r/concertina Feb 14 '25

I'd like to update the Concertina FAQ to v.4, what should I add/subtract/modify?

6 Upvotes

If any experienced folks here could take a look at the stickied last version of the FAQ, from three years ago, I'd appreciate any input as to what needs to be changed!

Link to v.3: https://www.reddit.com/r/concertina/s/lM5ySFstg4


r/concertina Jul 18 '21

FAQ, and buying your first concertina (v.3)

102 Upvotes

Welcome! Probably you're here because you've seen/heard concertinas on YouTube, at live performances, or on recordings. Concertina is a beautiful instrument, with agile melodies, rich harmonies, total dynamic control, and all in a small package. This can lead you to want one of your own, so this post is here to give you what you need to know to get your first concertina.

The first thing you need to know is that there are three totally different "systems" of concertina; they are built the same and produce the same sounds, but the way you put the notes together is totally different. The three systems are Anglo, English, and Duet. An Anglo concertina's button plays a different note on the push and pull, the English makes the same note in each direction and divides the scale between the two hands alternating, while the Duet plays the same note in each direction and puts the low notes in your left hand and high notes in your right hand. To over-simplify it, an Anglo plays like a harmonica, an English like a violin/fiddle, and a Duet like an organ/keyboard. Before you choose a system, note there are iPhone and Android apps that simulate each system, generally free or $1, and that can be an excellent way to "trial" a system before committing.

CONCERTINA SYSTEMS

Anglo: these are the most common kind of concertina, and 98% of people playing traditional Irish music use Anglo. The Anglo has two rows of buttons (across both hands), most commonly in the keys of C and G, and often a third row that has some chromatic notes to supplement those scales. The huge distinctive feature is that a given button plays a different note depending on whether you push or pull. This might sound confusing on paper, but in reality it makes it very intuitive to play because buttons that harmonize just fall into place easily, it's almost hard to make a bad note combination.

Unless you have a very specific alternate plan, if you want to play Irish you want a 30-button C/G Anglo. If you're looking to do simple folk-song, singer-songwriter pieces, or sea shanties, a 20-button Anglo is even more affordable and though somewhat limited can be a great piece for melodies and backing up your voice. Anglos are usually named by the key of the two (main) rows, with C/G being the most common for post-WWII instruments, a small portion a deeper G/D, and some pre-WWII instruments in various flat pitches like Ab/Eb or Bb/F which can be trickier to play along with say a guitarist, but also makes them a little cheaper if it's for solo play and precise key (so long as it's in tune with itself) matters less.

English: the English concertina was made for playing classical music, and if you want to play anything resembling classical or jazz this is the hands-down choice. An English concertina staggers the scale between the two hands, so if C is on your left hand, D is on your right, then back to the left for E. This makes it very fast for melodic work since you're using both hands simultaneously. It can also be used to play chords to back up a band or your voice. While traditionally the English wasn't usually used for folk music, in the 1960s folk revival for whatever reason a lot of British musicians used it for just that, so there is a somewhat modern practice of applying the English to folk music.

Duet: the duet is much rarer than the other two, kind of an odd bird. Like the English it plays the same note on the push-pull, but it puts all the low notes on the left hand and all the high notes on the right hand. The area where Duet excels is playing multiple musical parts at the same time (like the name implies), so chording or running a bass line on your left hand while playing the melody on the right. There's not really much in the way of instructional materials for Duet, I would mainly suggest it to people that already play an instrument, particularly those that play a keyboard instrument. It's kind of one of those "most people probably don't need this, but if you're one that does, you'll know."

Chemnitzer, Bandoneón, etc: these are sometimes nicknamed "Big Square German" concertinas. These are generally larger instruments, almost always "bisonoric" with different notes on push and pull, basically like an Anglo concertina but with different layouts. The main reasons to get these would be to play Polka or similar music (there is still a Chemnitzer scene in the US Midwest) on the Chemnitzer, Bandoneón for tango music, or if you are familiar with smaller concertinas (or find a good deal on a large one) and have a specific musical vision that a BSG concertina meets.

