Morris Dancing FAQs

An Overview: Concertina

There are several distinct types of concertina, all sharing the same basic design of folding bellows with buttons at each end but varying in the layout and function of the keys. This variation is so great that the player of one type or "system" will almost certainly not be able to pick up a concertina of a different system and play it without starting almost from scratch to learn it.

The main types are the English, the Anglo and the various systems of Duet concertina. The Anglo seems to be the predominant morris instrument, possibly because it is the simplest to build and therefore much less expensive than English or Duet concertina. William Kimber, who played the Anglo for Headington Morris when Cecil Sharp first collected the morris, is the model for Anglo morris musicians. Of course, there are plenty players of English and Duets as well.

The English Concertina

This is the original concertina as invented by Wheatstone. You can recognise one by the 4 parallel rows of buttons and by the supports for thumb and little finger on each end. The range of a standard English concertina is from G below middle C to C 3 octaves above middle C (i.e. the same as a violin). Normally the English concertina has 48 keys, but some models have 56. The extra 8 keys are at the high end of the scale and are thus not so useful on the treble, but they can be helpful in tenor-trebles and baritones.

The two centre rows on each side are in the key of C, the accidentals are distributed between the outside rows. Playing a scale involves alternating between the left and right hands. The layout of buttons is very logical and fully chromatic, and permits very high speeds to be achieved when playing melody, but is more restrictive if you want to play melody with low accompaniment.

Anglo Concertina

The Anglo concertina (or to give it its original name, the Anglo-German concertina) was developed soon after the English, using as a model the diatonic German instruments which were also the ancestors of the melodeon and harmonica. It can have two or three curved rows of buttons on each side and a wrist strap for support. Only the Anglo of all the main types of concertina plays different notes on the push and on the pull.

On two-row Anglos each row is in a different key, so the instrument is capable of playing in two keys only. The three row is the same, except that the third outside row is a collection of assorted accidentals that enable the skilled player to play in other keys. Anglos are referred to by the 2 keys. The most common instruments for playing morris is D/G. The low notes on all Anglos are on the left hand side, and the high notes on the right.

Anglos are also referred to by the number of keys -- i.e., buttons -- they have: a 20-key is a two-row, a 30-key is a three row, a 40-key is also a three row but with additional buttons dotted around to make playing in different keys or more smoothly a little bit easier.

Duet Concertinas

In fact there are several systems of Duet concertina, each as separate from each other as an Anglo is from an English, but all set out to cure the same perceived problem: how to give an accompaniment to a melody. The answer is the same in all cases: put the low notes on the left hand side, and the high notes on the right hand side. The player can then play the melody on the right hand, with an accompaniment on the left, thus the name of "Duet". [Note: the Maccann Duet Concertina page has lots more information on the major Duet systems.]

The main Duet systems are:

Maccann, the key layout looks fairly illogical, but there are some very fine players around. Fairly easy to get one. Sometimes can be huge instruments with up to 80 buttons and the range of a piano.
Crane, also known as Triumph by the Salvation Army who used it a lot. Much more logical system. Fairly easy to obtain one.
Jeffries, designed for Anglo players to convert to. Has a "home key" such as G and is apparently difficult to play chromatically, thus players tend not to stray far from the home key. Somewhat rarer than the first two.
Hayden, a modern system. Much the most logical, easy to learn and straightforward Duet system, but quite hard to get because it's modern. Brian Hayden, the system's inventor, estimated that several years ago there were perhaps 60 Hayden players in the world; that might be changed somewhat since Stagi is producing around 100 inexpensive (ok, cheap-o) instruments a year.

[Editors note: The descriptions of the types of concertina is largely extracted from Chris Timson's Concertina FAQ.]

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• Categories: Instruments

FAQ Entry Updated: 2003-12-20

An Overview: Fiddle: The fiddle is used in so many settings besides morris that a mention here is almost meaningless. The fiddle began being used in morris at the end of the last century, displacing the pipe and tabor. Only the melodeon surpasses the fiddle as the instrument of choice for morris today. There are many styles of fiddle playing, but for morris the playing should be relatively unornamented and strongly rhythmic. Have said that, I've heard fiddlers play everything from Irish to old-timey and have it work for morris fairly well.; • Categories: Instruments

FAQ Entry Updated: 2003-12-20

An Overview: Melodeon

There are many types of accordions and button accordions alone exist in dozens of variations. However, the two-row button accordion with rows tuned a fifth apart, called the melodeon (or melodian or melodion; spellings are many), is the most common variety for playing morris tunes.

