Why the Anglo suits morris

The Anglo-German concertina was made for this kind of work. The two rows hand you a melody on the right and ready-made chords on the left, and because the reeds are driven by a quick, pressured bellows stroke, the instrument has a natural attack that cuts through sticks, bells and the wind on a market square.

For most English sides a 30-button in G/D is the practical choice. D major, G major, E minor and A minor fall comfortably under the fingers, and the low buttons on the left give you real weight beneath the tune. C/G boxes still earn their keep, particularly with sides who sing or with tunes that sit high in G, but for a long day outdoors in all weathers, G/D will do more of the jobs you are asked to do.

Finding the pulse for the dancers

Dancers do not need a metronome; they need a pulse they can trust. The beat has to sit slightly forward of the step, not trailing behind it. If you are playing for Cotswold steps, that usually means steady 6/8 for jigs and firm 4/4 or 2/4 for processional tunes, with the same tempo held from the first bar to the last. Nothing collapses a set faster than a musician who starts brisk and finishes breathless.

Phrasing matters as much as tempo. Keep the melody clear, mark the ends of phrases with a small lift in the bellows, and repeat your ornaments in the same places each time so the dancers can rely on them. A simple tune played with confidence will carry a side far better than a busy one played at half volume. If a figure lands on the eighth bar of a phrase, tell the side with your playing — a light chord, a short breath, a clean finish.

Bellows control and outdoor volume

Outdoors you are competing with bells, sticks, traffic and conversation, and it is easy to play louder than you mean to. Volume on an Anglo comes from air pressure and clean articulation rather than from hammering the buttons. Angle the ends slightly towards the dancers; pointing the instrument at the ground or flat against your chest muffles it badly.

• Set the bellows with the air button before you start, so your first note is under control.
• Plan changes of bellows direction at phrase ends, not mid-tune when you are running short.
• Use the left hand for support, not for clatter. Short, crisp off-beat chords or a single bass note under the strong beat work well; full chords on every beat turn the melody to mud.
• Snug wrist straps and a well-adjusted hand strap give you the control that loud playing otherwise takes away.

Repertoire, keys and different traditions

A working morris musician needs a dozen tunes known cold rather than forty half-learned. Cotswold sides draw on the familiar set: Balance the Straw, Winster Gallop, Trunkles, Constant Billy, Bobbing Joe, Shepherd's Hey, Lumps of Plum Pudding, The Old Woman Tossed Up. Border sides with a drum often want driving jigs such as Haste to the Wedding and Not for Joe, while North West processional work calls for bright, even tunes in a march tempo. Molly dancing usually wants quick 2/4s and hornpipes with plenty of lift.

Keys are a practical question, not an aesthetic one. If a side has always danced a tune in G, learn it in G on the G row rather than forcing it onto the C row and fighting the fingering. Where a tune genuinely will not sit, transpose by a fourth or fifth only if the melody stays within reach of the chord buttons you need. Resist the temptation to play everything in the same key simply because it is comfortable.

Working with the side

Talk to the foreman about tempos and starting notes before the day begins. Agree how you will count in — usually four beats, or a two-bar introduction — and agree where the tune ends. Watch the dancers, not your own fingers: if a figure is struggling, the answer is often a fraction slower rather than a different tune.

Where two musicians play together, divide the work. One takes the melody while the other plays low harmony in thirds and sixths or simple chord patterns. Doubling the same line in the same octave adds nothing but noise. Practise with the side as often as you practise alone, and remember that outdoors the tempo that feels right in a warm hall will feel frantic in the cold. Take it down a notch and the steps will thank you.

Keeping the instrument fit for the field

Morris is hard on a concertina. Cold mornings, damp churchyards and hours of standing all take their toll. Let the box warm up slowly in its case before playing in a chilly hall, and never leave it in a hot car. Wipe the ends after a day out, keep the case dry with a sachet of silica gel, and check the end bolts are snug — but no tighter, or you will crack the fretwork.

Listen for the warning signs. A bellows that feels spongy usually means a leaking gusset, and a leaky box makes steady rhythm almost impossible. Buzzes and rattles are often a loose reed or a scrap of grit in the reed pan; leave those to someone who knows concertinas rather than poking about with a screwdriver. Pitch drift with the seasons is normal, so have tuning done properly when it needs it. Carry a cloth, a spare strap and a little patience, and your box will see you through many seasons of dancing.