BUYING A CONCERTINA

Inexpensive Chinese concertinas: NOT RECOMMENDED IN MOST CASES, IF YOU BUY, BUY WITH AN IRONCLAD RETURN POLICY IN CASE YOU GET A LEMON the basic $150-350 (new) concertinas you see on eBay or Amazon are almost invariably Chinese-made. There are some that are badged by various names, including somewhat famous ones like Hohner, and other Italian or Irish names bought from defunct manufacturers. The better brands are okay-ish for a total beginner, but you'll quickly outgrow it, and it's maybe better to save for a used Italian or Concertina Connection. You can occasionally find used ones cheap on eBay or Craiglist. With any of these cheapies, if bought new, make sure it's somewhere with a good return policy, so you can return it if it's a lemon. These are mostly Anglo, occasionally a Scarlatti (now made in China) 30b or 48b English, not usually Duets.

Used lower-mid concertinas: RECOMMENDED ONLY IF YOU ARE WILLING TO TAKE THEM APART AND MONKEY WITH THEM On a good day you can find a used Concertina Connection box on Concertina.net Sales subforum $250-300 (new $400), or on eBay you can find used 20-button Italians (Stagi, Brunner, Bastari, some rebrands but ones specifically stamped Made in Italy) as low as $100-150. Note that with used Italians, some are decades old, and the cardstock pads and rubber gaskets sometimes come loose, but that can be fixed with just the tiniest bit of unskilled but attentive effort. There are writeups on how to fix those things cheapily and with a couple hours on the kitchen table on Concertina.net.

The CC ones are recent, fine to buy used from someone who seems honest, but the Stagi/Bastari/etc from Italy and Scholers from Germany have a good 50% chance of needing a little work to get running. If you're willing to put in a little elbow grease, and take a little risk on a major lemon with damaged reeds or bellows (a harder fix) you can get 20b Anglos for cheap (I've bought them $75-125), 30b Anglos maybe $200ish, occasionally an English around $300. Stagi/Bastari Hayden Duets are pricier at $600+, and you have to hunt around for them. Lots of old 20b Italian-made floating around, some Germans like Scholer (I don't know about how to refurbish these), and also some 30b. Rarely you'll find a used Italian English, not generally a Duet other than used Concertina Connection "Elise" models.

New lower-mid concertinas: RECOMMENDED FOR BEGINNERS --> in this category, there are two major options: Concertina Connection and McNeela Music, who but outsource to China to get affordable starter concertinas but built to decent specs and quality control, and thus keep the price moderate, $400-500 range. UPDATE: if you like sea shanty of similar very minimalist genres, you can get by with a 20-button Anglo new from $299.

Concertina Connection boxes, which come in Anglo (Rochelle), alto and tenor English (Jack and Jackie), and Hayden Duet (Elise), all around $400. There is also the Wren, a 30b Anglo running around $500, considered a decent starter for Irish. These are all made in China but for shops in the West that are quite serious about QC and carefully inspect their imports. McNeela produces the Wren 30-button Anglo and Sparrow 30-button English. Again if you check Cnet forums' Sales page you can find these a bit cheaper used, on occasion.

UPDATE FOR SEA SHANTY FANS: if you're looking at sea music, you can do well with a 20-button Anglo vice 30-button, and there are a few 20b options more affordable than the Wren and Rochelle. As one example, Liberty Bellows in Philadelphia carries inexpensive German-made concertinas (much like what historical sailors would've bought as beaters) for as low as $299, and notably they offer them in several keys: CG, DA, and GD. CG is the most common and recorded learning materials will be in CG, but GD is rich and deep if you want that (DA is slightly higher than CG, if you somehow have a use for that).

Vintage instruments: this is the area where there is massive diversity in prices. A 20b Anglo from the late 1800s, properly refurbished by an expert, can run even as low as $400 on a good day. But even a basic 30b Anglo like a Lachenal is $1500 or more. The disparity is because a 20b isn't used for serious Irish session music, so there's a relative surplus of 20b and high demand for 30b. There pretty much aren't vintage Haydens because the design was forgotten until the 1980s, but there are Macann, Crane, and a few other Duet systems which are relatively available and can be found as low as the $500-1000 range for refurbished vintage. Vintage Englishes run a few hundred up and a few hundred down from $1000, with scattered examples at either extreme.