Like all button accordions, the melodeon is a push-pull instrument -- a different note plays on the push than on the pull. The punchy rhythm of the reversing bellows is quite suited to morris. The melody is played with the right hand. The notes on the push form the major chord named by the scale of the instrument. The most common tuning for morris is D/G -- ie, the outside row is tuned in D and the inside in G. For the D scale the push notes are D, F#, and A. For the G scale the push notes are G, B, and D. The notes on the pull are the missing notes of the scale. For the D scale the pull notes are E, G, B and C#. For the G scale the pull notes are A, C, E and F#. Notice there are three notes on the push and four on the pull. This causes the pair of notes produced by a particular button to vary in different octaves.

  Fingering Chart - Right Hand          Push/Pull

  <== bottom
   
  A/E   F#/C#   D/B    A/G   F#/E    D/C#   A/B   F#/G    D/E    A/C#  G#/A#  
  
     B/F#   G/E    D/C    B/A    G/F#   D/E    B/C    G/A    D/F#   F/D#

The left hand plays the chords. Actually among the eight buttons, half of them play the bass note and the other plays the chord.

  Fingering Chart - Left Hand      Push/Pull  
    lower case = bass;  upper case = chord

         <== bottom
  
         c/c   C/C       b/em  B/Em  
  
         g/d   G/D       d/a   D/A

From the fingering chart, you can see that the choices are limited, more so because the C chord is sounded on both the push and pull and because the D chord is the push on one button combination and on the pull of another. Only six chords and some only available in one direction. It is usually enough since morris music is sparsely ornamented.

Less common keys for morris boxes are A/D and G/C. The fingering is the same but different notes are assigned to the buttons.

Melodeons make their notes by air being forced past long slivers of metal, the reeds, causing them to vibrate. Melodeons usually have two reeds per note, one tuned exactly to pitch, and the other slightly sharp so that a slight interference pattern is created -- called "beating" by physicists and tremelo by musicians. The further apart the reeds are tuned, the greater the tremelo (within limits of course; too far apart causes dissonance). Some boxes have a third reed tuned slightly flat for even more color to the note. A tuning with a lot of tremolo is called "wet", and one with little or no tremolo "dry". (In Europe an tuning with a very small amount of tremolo is often referred to as "swing", "dry" being reserved for tunings with no tremolo at all).

Although this doesn't usually apply to morris boxes, some instruments have a switching system called "stops" or "couplers", depending on the instrument. "Stops" (which are knobs on the top of the instrument) are common on one row cajun boxes, and "couplers" (switches on the grille) are fairly common in Irish button accordians and piano accordians. Both stops and couplers are used to bring extra banks of reeds into play to alter the basic sound of the instrument.

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FAQ Entry Updated: 2003-12-20

An Overview: Pipe and Tabor

The pipe and tabor, also known as the whittle and dub, is probably the instrument most closely associated with morris dancing. Although it has been surpassed in popularity by the melodian and the fiddle, it remains the quintessential morris accompaniment. More than any other instrument, the rhythm of the tabor (drum) together with the sparse, shrill melody of the pipe (three-hole whistle) embodies the morris. This is the instrument used by Will Kemp in his famous "Nine Days Wonder".

The three hole "pipe" is basically a penny whistle without the top three holes, except the top remaining hole is shifted to the back of the pipe and covered by the thumb. By careful overblowing, all the notes in a given scale are possible. Whistles come in keys determined by their length and placement of the tone holes. The most common key is D, but they come in a full range from Eb to low D. I've seen a lot of players using the Bb whistle lately.

Almost any small, light-weight wood frame drum will work as a "tabor", but the best ones are of the type associated with early music consorts; usually around eight to ten inches in diameter, two to three inches in height, and sporting some sort of simple snare. It is played with a single, light weight stick just long enough to do "rolls" on the head. The drum's heads are traditionally made of goat skin, but these have given over recently to lower maintenance plastic heads. I've also seen small side drums of the sort used by fife and drum corps used quite effectively.

