Jayhawk wrote:What are the sound difference between a single reed instrument and a double reed? Would the single reed be quieter?
Not necessarily quieter - the volume depends on a number of factors. If the reed blocks are mounted flat on the soundboard, single-voice boxes can be very loud - the Castagnari Lilly is one example.
I don't care for the single-voice sound, and I think if I did, I'd get a concertina. I find a two-voice sound infinitely preferable - more complex, more interesting to the ear. Of course, on a multi-voice box you need to know what kind of tuning (degree of "wetness") you like, and make sure you get it. If you like single-voice, that's one difficulty removed! BTW from what I understand, multi-voice Giustozzi boxes will be tuned very wet unless you specify otherwise.
Looking at Bretton's keyboard layout - it looks like you could play over 99% of ITM on it...am I right?
Well I wouldn't want to argue about percentages, but certainly you've got a lot of dance tunes covered. You have in effect, a stripped-down C#/D (or I should say D/C#, since your main row is the outer row) and you have available the accidentals you'd use most frequently on a full two-row.
But: with only eight keys (instead of the usual ten on a one-row) you haven't a low B, which would be a problem for me - a surprising number of tunes go down to low B, and on those tunes you'd be reduced to octave jumping or other faking as on a whistle. I'd find the lack of a low C-natural a pain, too. And a high C-natural (at the top of the scale), for that matter.
Steve
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