This is the first category that has what are called "True" concertinas, while the categories before this are "Hybrid" concertinas. Long/short, boxes made before WWII tended to have a distinct kind of reed used only by concertinas, after WWII or thereabouts that skill was lost, and almost everyone beyond expensive makers just buys accordion reeds. Arguably True reeds are more agile and have a distinct slight harshness, while Hybrid reeds are slightly more staid and have a more mellow, organ-like sound. That said, I've seen concertinists online lament that everyone in their band has them play their $500 Stagi instead of their $2000 vintage Wheatstone since they like the sound better, so partially it's subjective.

For vintage, there are several really good refurbishes in the UK (notably Chris Algar), a few folks in the US who dabble in vintage refurb, and yet again the Cnet forums Sales page tends to keep pretty busy with moving vintage amongst enthusiasts, ranging from surprisingly affordable to omg pricey.

Mid-tier concertinas: This category I would say is roughly $1000-3500, which I realize is quite a broad range. In this category you're getting instruments with a lot of skilled hand-labor in Europe and North America, but still with accordion reeds since True reeds are just not made at scale and require an absolutely highly skilled person to make them. Which is kinda funny because in Victorian times they were contracted out to people in the slums of London who were cheap enough to pay to spend hours filing little tiny bits of metal into reeds. In this tier you have several makers in the US and Europe making polished products. These are great instruments, but there's always the subjective debate as to whether they "aren't quite the same" due to having high-end accordion reeds, though against some people would actually prefer that.

High-end modern True concertinas: This area is $3,000 on up, completely bespoke custom concertinas made with exquisite care. If you're serious enough to look at a purchase here, you already probably know a lot about concertinas. But if you (like me) just want to look and drool for now, see the Current Makes of Concertina directory at Concertina.net.

That gives you basically the overall gist of the types of concertina and buying one. If you have further questions, post a new thread and give us a solid idea of your musical goals, experience level, and budget, and we'll be happy to help you find your first concertina!


r/concertina 11h ago

Which concertina is best for someone with nerve damage?

8 Upvotes

Hello! I’m interested in learning the concertina but I’ve got some minor hand/wrist issues, and I’m trying to figure out which type of concertina (Anglo/English/Duet) would work best for me.

I busted my left wrist up pretty bad a few years ago. I’ve recovered most of my mobility, but my left hand isn’t as nimble as it used to be. I’ve got some lingering weakness in my pinkie and ring fingers. Picking up a gallon of milk in my left hand hurts if I grab it from a bad angle. Likewise, I can’t comfortably fret a guitar because my wrist doesn’t like to bend at that angle.

Otherwise I do fine. I can still touch-type as fast as I used to. I can play instruments from the harp family without much trouble, despite the left hand being a little slow/stiff/clumsy.

Based on my research, my injury shouldn’t stop me from being able to play the concertina. It weighs less than a gallon of milk and doesn’t look like it needs me to bend my wrist much or use a lot of pressure to press the keys.

But reading forums and watching videos can only tell me so much about it. I unfortunately don’t know anywhere I could go in person to try one out, so I’m asking around for advice. Is there anything I’m missing or haven’t considered?

Specifically, I’m interested in getting the Jack Baritone English model from Concertina Connection. I like that it can comfortably play in a variety of keys, and I like that it’s in a lower octave. But I’m worried a baritone might give me trouble because I’ve heard that the low note keys on a concertina take more pressure to play. Is that true?

I’ve also been considering the Elise Duet as an option because I already play another instrument with the left/right low/high notes design, so the muscle memory would theoretically help. But I’m worried again that the lower notes will need to be pressed harder, which could be a problem since the low notes are all on my weak left side.

