Well the title says it all. I have started concertrina 2 days ago and i'm bitten. I have a GC so there is no C#. How do you guys play a tune in D maj that needs C#? I realisize you must have answered this question 5000 times. Thanks.
Robert

Anglo layout can be quite perculiar but commonly for 30 key C/G C# is found

lower register C#
Middle Accidental Key on the push left hand (ie above button "middle" C)

higher register C#
First Accidental Key on the push right hand (ie above button for C above "middle" C)

also about 50% of C/G anglos have this C# repeated Second Accidental Key on the pull, right hand

All the best.

You should with practice be able to play easily in D, A etc without too much trouble - it all takes practice though!

I suspect, from his post, that Robert has a 20 key C/G, so this will be of little use. If that's the case, Robert, you will just need to learn to be happy without the C# until you get a new instrument. This can mean staying in keys with no more than one sharp or substituting an E or an A as appropriate when playing a tune with a C#.

Get a hold of Alan Day's Concertina Tutor, which presents a wealth of material accessible to the 20 key C/G Anglo.

Isn't this great? Two replies in under one hour. You were right Sir, I have a 20 keys concertina, and it's not even mine... yet. A friend passed it to me (he just bought a new one) to see how i would like to try it. I've been had. Now I want to play this thing.
Thanks you guys for answering so fast. Take care. Robert

Well I were you, rather than buying your friends, I would start saving up for a good 30 button concertina.... of course alot will depend on what you budget it like. Alas with even the mid-range instruments approaching $2000 the concertina is not a cheap instrument to really get into unless you have the good fortune to inherit the instrument from someone else.

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Bill

I try to pop into the Music Room,Cleckheaton occasionally and play every concertina in the shop. Last time I went in, all the anglos I really liked - bright tone, nice action etc. were all between 20 and 30 key i.e. not all the accidentals (possibly why they were still in the shop).
So if you only want to play an occasional C# and Bb, you may not "need" a 30 key and should be able to get a good box under 30 key at a substantial reduction in price?.

I'd agree with that. I've owned a couple of 26 button G/Ds (one a Jeffries, one a Jones, not C/G admittedly, but the prinicple's the same) and there's a lot to be said for them. Light, with much of the versatility of the 20 button but a fair chunk cheaper, they make a good first box that can be traded up successfully.

Chris

Edited to add PS G/D concertinas obviously have plenty of C#'s. They're not the canonical concertina for Irish music, but plenty of people play Irish music on them, and they're great for English music. Just a thought...

Yep a 26 or even a 24 button can get you to the point where you will be able to play in pretty much all the standard keys for Irish Music; assuming of course that you have the right extra 4 or 6 buttons. Jacqueline McCarthy plays a 24 button concertina and I doubt anyone would claim that her playing is in any way deficient because of it. Edgley and Herrington both make 24 button concertinas more or less specifically for Irish Music and at a fairly substantial savings over their 30 button instruments. A 30 will give you a bit more versatility with respect to fingering options but for playing in D, G and A and their related modes a 24 button might be a way to go.

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Bill

Good luck Robert. Hope you continue to love the concertina.

I have a 24 button Edgley and I love it.

Helen