Concertina for beginners

[ulujm]

Hi

I want to learn Concertina but I have no clue which one to buy. I never played an instrument before and I don't know how to read music.

any help?

[hjcjones]

Not an easy question to answer without a bit more information.

 

What sort of music do you want to play?

 

Who or what has inspired you to want to learn to play concertina (good choice, by the way!), rather than another instrument?

[ulujm]

thanks

 

well originally I am from France normandy/brittany so I like Celtic music as well Gypsy music. My girlfriend play violin (classic). So I want to give a try and see if I can play in the future with her..My problem is that I am not a musical person but I like any kind of music.

the concertina is small and nice to listen to.

 

SO I want to get something to start (the best easy way).

for the price I don't think for me it make sense to buy something expensive since I may give up after few weeks). remember I don't know how to read music so I'll start from scratch.

 

my price will be around $200. is it possilbe to get something to start with with this price.

I can see online some concertina $145 but it looks like it's bad quality.

Anglo? English?German?Italian? I am confused

thanks

[Guest HallelujahAl!]

For $200 - you're right, there's not a great deal of choice. Can I recommend that you look at the Jack/Jackie/Rochelle range - you can see some here http://www.concertinaconnection.com/jackie-jack.htm

 

They are a little bit more than your original figure - but are excellent instruments - and should you decide to carry on and trade up to a better instrument these will hold their value very well indeed - or if you decide to give up you'll still have a decent instrument to sell on (again you'll get a bigger proprtion of your money back than if you buy a cheap chinese model off the internet). Many of us here started on these models - and many of us still play them.

 

In the Uk you can get these instruments from Theo Gibb at www.theboxplace.co.uk

Hope this helps?

 

AL

[ulujm]

thanks for you quick reply. I am in the USA

anyway even if I spend at least $300 what is the best instrument to start with, I mean the easiest to learn with. I read the English give the same not when you push or pull, compare to the Anglo which will give you a different note. Does it make the English easier?

[Leo]

thanks for you quick reply. I am in the USA

anyway even if I spend at least $300 what is the best instrument to start with, I mean the easiest to learn with. I read the English give the same not when you push or pull, compare to the Anglo which will give you a different note. Does it make the English easier?

Hi ulujm

 

In the US, there is another option available. Rental from the Button Box for a short time. They're good to talk to and I understand their rates are favorable.

http://www.buttonbox.com/other-services.html

 

Not necessarily easier. It depends on the person. The logic of a harmonica eluded me to no end, as does an Anglo, therefore I chose an English and am happy with it. Others find it easier on an Anglo. Each has their own merits and advantages/disadvantages. The duet is another type that also plays good music too.

 

I agree with Al; the Jack/Jackie, Rochelle, or Elise would be the best buy, rather than the cheap lesser "things" out there.

 

Thanks

Leo

Edited September 20, 2010 by Leo

[shaunw]

Let me give you an honest answer. There are no real concertinas that you

can buy for $200 dollars. You will not learn to play any concertina in

a few weeks or even a few months. Ask your girlfriend how long it took

her to learn to play the violin.

 

If you are serious about learning to play a musical instrument then

you can do it, but it requires real effort and it will make your

brain hurt. It will take two years at least of practising every day.

 

 

If you want to try the concertina then spend real money for a real

concertina. The English has the same range as a violin and you can

also learn to read music at the same time. You will always be able

to sell your real concertina for about the same money you paid for

it.

 

However if you cannot make a real commitment to learning an

instrument, then learn to play the harmonica. It is cheap and can

sound as good as any other instrument.

[ulujm]

Thanks you for your honesty.

 

i am ready to work hard to learn. I am prepare for the work it take. i didn't have any clue how hard it is since your reply. yes I can tell you my girl friend practice everyday 2h a days and she is not a professional. At least she can help me to learn music.

 

thanks you so I think between $300-$400 I can have a dissent one to start with

[Hyp]

Thanks you for your honesty.

 

i am ready to work hard to learn. I am prepare for the work it take. i didn't have any clue how hard it is since your reply. yes I can tell you my girl friend practice everyday 2h a days and she is not a professional. At least she can help me to learn music.