Also, is there anything about either the English or Duet button layouts that jumps out as being a huge problem for someone with a weaker left hand? Or anything about the Jack or Elise specifically?

I figure there’s probably a lot I won’t know unless I try, but I thought it was worth a shot to ask around first before I buy something that might not work out.

Thanks for reading, any advice or input is appreciated :)


r/concertina 1d ago

E note sliding

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6 Upvotes

I have an Elise concertina and just recently the E4 note started sounding like a garbled F#4 note on the pull. I know it's not the most expensive instrument so was hoping to be able to fix it myself if it's not hard. Before I open it up, I wanted to see if I can get some tips on what I should be looking for.


r/concertina 5d ago

New player - how hard to transition from wheatstone to jefferies?

5 Upvotes

Okay, so I'm not a new player (I'm an uilleann piper), but my wife wants to take up concertina and I'm trying to get one as a gift for her so I'm poking around doing research/shopping. Since we'd like to play some Irish trad together I'm looking at an anglo C/G 30 button concertina.

From my perspective, the Jefferies layout seems much better for Irish trad (with a C# on the push and pull) - but all the 'starter' concertina's I've seen (looking mainly at the Concertina Connection Rochelle, but the entry level McNeela is the same) are wheatstone layouts.

Just curious how difficult it will be for Irish trad on the Wheatstone (seems doable still as thesession had folks who mentioned playing trad on Wheatstone) and/or how hard it is to transition from a Wheatstone to Jefferies in the future if that's what she wants.


r/concertina 6d ago

Concertina maintenance

3 Upvotes

Howye lads! Got myself a lachanel that has multiple reeds speaking at once when a button is pressed. Anyone have any tips/checklist on troubleshooting the issue? everything looks in order and its just the one side, this instrument is no joke when it comes to air escaping. Any help would be appreciated!


r/concertina 7d ago

Playing Anglo standing up

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8 Upvotes

Hi all, what’s everyone’s best tips for playing standing up? I’ve seen some references to attaching a strap which sounds like the go to me as I have some upper back issues and don’t want to exacerbate that. Where’s the best place/s to attach a strap, and is it usual for it to just be a neck strap?

Pic of my Morse Ceili


r/concertina 8d ago

Should bellies expand like this in a new concertina

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6 Upvotes

I just purchased this new concertina. It is my first and just started playing when I received it. I am just wondering about how the bellows expand without any of the buttons pushed?
Works like the read of experienced players.


r/concertina 8d ago

Help needed with stuck note

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6 Upvotes

Just obtained this chemnitzer concertina, sounds beautiful but earlier when i was playing it all the sudden i noticed a note plays when no keys are pressed, both in and out, how can I fix this? Very inexperienced so any help is greatly appreciated!


r/concertina 12d ago

Concertina identification and advice

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10 Upvotes

UK based, Midlands/Northern

Received a concertina from a relative, I am not musical so this is very new to me.

Lachenal&Co

Think the serial has fallen off but there is a sticker with 9731 or 197313 on one side

There's something rattling inside

  1. Help identifying what model etc this is

  2. Someone or somewhere to look over and repair it is needed

No intention to sell, probably won't play it but I would like to make sure it's ok as it belonged to a great grandad so it has a good bit of family history


r/concertina 17d ago

Buying my first concertina. What were your experiences?

7 Upvotes

Greetings,

I have recently decided on what my next musical instrument is going to be and concertina won. I'm from central Europe, I occasionally play in pubs with a few friends (folk, country, pop, some light rock, the usual). Mostly I play the guitar or cajon, but we got plenty of people who can play those, so I decided to branch out. I also like to listen to Irish music, although I haven't really played it with others, since it's not traditional in my region.

Now, I have read the FAQ, which helped me understand the differences between different kinds of concertinas, but it didn't really help me decide which one to buy. Browsing through the internet, it seems that most AI searches gravitate towards recommending Wren 2 (or Wren 2 Deluxe) or Rochelle. But when I research those two, I see lots of complaints obout their performance, which makes me question if the purchase is even worth it as a starter instrument to learn on, or not.