  Fingering Chart          x = closed tone hole;  o = open tone hole

  Thumb      x    x    x    o    x    x    x    o x    x    x x    o    x  
   
  Fore-      x    x    o    o    x    x    o    o x    x    o x    o    x  
    finger
  Middle-    x    o    o    o    x    o    o    o x    o    x x    x    x  
    finger
             Do   Re   Mi   Fa   So   La   Ti   Do*    Re   Mi*    Fa   So  
             
             *Alternate fingerings for these notes.

• Categories: Instruments

FAQ Entry Updated: 2003-12-20

An Overview: Tin Whistle

The tin whistle (or pennywhistle) is actually not all that suitable for playing morris. Morris is danced outdoors most of the time and the whistle has about the same dynamics as the 3-hole pipe -- i.e., lousy -- without the benefit of the percussion of the tabor. The whistle works fine unless there is background noise. Then you are likely not to be heard by either the dancers or the audience.

[Editor's note: I was once playing whistle for a group of dancers one fine May Day morning. There was a bit of traffic noise and the dancers were having a hard time hearing me. But about five minutes after I'd started, a lady came up to me to say that she had heard my music four blocks away and came to see what it was. The dancers couldn't hear me four feet away and she heard me from four city blocks. Go figure.]

  Fingering Chart     x = closed tone hole;  o = open tone hole 

  x    x    x    x    x    x    o    o    x    x    x    x    x    o    
   
  x    x    x    x    x    o    o    x    x    x    x    x    o    o    
  
  x    x    x    x    o    o    o    x    x    x    x    o    o    o  

  x    x    x    o    o    o    o    x    x    x    o    o    o    o  

  x    x    o    o    o    o    o    x    x    o    o    o    o    o  

  x    o    o    o    o    o    o    x    o    o    o    o    o    o  
  
  Do   Re   Mi   Fa   So   La   Ti   Do   Re   Mi   Fa   So   La   Ti

There are alternate fingerings that you can do if you have to modulate to another key.

Whistles come in a variety of keys all the way from a tiny F whistle to a low D (which is just about as low as the whistle can be pitched and not have the tone holes so far apart that they can't be reached; I suppose lower keys are possible if anyone wanted to develop a whistle with keys to cover the tone holes). The most common key for the whistle in morris is D since it can also accommodate the key of G fairly easily. I also occasionally resort to my low G whistle when a G tune won't quite fit the register of the D. [Editor's note: If you want to pretty sure no box players will join in, try an E^b whistle. I've even got one in E for those really persistent buggers.]

Oh, by the way, the most pursuasive theory behind the name "penny whistle" is not that they cost a penny (although the original Clarke whistles actually cost a ha'penny). There is evidence that suggests that the name comes from the penny tip given to street urchins who cadged by playing the penny whistle. They were "penny whistlers".

• Categories: Instruments

FAQ Entry Updated: 2003-12-20

Brother Steve's tin-whistle pages: This website is dedicated to the playing of Irish traditional music on the whistle and to helping learners improve their understanding of Irish music and ways of playing it on this instrument. There is a good overview of technique, notated tunes, and mp3 samples. A knowledge of music notation is helpful but not necessary.; • Home page: <http://www.rogermillington.com/siamsa/brosteve/>; • Tunes: <http://www.rogermillington.com/tunetoc/index.html>; • Categories: Instruments : Music Sources

FAQ Entry Updated: 2004-06-11

Button Box: The Button Box specializes in accordion and concertina sales and repairs. They have a great selection of books, recordings and accessories in stock. They also sponsor the Northeast Squeeze-In festival. They also have a nice page of squeezebox links.; • Homepage: <http://www.buttonbox.com/>; • Squeeze-In: <http://www.buttonbox.com/s-i.html>; • Links: <http://www.buttonbox.com/links.html>; • Categories: Instruments : Sales/Shops

