General Concertina Discussion Latest Topics

A2 Suttner vs TC Suttner

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 12:46:15 +0000

Wondering what are the differences between the A2 model Jeffries type Suttner and the Tim Collins model Suttner concertina?
Any opinion/advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance!

The G/D Anglo Concertina by Brian Tomkinson

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 14:57:15 +0000

The G/D Anglo Concertina by Brian Tomkinson Now available from Red Cow Music

https://redcowmusic.co.uk/product/the-g-d-anglo-concertina-by-brian-tomkinson/

Any sessions near Montclair/Verona New Jersey, USA?

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 23:38:20 +0000

Hello, All.

My wife and I are contemplating a move to the Montclair/Verona/West Orange New Jersey area, to be near family. It would be a real "plus" if I could find some regular sessions, be they English, Irish, Americana, Quebecois or??? Any information will be appreciated.

Thanks!

CAT QUESTION Cat’s reaction to concertina = bite!

Tue, 10 Feb 2026 17:56:33 +0000

I just finally got my first anglo, and my cat is understandably by the squeeking of that strange box. I played notes and let my cat come and sniff and try to look inside the box, and then it bites me! Not to the blood, just that strange way cats have of biting perhaps to play perhaps a love bite.

has anybody any advice or experience with this?

many thanks!

Harry Scurfield

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 13:55:56 +0000

Can anyone tell me if Harry Scurfield is still alive and does anyone have contact info.

i really want to play Blues on my Anglo and his name always come up. Any suggestions will be appreciated

G/D Anglos - what are the options?

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 20:50:41 +0000

Hi Folks - I've been playing C/G Anglo for a few years, starting on a McNeela Wren then moving up to their Swan - which I am happy with for now - but I've just started playing [or trying to !] for a morris side band and from reading this [extremely helpful ] site it seems a G/D would be preferable - but I can't find any! None of the online shops or makers seem to have any , except one vintage model I found at £7000! So what are my options for getting hold of a G/D Anglo at a reasonable price ie under say £1500? Any pointers? Many thanks Geoff

RIP Dolores Keane - concertina player

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 19:58:35 +0000

I'm very, very sad to hear of Dolores Keane's death. I knew her going right back to when she first came to London and used to play the concert flute in sessions on the Holloway Road in the late '70s/early '80s, and she even bought a rosewood-ended Lachenal concertina off me then.

She's accompanying John Faulkner on it in this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWhyzAAk6yM

ICC Jeffries layout?

Sat, 04 Apr 2026 15:41:51 +0000

Does anyone have experience with the ICC C/G Jeffries layout? I recently acquired a lovely new ICC Vintage C/G Jeffries, and found a few buttons different from others I have played. I really like the layout, but am curious if it is the norm for them.

Here is the layout for those interested compared to my older Edgley.

Deciding between Anglo and English concertinas

Fri, 27 Mar 2026 14:47:02 +0000

Hello all,

I'm brand new to your forum and even newer to concertinas. I'm fortunate enough to live in Norwich, UK and have access to hiring both Anglo and English concertinas through a lovely group called SqueezEast. My difficulty is in deciding which type I would like to learn. So I'd like to hear from anyone who would be willing to answer: why do you play the system you do and how did you come to that decision? Have any of you swapped sides?

English folk dance and song society

Sat, 04 Apr 2026 22:26:11 +0000

I have come accross the English Folk Dance and Song Society website pages. [ UK based I think] .

The official site I believe; very interesting and full with historical images, and copies of old mauscripts/tunes etc..

Very interesting with mentions of instruments [ concertinas included] and nice layout to read. Lots of images, historical manuscript images..

I am NOT an employee of them, but I am aware of the Socety historically [including Vaughan Wiliam's/ Cecil sharp connection etc]..

Have a look for it yourselves? It is a very interesting and useful resource.

Careful: Alan Day's email account has been hacked

Sat, 04 Apr 2026 20:37:56 +0000

I received a mail from his account soliciting money which I know he won't do. From earlier conversations, I understand I am in his address book.

