My free bass Fantini will be here Monday if FedEx delivers on time. Hopefully it will arrive in one piece with all the buttons working properly.
This week my husband surprised me with my early Christmas present: A piano! I nice clean looking low-profile spinet. It is ironic, because the reason I got into concertina and accordion was that I had to liquidate my upright piano and harpsichord in order to move into his small house. I always grew up with keyboard instruments, as my Dad tunes and repairs pianos. Letting those instruments go was extremely difficult. Fortunately I was able to get a handsome price for the harpsichord, but the piano I had to give away. When I moved in, I did get an electronic keyboard, but it is a sadly poor substitute for a real instrument. Electrons will never replace levers, hammers, plectra, and the delightful mechanical wonders that make instruments beautiful, temperamental, fragile, and full of personality.
I decided that I needed to learn a small instrument that would play in tune on its own (a reference to my cacophonous experience as a cellist). I needed to be able to accompany my son on his trumpet, and play some Bach melodies. The English Concertina was a great fit. I'm learning that, but I also hunger to play my own accompaniment or bass line, so I tried a duet concertina (Hayden system). The Stagi Duet that I could afford was not a very fun instrument to play: sluggish action and I thought it sounded like a toy compared to the Morse Baritone. I then got the Bayan, started this blog, and moved up to the much anticipated Fantini. In my quest for the perfect compliment of accordions and concertinas, I have had at some time and in order of possession:
- Full size Italian piano accordion- no brand (sold)
- Jack English Concertina (sold)
- Jackie English Concertina (sold)
- Morse Albion Baritone EC (ready to exchange when the Geordie is done being made)
- Kirov Rubin 7 Bayan(sold)
- And on it's way here, the Fantini.
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