Concertina World
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Concertina World International Concertina Association Newsletter - # 436 – March 2007 Contents Page Editorial 3 Some thoughts from the chair… 4 Concertina Band weekend at Hawkwood 2007 6 Concertina players speak 8 Interview Allan Atlas 9 Ramble 2 15 Concertina events and organisers; - WCCP 17 - Lewes Arms Folk Club 19 - Swaledale Squeeze 20 - Concertinas at Witney 20 - Yorkshire Concertina Club 20 - USA 21 Playing the anglo concertina/offering from An anglophile 22 Lavinia McDougall 24 Playing tunes by ear cd 25 Players wanted 27 Did you know that..... 27 Instruments for sale 28 Exercise for English concertina 28 ICA contact points 32 Picture on cover thanks to Jenny Cox. Editorial: This is going to be my first effort to put a Newsletter together. I will never be able to compete with Gill in her easy way of talking to you through her writing. She has the gift of writing in a way as if she is talk- ing which makes you feel as if it was only you she is talking to. For me this is quite a new experience but I will do my best to find interesting topics and I do hope that many of you will send possible contributions. Do write about anything that might interest other people and we will look into it. I say “we” because I am trying to involve more people. I believe that there should be an editorial team. That will help to keep the publication of the Newsletter going at all times. At the moment I put together most of it and then mail all to Jon who looks after the actual printing and packaging and posting. Also this first time there will be some sorting out of the editing process on the computer with the new software and such. When you read this you see the result of it all. I have already discovered possibilities which I may try in next edition. Maybe one of you who is regularly on the Internet can contribute some- thing about interesting websites and or news? Please do bear in mind that without contributions from all you concer- tina players who attend events or are on your own playing in your own little room, there may not be so much news to publish. The concertina world is small and large at the same time. The concertina world is so large that no editor can go to all the places in the world where concer- tina events happen. Be they ever so small. So please do write us. I promise you an interesting interview next time and some views on how to become an “active” concertina player...... Pauline *************************** Some thoughts from the “Chair” … An era ends and a new age opens – sad and exciting days at one and the same time. For those who are new members in the Association – our long time Newsletter Editor – Gill Noppen Spacie – has hung up her editorial pen and now awaits, favourite armchair warmed, box of choco- lates at the ready – for the arrival of a Concertina World that she didn’t create – a unique experience after thirteen years! I’m sure Gill would be the first the say it was hard work – but fun! Well, maybe “Fun” is an exaggeration bearing in mind the number of people who seemed to en- joy attacking her endeavours – let me direct a few words to those peo- ple (and you know who you are). From my experience of helping to get the Magazine out I know it is a very difficult and time consuming task – trying to make it look interest- ing, chasing up items of news, articles and converting them all into print ready material – processing photographs, indexes, chasing up the music supplement … and then when it’s all complete – dealing with the print- ers, collecting the publication, labelling 300 + envelopes – inserting the printed material – attaching the appropriate stamps and getting every- thing into the post – for your reading pleasure! I know that the great majority of the Association members are warmly grateful for all Gill’s hard work and I know full well that much that Gill has done has shaped the Association into what it is today. To all of those members may I express my personal thanks for the support you gave Gill in letter and via personal contacts… To the minority – the moaners, the over demanding and opinionated … congratulations – you have got your “way” - Gill has now retired as the editor – not I might add, just because of your activities – her health has been “fragile” for some time and she has suffered continual chronic pain for many years now. Of course that has been none of your concern – all you good people wanted was your magazine, delivered on time and containing lots of interesting items referring only to the concertina and concertina playing! The only pleasing aspect of the situation is that this minority can probably be counted in the fingers of one hand and are totally unrepresentative of our membership! I won’t suggest that they should be dismissed as unimportant – it is only by constructive criticism that we grow and improve – but I would ask that the critical pens get put away for a while – to allow our new Editor to get her feet firmly under the table before you start to judge her (though congratulations and encouragement would be welcome!). And – yes – we have a new Editor – I (Jon McNamara) have hung up my temporary editorial pen (though I will keep working on the Music Supplements) and have handed the whole kit and caboodle to PAULINE DE SNOO. Pauline approached me at Witney 2006 and vol- unteered to take on the Newsletter if I was in agreement. What joy!! On first glance Pauline is a petite, attractive woman with a hesitant shy smile – but underneath there is a very bright intellect and a steely deter- mination. She certainly ranks as one of the worlds leading concertina players – with a deep understanding of classical music and the educa- tional aspects of the instrument. I suspect we will see/read a more seri- ous tone in Concertina World with contributions from players that Gill and I could only refer to in hushed whispers! Not that this allows you, the members, off the hook – an association is only a loose amalgama- tion of separate parts – the glue that keeps it together is communication. So send your serious contributions to Pauline – your articles, thoughts about concertina playing, historical items - anything that cannot be grouped under the generic title of “gossip”. The social news – the “Hatch/ Match and Dispatch” (ie births, marriages and deaths) of the concertina world should be sent to Gill (or to me) Such news is IM- PORTANT – in my meetings with people over the past year I am told that it is the human contact the Concertina World brings them that is more important than the actual concertina news. So – get your news into Gill – write, ring or email – but send it - don’t hide it away! While Pauline does all the hard work – I shall get on with the Music Supplements – something I really enjoy doing. I must say that I have been delighted with the response to the “themed” supplements – and after the Will Atkinson supplement I was sent suggestions for three more themes – inclusive of being sent the “dots” – which saves me a great deal of searching. So, if you have any thoughts on a theme – please let me know – an artist, a composer or even better – maybe a col- lection of your own tunes! I know there was some great material sub- mitted during the tune competition a few years ago – well maybe you have a small pile of scores you have written – this could be your chance to “get into print” – and for your music to enter into the national ar- chives since copies of everything we publish is held in the British Li- brary (for legal reasons) and the EFDSS. The bottom line of all this is to welcome Pauline to her new task – and ask you all to rally round her and to support her. Secondly, it’s to thank Gill again for all of her many years of hard work – and to encour- age you all to keep in contact and to share your social news with Gill. Happy Squeezing Jon *************************** Concertina Band weekend at Hawkwood 2007. Most probably the Greeks had a word for it. The Germans most cer- tainly do. They call it an ohrwurm. It means an ear worm (lest you seek refuge in pedantry let me assure you that compound nouns count as one word) and it refers to those scraps of tunes that get lodged in your brain and won’t be shifted until something else comes along and replaces them. I have a whole nest of ear worms in my brain and they come from a wonderful and most certainly full weekend of music mak- ing at Hawkwood. I don’t need the CD any more. I have all the music, now miraculously error free. I have in the past wondered just how it is possible to concentrate so intensely and for so long at a concertina band weekend. I don’t have to do so in any other part of my life. I guess the answer must be The Hawkwood Factor, that mix of excitement, pleasure and cooperative endeavour that keeps us going long after normal individuals would have rather bemused newcomer who couldn’t believe that, having started at 9 am, we were still working on the music 12 hours later.