 

thanks you so I think between $300-$400 I can have a dissent one to start with

 

Don't rely to much on your girlfriend for teaching you music. It is a tedious business und you will at some point need someone to kick you in your but. She probably won't be able to. I study music (and would love to play concertina but don't have the money to buy one yet) and it maybe hard to keep yourself motivated through lows.

Just keep that in mind, and be spare in asking advice if you think you can get it down by yourself.

 

Other than that. Concertinas are musical instruments. Cheap ones don't last. They turn out to be much more expensive or will make you stop playing.

[Leonard]

If you are serious about learning to play a musical instrument then

you can do it, but it requires real effort and it will make your

brain hurt. It will take two years at least of practising every day.

 

 

For me practising every day for almost five years now was a real effort, but a enjoyable one.

[Guest HallelujahAl!]

i am ready to work hard to learn. I am prepare for the work it take. i didn't have any clue how hard it is since your reply. yes I can tell you my girl friend practice everyday 2h a days and she is not a professional. At least she can help me to learn music.

 

thanks you so I think between $300-$400 I can have a dissent one to start with

 

Yes - you're absolutely right and you certainly have the right attitude. I can assure you that you'll have a great time, albeit there will be frustrations along the way. But the frustrations are unlikely to be anything to do with your instrument - it's much more personal than that!

 

So yes, $3-$400 will set you off on the right road. There are plenty of us folk around who seriously struggled to get started, and had to make do with what the purists would consider an inferior instrument. But the fact is we all have to start somewhere, and I think that if you look into the Rochelle, Elise, Jack/Jackie models you'll be making a very good start. And they definitely fall within budget for you - which in these straitened times is a major consideration for most normal folk these days. So good luck, my very best wishes with your concertina adventure!

 

The next question is -: Anglo or English or Duet?

 

Perhaps you could share a little bit more about your musical goals? And whilst you're thinking about things check out some concertina players on the interweb - look at their systems and see what you think?

Regards

AL

[ulujm]

hi

My goal is to able to play art home for myself and maybe with a violin.

I like Celtic music in general

[Guest HallelujahAl!]

hi

My goal is to able to play art home for myself and maybe with a violin.

I like Celtic music in general

Well personally I think that a Treble English Concertina is a perfect match for a violin as it has exactly the same range and would mean you could play off the same music if you were minded to learn the dots etc. However here's a link to some superb fiddle and anglo music being played!

[DD Reed]

For Celtic music you'll find that the tutoring material (books, DVDs etc., as well as classes) overwhelmingly caters to anglo players. But it doesn't mean that Celtic music doesn't sound wonderful on English concertinas. Spend some time on YouTube and find out which one you like better. Simon Thoumire's style vs Noel Hill's, to name two of the most prominent exponents of either system.

[TomB-R]

There have been several long discussions in this forum on the matter of Anglo versus English, which usually get closed down when people get too angry!

 

Given that your girlfriend is a classical musician, you like Gypsy music as well as Celtic, (do you like French/Breton traditional music too?) that seems to me to tip the balance towards the English system, so the Concertina Connection Jackie could be a good place to start.

 

(The English concertina is deliberately laid out to make reading music easy.)

 

Although it's not crucial, if you do get on well, and decide to upgrade your instrument in due course, vintage Englishes tend to be less expensive than equivalent Anglos.

 

 

[JimLucas]

(The English concertina is deliberately laid out to make reading music easy.)

A side issue, I'm sure, but there doesn't seem to be any truth to "deliberately".

 

I'm not aware of anything in Charles Wheatstone's writings or any statements attributed to him that his keyboard layout in any way derived from a desire to make it easy to read music (in standard, or any other notation). His design did include an alternation -- from end to end, -- and so does the musical staff, alternating lines and spaces. But any two (or more) alternations will correspond. They have to; it's a mathematical fact. That it happens to produce an easy-to-visualize correspondence between the English keyboard layout and standard musical notation is just a consequence.

 

It's a very welcome and useful consequence, though.

[Dirge]

I've never understood why Prof W didn't go straight to a duet layout, unless it was because he realised that the bass reeds were disproportionately larger and wanted to keep the instrument as tiny as possible.

[Larry Stout]

The 1844 patent does give a duet layout. Two of them in fact (diagrams 7,8, and 9). Not everything in that patent seems to have had commercial implementation, but I do recall reading about a very early Wheatstone duet.