FAQ Entry Updated: 2002-12-07

Chiff & Fipple: Dale Wisely, in his extremely comprehensive and amusing tin whistle website, has put together the best online resource covering all aspects of selecting, purchasing, tweaking, and playing a whistle. He maintains guides to buying whistles, including evaluations of different brands and links to online stores, directions on modifying whistle for better sound, and authors the amusing and informative Chiff & Fipple email newsetter. There is also an online forum with categories for flute, uilleann pipe, Irish music, and, of course, whistle.; • Home: <http://www.chiffandfipple.com/>; • Forum: <http://chiffboard.mati.ca/>; • Newsletter: <http://www.chiffandfipple.com/webissues.html>; • Maintainer: Dale Wisely <dwisely@chiffandfipple.com>; • Categories: Discussion Groups : Instruments

FAQ Entry Updated: 2004-05-23

Concertina FAQ: This document is a thorough introduction to the concertina. It compiles and answers many of the questions the author has seen in rec.music.makers.squeezebox plus others the author himself has posed. Sections include history, an explanation of types, buying advice, tutors, repair techniques, books and cd information, and links.; • FAQ Homepage: <http://www.concertina.info/>; • Maintainer: Chris Timson <chris@harbour.demon.co.uk>; • Categories: Instruments

FAQ Entry Updated: 2005-02-13

Concertina Library : Digital Reference Collection for Concertinas: A massively comprehensive and detailed web site with references to literally everything known about Maccann Duet concertinas, and much about concertinas of other types. The project is the work of Robert Gaskins, (the inventor of PowerPoint, I've been told) who has devoted his resources toward playing, researching, and documenting the Maccann and other concertinas. The site includes tutorials, interviews, research studies, journal articles, reproductions of historical documents, and a generous assortment of links to other related websites, as well as information on other systems - especially Hayden Duet, Anglo, and English. A blog tracks new entries.; • Homepage: <http://www.concertina.com/>; • Maintainer: Robert Gaskins <robertgaskins@concertina.com>; • Categories: Instruments

FAQ Entry Updated: 2006-03-14

Concertina.Net: This site is run by Paul Schwartz as a information service to the worldwide concertina community. Paul's love is for the Anglo concertina (and Irish music) but the site is democratic and includes just about any kind of concertina and music. It includes a very active discussion forum, a buy and sell board, an abc music database, tutorials and references to instruction materials, and an extensive set of links.; • Homepage: <http://www.concertina.net/>; • Forum: <http://www.concertina.net/forums/>; • Maintainer: Paul Schwartz <paul@concertina.net>; • Categories: Discussion Groups : Instruments : Music Sources

FAQ Entry Updated: 2004-04-22

Don Nichols Concertina Page: Don's page is good if you are trying to track the provenance of specific Wheatstone or Lachenal instruments. He also has fingering charts and maintains a registry of stolen instruments.; • Home: <http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html>; • Stolen Concertinas: <http://www.d-and-d.com/tinas/stolen.html>; • Maintainer: Don Nichols <dnichols@d-and-d.com>; • Categories: Instruments

FAQ Entry Updated: 2003-01-24

Early Music Shop: The name pretty much says it. Mostly aimed at early music players, they carry three-hole pipes (in the keys of D, low G, and low D) and drums suitable for use as tabors.; • Homepage: <http://www.e-m-s.com/>; • Categories: Instruments : Sales/Shops

FAQ Entry Updated: 2002-12-07

Ethnic Musical Instruments Co.: The Ethnic Musical Instruments Co. offers an assortment of ethnic musical instruments, including Doumbeks, Frame Drums, Ocarinas, Damroos, Taxi Horns, Chick Shakes, Harps, Lyres, Psaltery, Bagpipes, Chanters, Dulcimers, Santoors, Ouds, African Drums, Sitars, Tablas, Harmoniums, and Double Ended Drums. Rivals Lark in the Morning as a source for ethnic instruments and the prices seem good. Also a source for skins for drum heads.; • Homepage: <http://www.mid-east.com/>; • Categories: Instruments : Sales/Shops

FAQ Entry Updated: 2002-12-07

Fiddle Notes: Fiddle Notes is aimed at the UK fiddler. It contains information on events; violin sellers, makers and repairers; music shops, book and record dealers; organizations and schools; fiddle links; and mailing lists.; • Home: <http://www.randomnotes.org/fiddle.html>; • Maintainer: Elaine Bradtke <fiddlenotes@randomnotes.org>; • Categories: Instruments

