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[richard.fleming]

We box players already have to contend with the idea that by playing an instrument with fixed notes (as opposed to those which can bend notes at will) we are already impoverishing the music, an accusation a bit hard to refute.

Thank you for your willingness to step up and speak for us, but I, for one, reserve the right to speak for myself and disagree with judgemental and categorical statements such as "playing an instrument with fixed notes (as opposed to those which can bend notes at will) we are already impoverishing the music" and "an accusation a bit hard to refute".

It's not me being judgemental and categorical, I'm merely pointing out that the view exists. It was even expressed by that wonderful box-player Tony McMahon. Like you, and as a lifelong box player,  I find that point of view quite challenging and have over the years thought up several quite good counter arguments, but I cannot in all conscience say that there is no truth in it whatsoever. And however you react to it, my point was that your choice of instrument (eg melodeon) or tuning, not only affects how well you play the music, but over time may also change the nature of the music that gets played and thus affect the tradition. If, for example, there are tunes in English traditional music that can't be played on a DG box they will likely not get played, or will get transposed, and I suppose transposing is not always an improvement. Hoping to stimulate discussion without irritating anyone here.

#Edited to add 'Actually Stiamh on this occasion I wasn't talking exclusively about Irish music. While I often try to limit myself to that, as the area I think I know most about, in this case I was thinking of any traditional music being affected by people's choices of instruments on which to play it.

[Phil B]

in answer to Steve C
"For those who do have (or have played) the A/D much, would you find utility in the extended low D tuning (Antahata-style) or would that get too low for general use?"
My AD boxes are 3 button start lower notes not accidentals as the AD charts above and I personally find them low enough ie I have never needed or looked for a lower note yet. My DG boxes are Anahata layout and I find no problem or confusion between the two layouts. if you did use your alternative suggestion you may miss the top note on the A row which I use frequently hope this helps come back if I have confused you Phil B

[uofdoboe]

After a long hiatus from boxes, I was considering jumping back into the pool.  My playing opportunities these days circle around my primary instrument: scottish bagpipes.  Specifically, smallpipes and border pipes (not great highland pipes) both of which play in A mixolydian (the pipes have only nine notes: G, A, B, C#, D, E, F#, high G and high A so tunes are in Amix, D, or Bmin).  I played D/G for a few years before putting it down.  I've been toying with the idea of an A/D since that seems almost tailor-made for scottish pipe rep.

[Theo]

You just need a D row then.

[Peadar]

"No problem with the 80% ............................................But I have never ever come across or heard of an ITM player playing an AD box.  It's not as if it's such a good idea that you'd break with years of experience and tradition in order to do this."

Fair enough comment if there was a semitone box tradition to break with....but if you are buying your 2 row to upgrade from a 1 row in D , then the  AD is a very logical choice. 

Many Irish diaspora communities have been established for 150+ years- as witnessed by catholic churches and their graveyards throughout the Anglophone world. Famine era migration from Ireland created a population explosion in Irish diaspora communities in the decade after 1847. Maire Ni Choimh's   2010 thesis "Journey into tradition: a social history of the Irish button accordion"  traced the popularisation of the semitone box in 1920's Ireland to middle class acceptance of the chromatic accordion as a respectable instrument  and also recorded that the 1 row melodeon lasted longer in the Gaeltacht areas where income was lower. There are echoes of that in some of the TG4 programmes (?Johnny Connolly? speaking of the way that he and other accordion players of his generation had looked down on the melodeon as not being a proper instrument).

Similarly in Scotland the 1 row "bothy box" appears to have remained common among farm servants into the 1950's.

A/D presumably worked well for the Quebecois too.

........................scottish bagpipes..........which play in A mixolydian (the pipes have only nine notes: G, A, B, C#, D, E, F#, High G, High A) I've been toying with the idea of an A/D since that seems almost tailor-made for scottish pipe rep.

I find  pipers are generally positive about A&D melodeons.

(Edited to tidy up a bit)

[Steve C.]

Thanks, Phil for the players comment.  That is what I am particularly looking for. 
Are you talking about E/B in the 5 octave?
And second, no problem playing without the D row C/Bb and A row D#/F?
(I am looking at Lesters' A/D 21 charts)