Mjolnir

I'd say that trying to play an Anglo legato is no crazier than trying to use an Anglo to play Irish fiddle tunes in D and A. My understanding is that it was mainly designed to be cheap and easy to play. Of course now they're incredibly expensive, but that just adds to their absurdity, and it's an absurdity that I kind of love. Trying to work around the limitations of the instrument to do things that it was never designed to do is part of what makes it so fun to play.

All things being equal, I'd use the push C. It uses the right hand index finger, which is ever so slightly stronger than the left hand middle finger. I'd use the left hand draw, though, if I really wanted to play the phrase legato, as it can be hard to play smoothly across a bellows change. So there are definitely reasons you might prefer some fingerings to others, but there's also going to be a fair degree of personal preference.

If you're mainly interested in Irish tunes, 26 should be plenty. I've occasionally had use for those last four buttons when playing chords, but when playing the melody line in a jig or reel, they just don't come up. 26 buttons will give you the all-important C#s, as well as D#, G#, and A#, so that gives you all the accidentals, and all you're missing out on are a few notes at the extreme high and low ends of the range that no one plays anyway.

I've also been learning on a Rochelle, and it's a good instrument for the price. I probably wouldn't use it for a solo concert, but I regularly get together to jam with some friends who play fiddle in a dance band, and I find that I can keep up (more or less), and that it actually sounds pretty good. Now it's no comparison to a good hybrid - the Concertina Connection Clover makes the Rochelle feel kind of like a toy - but it's not a toy, and in the hands of someone who knows what they're doing, it can make some beautiful music.

Hmm, a 30 button would add an additional A and G in the accidental row (push and draw, respectively), giving you I think 288 routes in total.

So if the chord is C major, say, you're saying that on the beats, you're going to alternate between playing a simultaneous low and middle C on the left hand, and then going up to the Gs on the left hand, but then on all the off beats, you'll play the same C major chord on the right hand? I'm fairly new to the anglo, but I've been jamming a bit with a friend who plays fiddle in a contra dance band, and it would be nice to bring some more interesting accompaniment than simple oom-pahs on the beats.

Welcome to the club! I'm a fairly recent convert myself, learning Anglo on a Concertina Connection Rochelle. I don't know how a Stagi compares, but the main thing I've noticed when trying a "good" concertina is how much more responsive it is. Compared to the Rochelle, a good instrument almost feels like playing air-concertina, there's so little resistance from the bellows. That said, I'm loving the Rochelle, and even after I upgrade I expect I'll still take it out from time to time. Yeah, I have to fight it a bit, but it's a playful fight.

You also said it was a 30 button when the photos clearly showed 16 buttons on the left hand and 15 on the right. You don't seem to know very much about this concertina you're selling.

More info on the size, layout, etc?

Do you know which system you want to play? Broadly speaking, there's the anglo concertina, which is notable for each button playing one of two notes depending on whether you're pushing or pulling the bellows. Tends to be used for Irish music, and you can add self accompaniment fairly easily. Then there's the english concertina, in which consecutive notes in a scale appear on opposite sides of the instrument, so you alternate hands to play a run of notes. This allows you to play more quickly. Good for strong melody lines, and can convincingly play a wider range of styles than the anglo, but isn't as good for self accompaniment. Finally there's various varieties of duet concertinas, which have higher notes on the right hand, and lower notes on the left hand, with around an octave of overlap. As the name suggests, they're designed specifically to allow self accompaniment. Downside is that not a lot of people make them, so once you're ready to upgrade beyond a beginner model, there aren't many options. In any case, for a starter instrument I'd check out ConcertinaConnection.com. They've got good starters in all three styles, and have a nice upgrade program so you can get the full value back if you trade up to one of their better instruments.

Just FYI, there's a for-sale subforum this should probably be in.

Just want to say, I'm enjoying your running commentary here. I recently started on the anglo (and absolutely loving it), but I occasionally find myself wondering how the other systems compare. Nice to get the perspective of another relative beginner.

My Rochelle wheezes too - I think it's to be expected. If you're on the Jackie though, do you really need the air button that much? You can pull the bellows whichever way you like.

Definitely tempted, though I've been learning on a Wheatstone layout. All the notes are good? Do you have any recordings?

I'm slowly learning to play my Rochelle anglo, and having a blast, but as I've expanded the set of notes I'm using, I'm noticing a few that don't play cleanly. I've heard mention of buzzing reeds, and I'm not sure if this is that, but in addition to the note, I get secondary sound that's sort of...I guess I'd describe it as kind of an air-y sound, but with a bit of texture to it, like sucking through a straw in a just-about-empty glass. It only seems to happen in one direction - that is, on the draw for the F, but not the push for the G, and likewise the push for the E, but not the draw for the D. It also seems to be more noticeable if I have the relevant end of the instrument at a tilt, as opposed to perpendicular to the ground. Any ideas? And if so, is it something that I could even remotely conceive of looking at myself (I wouldn't consider myself particularly handy with tools), or should I just live with it (it's not too bad, and doesn't stop me enjoying playing) until I upgrade to a better instrument? There is also the shop where I got it from, but it's a non-trivial drive, and has inconvenient hours for me. Thanks

I recently acquired a Rochelle anglo, and I'm absolutely loving it. It's an absurd instrument in many ways, but I feel that's just part of the charm. Anyway, I'm going through the included tutor, and I've arrived at the section on finger articulation, and it explains that I can't play legato using the same finger for two adjacent notes, and that if I'm crossing a bellows change, the best I can do is try and fake it - all perfectly reasonable. But then it goes and asks me to play a bunch of pieces that involve playing legato across bellows changes and using the same finger for two adjacent notes (assuming, at least, that they don't want me to start using alternate fingerings that they haven't yet taught me, and even then, that might just introduce other problems). So I'm doing my best, and I understand I'm not going to get the same kind of sound as I might on my clarinet, say (or an english concertina, for that matter), but I still feel as though there's something I'm missing here. I'm curious whether there are any tips and tricks for hiding some of those more awkward note transitions. Thanks!