FAQ Entry Updated: 2007-10-07

Fiddle Players' Discussion List. FIDDLE-L@LISTSERV.BROWN.EDU: FIDDLE-L is a mailing list that exists for the discussion of fiddles, fiddle-tunes, fiddlers, and fiddle-playing. It has many very knowledgeable participants, including many famous professional fiddle players, and scholars. One of its members is keeping an archive of tunes exchanged on the list.; • Archives: <http://listserv.brown.edu/archives/fiddle-l.html>; • abc Tune Archive: <http://www6.bayarea.net/~otter/fiddling/tunes/fidlarch.html>; • Categories: Discussion Groups : Instruments : Music Sources

FAQ Entry Updated: 2003-01-24

Fiddler's Companion: The Fiddler's Companion is a huge encyclopedia of over 30,000 fiddle tunes from the Celtic, British and American traditions, created by Andrew Kuntz. Most tunes contain notes and anecdotes, references to published or recorded versions, and several thousand have abc-format tunes included; • Homepage: <http://www.ceolas.org/tunes/fc/>; • Maintainer: Ceolas [Contact Form]; • Categories: Instruments : Music Sources

FAQ Entry Updated: 2003-01-24

Harms Historical Percussion: Harms Historical Percussion was started in 1989 by Ben Harms with the goal of providing high-quality "historically informed" instruments to the early music field at a reasonable cost. It turned out that many of the "historical" instruments (e.g., the tabors and hand drums) have changed so little over the past 500 years that they are just as suitable for modern folk musicians and "classical" percussionists. Harms tabors are especially valued by morris musicians.; • Homepage: <http://www.harmsperc.com/>; • Categories: Instruments : Sales/Shops

FAQ Entry Updated: 2002-12-07

Hobgoblin Music: Now in our 25th year, Hobgoblin Music is a family business which promotes the playing of traditional music from the British Isles. They sell folk & celtic instruments: concertinas, melodeons, harps, whistles, flutes, bodhrans, bouzoukis, mandolins, banjos, guitars, fiddles, dulcimers, accordions, as well as books, CDs and accessories.; • Homepage: <http://www.hobgoblin.com/>; • USA Sales: <http://www.hobgoblin-usa.com/local/home.htm>; • Categories: Instruments : Sales/Shops

FAQ Entry Updated: 2002-12-07

Home for Wayward Accordions & Squeezebox Advice Central: The name for this website is something of a misnomer since Wendy includes a vast array of information on almost every sort of squeezebox instrument. Her book, the "Pretty Complete Guide to Squeezeboxes," temporarily unavailable (all copies were destroyed in a fire) but reproduced in part on her website, is described thusly:; "An owner's manual & buyers guide to the identification, selection, purchase, care & maintenance of accordions and concertinas. All about registers, sizes, tuning options, matching the box to the musical style, how to tell them apart, about prices and repairs, sources for further information. Many confusing terms clearly defined: diatonic, chromatic, single action, double action, musette, etc. Including keyboard diagrams, how to evaluate a used accordion, how to ship, how to adjust the straps, how to tune up the band. Trivia section includes humor, squeezeboxes in the media, and list of names, brands & models."; • Home: <http://www.klezmusic.com/>; • Advise Central: <http://www.klezmusic.com/sbx-info/guide.html>; • Buying Guide: <http://www.klezmusic.com/sbx-info/sbx-pick.html>; • Maintainer: Wendy Morrison <info@waywardaccordions.com>; • Categories: Instruments

FAQ Entry Updated: 2003-01-24

Homespun Tapes: Music instruction tapes and videos for just about any folk instrument by famous performers of the instrument. Good reputation.; • Homepage: <http://www.homespuntapes.com/>; • Categories: Instruments : Sales/Shops

FAQ Entry Updated: 2002-12-07

Homewood Musical Instruments: Homewood is a builder, repairer, and distributer of concertinas and other instruments. The website is a bit disorganized but has a ton of information and photos.; • Home: <http://hmi.homewood.net/>; • Categories: Instruments : Sales/Shops

FAQ Entry Updated: 2003-01-24

House of Musical Traditions: The House of Musical Traditions have instruments, accessories, recordings, and books from the U.S. and around the world, specializing in rare and exotic music. They have a "squeezebox" speciality catalog with new and used instruments, straps, cases, parts and accessories.; • Homepage: <http://www.hmtrad.com/>; • Squeezebox Catalog: <http://www.hmtrad.com/instr/winds/sbx-cat.html>; • Categories: Instruments : Sales/Shops

