"Way back when" (about 1960) my
parents started me playing a piano accordion. After ten years of lessons I
got fairly good at it, but after entering the Navy and going into submarines I stopped playing and for several years I had no active interest in any
instrument. In 1999 I was in a Seattle area accordion shop and encountered an odd
looking bellows operated instrument I barely recognized from having seen one in
a movie, also in the "way back when" timeframe.
It was my first look at a concertina, and fascinated, I tried working the buttons. Hmm, each button made two different sounds based on bellows direction. Of course, it was an Anglo, but at the time I didn't know they came in flavors. The two-tone-per-button design reminded of the harmonicas I'd played for a short time in my late teens. It seemed like a fun novelty, and I ended up purchasing a 20 button Stagi. In just a few weeks I discovered how much I missed having a full set of sharps and flats so I went back to the shop to upgrade to a 30 button Stagi.
The next couple of years I kept the concertina around the house, typically in close proximity to my computer and would occasionally spend anything from a couple of minutes to an hour picking out theme songs from old TV shows and early American standards (Dixie, Red River Valley and the like). I'd get frustrated by the inclination of the buttons to jam, and sometimes weeks passed between times when I played it, but I always eventually sought it out again.
I finally grew tired of the issues with sticking buttons and decided to upgrade in 2003. After some research, I put an order in with Bob Tedrow for a 30 button Anglo and then decided I should look for some formal instruction on the instrument. Turns out concertina instruction isn't an easy thing to come by, but in the process of researching concertina makers I discovered Concertina.net and through it, that Noel Hill offered summer Irish concertina classes in Oregon.
I didn't know anything about Noel or 'Irish Concertina' but I figured any formal instruction would help, so I signed up for the 2003 class. My first evening at the class site was a little unsettling, it seemed everyone was playing Irish music, I didn't recognize any of it, and they were all way better players than I was. I called my wife and told her I might be home early the next day, depending on how the first class session went.
Although the first few days were a bit frustrating as I abandoned what little I thought I knew and started learning Noel's system, a few days into classes I had learned a whole new approach to playing and was also learning to appreciate Irish music. After finishing the week with Noel, I couldn't wait to learn more.
Six months later I was a member of the group going to Ireland for a musical tour and additional lessons with Noel, and by then had about 50 Irish tunes memorized and couldn't imagine playing anything other than Irish music, it had become addictive.
Shortly after returning from Ireland, I attended the five-day 2004 Friday Harbor Irish Music Camp in Washington State and the associated daily concertina workshops with John Williams. I enjoyed the workshop, listened to John play several great tunes, gained additional perspective on the concertina and of course added to my repertoire of tunes.
As of the early spring of 2007 I've attended three additional classes series with Noel Hill (two in Oregon and one in Ireland) and two five-day class series with Gearóid Ó hAllmhuráin at the 2006 and 2007 Friday Harbor Irish Music Camp.