My Latest Blog

Mon, 30 Mar 2026 12:11:53 +0000

https://concertinaguy.medium.com/contrafact-b8adb779ca61

B/C Concertina?

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 23:38:04 +0000

I don't know much about button boxes, but I do know they're disonoric and often have two rows of buttons, a semitone apart. B/C and C#/D are common, I think. And the reason for this is that it makes it possible to play nimbly in a number of different keys. And I've watched many button box players play very nimbly indeed. So that leads me to wonder why we don't see the same approach on the concertina: Maybe two row of five buttons on each hand, separated by a semitone; maybe with some redundancy/overlap around the center. If this system works so well for button boxes, wouldn't it be worth doing on a concertina, or am I missing something important?

Or maybe such concertinas do exist, and I just don't know about them?

Nominees needed for Northeast Squeeze-In's Young Player Award

Sat, 28 Mar 2026 23:30:43 +0000

Our own Robbie Strong was a recipient last year, how about some young'uns for this Fall.

Application can be downloaded here: https://squeeze-in.org/YoungPlayer.html

Hearing Yourself In A Group

Fri, 17 Jun 2016 22:11:12 +0000

When I play in an open band for a dance, I sometimes have trouble hearing myself, which is disconcerting. Anyone else have this problem and any suggestions for dealing with it?

Thanks,

Jeff

Wakker Anglo Concertina

Tue, 15 Aug 2023 00:18:28 +0000

I'd love to hear from folks who own or have played Wakker Anglo concertinas, and in particular, the A4 model which is aimed at Irish playing. Any comparisons to other traditional Anglo concertinas would be interesting (Carroll, Suttner, Kensington, Edgley, etc.) I've tried posting this on social media, and I'm getting the idea that maybe there just aren't that many Wakker Anglos out there.

I Finally Upgraded My Concertina!

Sat, 21 Mar 2026 00:45:53 +0000

Earlier this year, I took the plunge and ordered an Eiru Silver from ICC, and it finally arrived recently. Before this, I had been playing a Chinese factory-made Blazefine "Black No.6" for about 8 months (honestly, I wanted to upgrade the second I got it). That one cost me 2257 CNY (approx. 283 Euro), so the jump to my new one is absolutely massive.

You might be curious about the actual difference between two instruments with such a huge price gap, so I recorded a tune from each of my two method books using my Galaxy S25.

Just a heads-up: I'm still very much a beginner with less than a year of experience. I am sure I cannot yet bring out the full potential of the Eiru Silver (probably not even the factory one!), so please take this video as just a basic reference.

The Concertina Museum website

Wed, 11 Feb 2026 12:56:10 +0000

Neil Wayne's comprehensive website detailing his collection of early concertinas and associated concertina related documentation has been taken down. Neil’s health has not been good for a few years now, and to preserve this important resource the contents of the site have been donated to the International Concertina Association.

The ICA have done a magnificent job in transferring the vast number of pictures and text on the instrument items from the site that Neil, Chris Flint and Wes Williams put together, and it can be accessed here: https://concertina.org/concertina-museum-concertinas/

Work to transfer the non-instrument items is ongoing and will appear when completed.

Looking to get my first concertina

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 13:33:00 +0000

Hi there folks,

as the title states, looking to dive in. My local store I believe has a Rochelle on the shelf I can grab today for somewhere near $450 out the door after tax.

for those that have been in this hobby for a bit, or may have experience with the Rochelle, what feedback might you have on it and how far did it take you before feeling the need to upgrade.

I’m a professional musician and teacher that tends to pick up new instruments fairly readily, I just want to make sure I’m not shooting myself in the foot if I don’t immediately spring for a more intermediate or vintage model.

thanks for any feedback, I appreciate it!

Edeophone?

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 17:39:54 +0000

I keep seeing mentions of Edeophone, what is it that makes them different from other concertinas? Genuinely curious about what they are and differences to other types🌝