FAQ Entry Updated: 2003-01-24

How to Play the Anglo: by John Kirkpatrick; Reprints of three articles originally published in The Concertina Newsletter in the early 1970s. The first overviews fingering; the second bellows technique; and the third chords. Part 3 is especially interesting as Kirkpatrick uses morris tunes as examples.; • Part 1: <http://www.johnkirkpatrick.co.uk/wr_Anglo1.htm>; • Part 2: <http://www.johnkirkpatrick.co.uk/wr_Anglo2.htm>; • Part 3: <http://www.johnkirkpatrick.co.uk/wr_Anglo3.htm>; • Maintainer: John Kirkpatrick [Contact Form]; • Categories: Instruments

FAQ Entry Updated: 2004-11-29

Ishmael's Pipe & Tabor Pages: Ishmael the Fiddler describes the pipe and tabor as the quintessential morris instrument. His pages include sections on the rationale of the instrument (it really is one instrument with two parts), its history, manufacturers, reviews of tabor pipes, references, and links.; • Pipe & Tabor: <http://www.mit.edu/people/ijs/pipe-and-tabor.html>; • Tabor Pipe Reviews: <http://www.mit.edu/people/ijs/ptab/tab-pipe-rev.html>; • Maintainer: Ishmael Stefanov-Wagner <ijs@mit.edu>; • Categories: Instruments

FAQ Entry Updated: 2002-12-07

Kelischek Workshop for Historical Instruments: Kelischek Workshop for Historical Instruments was founded by Geigenbaumeister (Master Violin Maker) George Kelischek in Witten, Germany in 1955. They moved to the USA in 1960. Their services include instrument making (Violins, Violas, Violas d' Amore, Violas da Gamba, Lutes, Hurdy-Gurdies); Instrument Appraisals; Repairs and Restorations; Susato Press Music Typesetting; and Digital Sound Recording and Mastering. Excellent source for pipe and tabors.; • Homepage: <http://www.susato.com/>; • Categories: Instruments : Sales/Shops

FAQ Entry Updated: 2002-12-07

Lark in the Morning: Lark in the Morning carries mainly instruments: practically every folk/ethnic/antique instrument you've ever heard of, and a lot you haven't, plus a big listing of one-of-a-kind used instruments. Prices run slightly high.; • Homepage: <http://www.larkinam.com>; • Categories: Instruments : Sales/Shops

FAQ Entry Updated: 2002-12-07

Melodeon Discussion Pages: This multi-page site provides a fairly comprehensive, online tutorial for learning and playing the melodeon. I've been told that the author played diatonic melodeon for five years with Prairie Waves Morris, so much of what he has written, although done in terms of general playing technique, should be applicable for morris musicians. The site has a very useful "Music Theory for Diatonic Accordion Players" as well as sections on using the bellows, playing the basses, crossing rows, right hand melody and chords, playing ornaments, tabulature, and more.; • Homepage: <http://www.geocities.com/kozulich/discussions.html>; • Music Theory: <http://www.geocities.com/kozulich/theory.html>; • Maintainer: Orest Lechnowsky <orest@juno.com>; • Categories: Instruments

FAQ Entry Updated: 2005-01-30

melodeon.net: melodeon.net is a new resource for players of melodeons and diatonic accordions, focussing strongly on the English and European styles of playing, including Morris. At the time of writing this FAQ entry, the site is still in development. Two resources that are worth checking out are the discussion forums and the information section with diagrams of button layouts on various instruments.; • Homepage: <http://www.melodeon.net/>; • Forums: <http://melodeon.aimoo.com/>; • Maintainer: John Spiers <webmaster@melodeon.net>; • Categories: Discussion Groups : Instruments

