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Today I have taken delivery of my Frank Edgley thirty button anglo concertina which was secondhand. It has a Carroll layout which I notice is identical to the Jeffries layout except for the push on the first button right hand side, top row, is a C# and the Jeffries has a D# there. So I have a C# in both directions on that button

 

I have no less than 3 x C#3s on that row which I think is good for Irish music though I'm not experienced enough to say for sure.

 

I notice though that the Wheatstone layout has 6 different notes (to my layout) on the top right hand side row.

Can anyone explain the logic behind these layouts?

 

Many thanks if you can!

 

Les

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Boy is this the tip of a big iceberg. Lots of old threads on this, or wait for some of our history experts, as I'm not sure where to begin...

 

My impression is that the C# in both directions on button one/right 3rd row started a decade or two back with players of Irish music (personally I use standard Wheatstone/Lachenal and Jeffries layouts in my amateurish Irish playing). While I'm sure it helps those players, it does make me wonder why they play anglos and not English concertina! B)

 

Ken

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I am pretty sure that Frank will sell you some replacement reeds that would turn it into a standard Wheatstone/Lachenal or Jeffries layout.

 

Frank's reed pan is designed so that it you just have to undo two screws to take out a reed. No wax, no reed boxes. You can easily do it yourself or get your local fettler to do it and touch up the tuning on the new reeds.

 

If you do not have a copy then ask Frank for his sheet of maintenance notes on his concertinas.

 

Don.

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I'll just submit that C# is an innovation of Lucifer to mislead musicians from playing in F, C, and G as per Divine Plan. That is all. ;)

 

Or, at the opposite end of the social spectrum: "key is a social construct of no objective validity".

 

Interpret as per your social wonts.

Edited by MatthewVanitas
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I saw the title of this thread and was preparing to write a post on the Jeff duet -- something along the lines of "Logic? Bwhahahahahaha." Never mind. One of these days I will get round to writing a semi-serious article about why the Jeffries duet system layout is a work of (possibly accidental) evil genius.

 

But: replacing my anglo-player's hat: in the Carroll layout is there therefore an Eb | Eb button next to it?

 

My twopence-worth is that for harmonic playing on a 30 button instrument the Jeffries layout gives a bit more flexibility with the doubled C# and Eb and that nice top D on the pull in the top right corner (C/G). With 36 buttons and above it matters less as all sorts of other layout variations can creep in. As for logic, I suspect it's more a case of differently imperfect compromises with regard to the top row of "handy stuff" not on the two home rows...

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