I remember seeing vibralto was Tuulikki Bartosik waving her fingers on the pull, which worked well. Anyway Johns method works when doing left hand notes, Tuulikki works when doing right hand notes ...

[Helena Handcart]

John's got some great boxes - I got to try out a couple last time he played solo locally. I've got his old Streb and I will shortly be getting my very own vintage Pastourelle/Connemara* which has been a dream box of mine for quite some time.


* the one I have is the configuration currently called the Connemara but back when it  was built it was named Pastourelle.  Yes I know I am a pedant.

[Lester]

John's got some great boxes - I got to try out a couple last time he played solo locally. I've got his old Streb and I will shortly be getting my very own vintage Pastourelle/Connemara* which has been a dream box of mine for quite some time.


* the one I have is the configuration currently called the Connemara but back when it  was built it was named Pastourelle.  Yes I know I am a pedant.

Pastourmara  or  Connelle   

[Corinto]

My guess the 3 rows one with lots of bass buttons may be his HOHNER LUCIA chromatic converted to melodeon layout keeping the 48 (4x12) stradella bass (counterbass, bass, mayor, minor).

Look here = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gV59q--prjQ
and here = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQtg_jFWRt0

Or this HOHNER CORNELIA = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDwHiANxeZY

[Graham Spencer]

* the one I have is the configuration currently called the Connemara but back when it  was built it was named Pastourelle.  Yes I know I am a pedant.

I have a Pastourelle, and when I played a friend's Connemara some years ago it confused me because the arrangement of accidentals on the half-row was different. I don't know if mine is an oddity, or if his was, or whether the difference was deliberate at the design stage, or whether there was just no consistency between models.....

[Helena Handcart]

* the one I have is the configuration currently called the Connemara but back when it  was built it was named Pastourelle.  Yes I know I am a pedant.

I have a Pastourelle, and when I played a friend's Connemara some years ago it confused me because the arrangement of accidentals on the half-row was different. I don't know if mine is an oddity, or if his was, or whether the difference was deliberate at the design stage, or whether there was just no consistency between models.....

Mine's actually the 23 + 4 Connemara configuration rather than 21 + 5 so in modern terms is a Connemara but at the time it was made was called a  The

[David Summers]

My guess the 3 rows one with lots of bass buttons may be his HOHNER LUCIA chromatic converted to melodeon layout keeping the 48 (4x12) stradella bass (counterbass, bass, mayor, minor).

From what I remember, yes it was the Lucia. Didn`t  realise that it was also a Franken device.

[Thrupenny Bit]

I wonder if it's a grey celluloid?
I did a workshop with him maybe 3 years back in Cornwall and Mike Rowbotham had just brought it over for him. Two totally different boxes, melodeon right hand and accordion bass end  cut and shutted into one, and you would swear it was originally built that way!
Q

[Clive Williams]

My guess the 3 rows one with lots of bass buttons may be his HOHNER LUCIA chromatic converted to melodeon layout keeping the 48 (4x12) stradella bass (counterbass, bass, mayor, minor).

From what I remember, yes it was the Lucia. Didn`t  realise that it was also a Franken device.

I have another one Mike made; really quite similar. It's a converted C system CBA ( the Lucia was originally a B system or C system CBA); the treble reeds reworked into D/G/Acc, and the stradella bass left untouched. There's 2 mods on mine (and squeezy's too I think) is the stradella mechanism is modded to remove thirds from the minor row, and the provision of a proper air button.

[David Summers]

I wonder if it's a grey celluloid?
I did a workshop with him maybe 3 years back in Cornwall and Mike Rowbotham had just brought it over for him. Two totally different boxes, melodeon right hand and accordion bass end  cut and shutted into one, and you would swear it was originally built that way!
Q

And now i'm doubting myself. Any Miles, the main man at downed folk club, took a picture:
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2470597959733805&id=443901609070127&anchor_composer=false.

And you can see the grey celluloid box on the floor. Does make me wonder if both his 3 rows that he used had banked basses.

[Clive Williams]

I wonder if it's a grey celluloid?
I did a workshop with him maybe 3 years back in Cornwall and Mike Rowbotham had just brought it over for him. Two totally different boxes, melodeon right hand and accordion bass end  cut and shutted into one, and you would swear it was originally built that way!
Q

And now i'm doubting myself. Any Miles, the main man at downed folk club, took a picture:
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2470597959733805&id=443901609070127&anchor_composer=false.

And you can see the grey celluloid box on the floor. Does make me wonder if both his 3 rows that he used had banked basses.

Nerd that I am, I zoomed in and had a look. It's clearly a converted CBA from the pattern on the keys; if I remember rightly, the grey one is a Hohner Cordelia conversion. The main difference between this and the Lucia is that it's 3 voice, rather than 2 voice. The Lucia is rare, the Cordelia ridiculously so. Same principle though; keep the stradella bass intact, retune the treble to a D/G/Acc layout, and add a decent air button.

[Corinto]

Nerd that I am, I zoomed in and had a look. It's clearly a converted CBA from the pattern on the keys; if I remember rightly, the grey one is a Hohner Cordelia conversion. The main difference between this and the Lucia is that it's 3 voice, rather than 2 voice. The Lucia is rare, the Cordelia ridiculously so. Same principle though; keep the stradella bass intact, retune the treble to a D/G/Acc layout, and add a decent air button.

A few months ago 4 Hohner LUCIA came up in less than 2 months time on german ebay, 2 of these on a same week.
But I've never seen a Hohner CORNELIA I on ebay, I got mine from Mike Rowbotham.

[Eshed]

If anyone is adventurous, one that looks to be either Lucia or Cornelia has been posted on facebook in Germany at least two months ago.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/601196847080883/
They might agree to ship, you never know :)