FAQ Entry Updated: 2004-07-01

One hundred fifty years of fiddle players and Morris dancing at Bampton, Oxfordshire: by Keith Chandler
Musical Traditions, No. 10, Spring 1992 (Article MT057); A history of the the modern Bampton morris through its musicians, documenting both the music and dance.; We cannot therefore be certain when the fiddle was first used to accompany the dancing, although the presence of a fiddler at Whit performances in the late 1850s and early 1860s was clearly regarded by some as an unwelcome novelty.Â A newspaper account of 1858 noted that "The dancing was very creditably performed, but we cannot approve of the substitution of a squeaking fiddle for the appropriate, and to our mind, orthodox tabor and pipe".Â The same correspondent reported in 1860 that "The old tabor and pipe and the Rebeck seem to be at a discount with the morris dancers, and an old cracked violin is the substitute employed instead".Â Again, in 1863, "The Morris dancers ... still obstinately persist in employing a squeaking 'fiddle', instead of the more legitimate tabor and pipe, notwithstanding what has been said respecting it, and which considerably marred the effect of the whole".; • Full-text: <http://www.mustrad.org.uk/articles/bampton.htm>; • Maintainer: Rod Stradling <rod@mustrad.org.uk>; • Categories: History : Instruments

FAQ Entry Updated: 2004-06-13

Playing Morris Music: Jeff Bigler has provided notes from a morris musician's workshop that he gave at the 2003 NEFFA (New England Folk Festival Association) Festival.; • Notes (PDF): <http://www.mit.edu/~jcb/morris/music-workshop.pdf>; • Maintainer: Jeff Bigler [Contact Form]; • Categories: Dance Notes : Instruments

FAQ Entry Updated: 2003-06-13

rec.music.makers.squeezebox: rec.music.makers.squeezebox is an unmoderated discussion group focusing on the the playing and maintenance of all sorts of squeezeboxes, including piano and button accordions, concertinas, melodeons, and bandoneons. This can include, but is not limited to, discussion of playing technique; instrument types, including the classification of various instruments; construction, maintenance, and repair technique; cross-instrument comparisons; instruction; and literature.; There is an mailing list equivalent to the newsgroup: squeezebox@cs.cmu.edu and postings from the mailing list go to the newsgroup and vice versa.; • Newsgroup (Google): <http://groups.google.com/groups?group=rec.music.makers.squeezebox>; • E-mail subscription: <http://www-2.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs/user/phoebe/accordion/squeezebox-newsgroup.html>; • FAQ: <http://www-2.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs/user/phoebe/accordion/squeezebox-FAQ.text>; • Categories: Discussion Groups : Instruments

FAQ Entry Updated: 2002-12-02

Sessioneer: This site, largely Irish in content, is intended to be a useful resource for musicians. The site is free to search and browse for tunes, but registered users become part of a community and can contribute tunes and other content. Other sections include a comprehesive database of Irish music sessions, musician directories, and music reviews.; Mike also has an excellent tutor for learning to play the tin whistle.; • Homepage: <http://www.sessioneer.com/>; • Maintainer: Mike Simpson <msimpson@sessioneer.com>; • Categories: Instruments : Music Sources

FAQ Entry Updated: 2003-01-24

Stolen Instrument Lists: It's an unfortunate fact that instruments go missing. Several online databases have come into existance to address this. Don Nichol's Concertina website has a stolen concertina section; allows accordians to be listed as well. Mugwumps is a multi-instrument list, mostly banjos, violins, guitars, and other stringed instruments. NEFFA has a short list of links to stolen folk instruments. A search on Google for "stolen instruments" will turn up other more specialized lists, largely classical and rock music instruments.; • Don Nichol's Concertina List: <http://www.d-and-d.com/tinas/stolen.html>; • Mugwumps List: <http://www.mugwumps.com/Stolen.html>; • NEFFA Links: <http://www.neffa.org/Top/Reference/Stolen_Instrument_Lists/index.shtml>; • Categories: Instruments

FAQ Entry Updated: 2004-03-17

tabor_n_pipe List: tabor_n_pipe is a low to medium volume Yahoo discussion group dedicated to the pipe and tabor; where to find them, how to play them, how to find other players.; • Homepage & archives: <http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/tabor_n_pipe/>; • Categories: Discussion Groups : Instruments

FAQ Entry Updated: 2004-06-03

The Taborers' Society: This site promotes the ancient instrument of England, the Pipe and Tabor, including its history, archeology, repertoire, manufacture, playing, history, and archaeology. The Taborer's Society also sponsors the International Pipe and Tabor Festival.; • Homepage: <http://www.pipeandtabor.org/>; • Categories: Instruments

FAQ Entry Updated: 2004-06-03