Furthermore, every search seems to recommend Anglo concertinas as the starter instrument, even though English look on paper to be easier and more, I don't know, intuitive (?) with it sounding the same on push or pull.

So I'd like to ask you concertina enthusiasts what were your experiences when you started playing the instrument? What worked, what didn't?


r/concertina 18d ago

Concertina repair

6 Upvotes

Anyone knows of anyone (preferably cork city to west waterford area) who repairs concertinas?


r/concertina 22d ago

MJ's "Billie Jean" as a mournful waltz, sung in Spanish

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16 Upvotes

r/concertina 23d ago

IrishConcertinaLessons.com

6 Upvotes

Does anyone subscribe to the online IrishConcertinaLessons.com by Caitlin nic Gabhann? I signed up for the year subscription but don't remember when I signed up. I was trying to look for information on the website. The FAQ says you can find billing information under 'Mad For More" -> "My Profile" but that doesn't show up when I visit the site. I tried contacting through the contact form on the website, I tried emailing the address on the website and I tried to join the Facebook Group and haven't had a response from any of them.

Anyone know of a way to find out through the website?


r/concertina 25d ago

How is playing the concertina like?

7 Upvotes

I'm really fascinated by this musical instrument and I want to know your experiences.


r/concertina 25d ago

2 funky reels :)

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4 Upvotes

r/concertina 29d ago

Where to begin with repairs?

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11 Upvotes

A couple months ago I got this C/G concertina, apparently Italian made, from an estate sale auction. It definitely has a few problems before it's back to being fully functional, but based on a thread here a few days back with an almost identical instrument I understand it ought to be an easy fix.

  • A few of the reeds fell out of the wax. One appears to be part of a small set of bass(?) reeds, maybe 20% bigger than the treble.
  • One reed is entirely missing. So are some of the pins (or nails?) fastening the reeds in place are too, which might be related to them coming off.
  • Some of the buttons on the left-hand side are missing, while those that remain hang fairly limp. All the buttons on the right-hand side were inexplicably waxed together (which has since broken) and looks like a dang mess.

Does anybody know of good resources for tools and replacement materials in the United States? Should I be looking for anything specific in terms of the new reed(s) or new buttons? How am I meant to keep those buttons where they are?

Answers or help of any kind are appreciated, including any that say I'm in over my head :)


r/concertina 29d ago

How difficult is the piece Howl's Moving Castle?

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2 Upvotes

I added a link here and I'm curious would say on a scale of 1-10.


r/concertina 29d ago

William Mullaly 78rpm recording - 1926

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6 Upvotes

William Mullaly was the first and only Irish concertina player to record on 78rpm records. In fact there were not others recorded until about the 1960s. Listen to this one track—he sounds just as modern as any today.


r/concertina Aug 03 '26

Micheál O Raghallaigh

11 Upvotes

Yo have yall listened to this guys music ?? Im listening to his album the nervous man at the moment and it’s actually so messed up what he can do on a concertina.


r/concertina Jul 31 '26

Andy Cutting's The Abbess

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20 Upvotes

Just my arrangement of this tune which is originally for melodeon.


r/concertina Jul 30 '26

Hello fellow bellow-heads! Can anyone tell me if they recognize this make/model of concertina?

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8 Upvotes

I work at a small music school in Iowa and this was recently donated to us. It’s a C/G of unknown make/model but the box suggests it was made in Italy. I have limited accordion experience enough to know that the bellows are nice and tight, but the buttons are a little loose (enough to potentially cause sticking), and there’s a small rattle. I was curious if it was worth having it repaired. Always wanted to learn one of these things so I can play Talisk tunes 🤣 Thanks!


r/concertina Jul 27 '26

Samsung Washing Machine (English Concertina)

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36 Upvotes

r/concertina Jul 27 '26

English Concertina & Guitar: Franz Schubert, Moment Musicaux No. 3

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47 Upvotes

r/concertina Jul 22 '26

Concertina lessons?

3 Upvotes

Hello, anyone know of any concertina teachers in Edinburgh? Thank you.