The Bee's Proverbial Knees

Hey all, I've been trawling through old MIDI concertina posts because I have a specific dream. Background: I first got into squeeze boxes through a crappy, amazon Anglo. Despite everything, its not half bad. But eventually I moved on to PA and eventually got myself a Roland V-Accordion which I absolutely love. What I dearly miss about the concertina though is the size, but I can't play a lot of what I like on Anglo because it is in wacky scales that my Anglo doesn't have the accidentals for. On top of that, I like to play in the middle of the night while my partner is sleeping, so having it be reedless and headphones-able is pretty key as well. All that got me thinking: I have a 3D printer, maybe I could put together a system that cannibalizes my old Anglo for its bellows, I'll get some sort of air pressure sensor, some nice buttons, maybe an SBC, print a couple face plates that will work with a Hayden-Duet System and make something cool. With all that background being given, does anyone know of someone doing a MIDI concertina that uses bellows? From what I can tell the two I've seen that are active have ditched bellows. Anyway, thanks so much in advance.

From what I know, continental refers to the system of treble buttons. He probably just got mixed up thinking that CBA stood for Continental not Chromatic. I settled on the PA because I got advice from some klezmer folks who said it was a bit better. Thanks all for the advice!

Alright, I've decided to go big. I'm between a PA and a CBA. Basically the dilemma comes down to which ones is going to feel better to play. I love the feel of the concertina, so I'm worried that switching over to a keyboard (I've never played piano) will ruin that for me. I also am worried that a CBA will be impossible to find literature for, and would rather have an instrument that has more help available online.

Hey y'all, I need some advice. Here's my situation, I finally caved and got myself an anglo C/G concertina 6 months ago and absolutely loved playing it. To my surprise the squeeze box is the first instrument I really connected with. I also got it because around the same time my husband was getting into guitar and I wanted something I could play with him. Now we both like Irish folk, but more in the Irish folk revival style (Clancy Bros style). I was a bit disappointed to learn that most of the irish stuff that is out there for Anglo is more trad. I also started getting really into Klezmer which can be tough on the anglo. Now, I've been playing on a used instrument that was already cheap before I bought it second hand. It's held up well, but I'm looking at getting something a bit more solid. Because of that I am also thinking I should switch styles of squeeze box, because the Anglo is pretty eh for Klezmer and because I'm not playing a lot of trad music, I am not losing much on the irish front. So the way I see it, I have three options 1) English Concertina, 2)Duet, or 3) cave and buy a piano accordion. So 1) I've read on an old thread here that English is actually really good for Klezmer plus it can handle most Irish stuff as far as I know. My only worry is that I understand you can't really play accompaniment on the left hand. That isn't a huge deal when I'm playing with the husband as he usually plays chords under me, but I do like to play a bit of accompaniment sometimes and it'd be said if that wasn't possible. 2) Duet seems like the best idea except that it's impossible to find. I'd absolutely love to get an Elise but it's keys are limited because it doesn't have a D# or G#, meaning I can't play Bb major which is a huge key in Eastern European folk. And the next one up is like 1500 dollars if I'm lucky. 3) Cave and get a piano accordion. As I understand it, PAs are the msot versitile of the squeeze boxes. I've been told by my fav accordion icon Daniel Kahn that they are really the best bet and so I've been strongly considering the switch. Plus it is good for bass accompaniment. Still, one of my favorite things about the concertina is how compact it is. I also really don't know how well it'll mesh with a guitar, I'm worried I'll just drowned my husband out. Finally, my husband has sensative ears and the concertina's already a bit loud for him, I don't want to be perpetually giving him headaches with a PA. Thank you guys so much, I've been mulling this all week.

Hey y'all, I'm looking to move toward playing more Klezmer stuff and my Anglo sometimes struggles with that. I'm looking for a Duet which is fully chromatic so it can hit those often very funky Klezmer keys, so the Elise won't cut it. I also really can't afford anything over 700 unless we get another stimulus check.

Has anyone had any luck playing klezmer on the concertina? If so I'd love to see any resources you have.

Hello all. I picked up a concertina about a month ago and have been having a blast. The first song I taught myself was Katyusha, and I was recently looking to add a bit of a bass line to it. I found this wonderful video (below) that sounds amazing. I did notice he was on a 40 button (I have only a 30 button) and was wondering if anyone had advice regarding this. Would it be possible to play on a 30 button? From what I can tell, the bass pattern is very simple but I can't really figure it out. Thanks if you can help!

The buzzing is rather metallic so I assumed the reed was just rubbing against the frame.

I'll check the action, it could be. I assume removing then rewaxing would be expensive and time consuming? I can always just grit my teeth through this one for some time then get myself a wren 2 at some point when I have money.

Hello all. Just got an anglo today and I like it quite a bit. The only issue is there is a buzzing on some of the notes. Now I looked this up and I understand generally how to fix it, my issue is that my particular instrument doesn't seem to let me access the reeds that I need to as half of them are inside a box. I'll link a photo. The seller offered a refund but I'd prefer not to go through that hassle if its something I can fix easily. I'm also aware that it's a mass produced concertina. I have a long history with buying instruments that I play for like 2 days, so I didn't want to go in at a huge price point. Thanks a bunch! https://imgur.com/a/uJbSvXl

Just Googled ABC, thanks!

I ended up pulling the trigger and ordering a 30 key anglo. It's gonna be here tomorrow and I'm excited! Picked up @gcoover's intro book tonight so I can get started tomorrow. I was wondering if there is a spot on this forum or elsewhwre on the internet to find sheet music and stuff. I can't seem to find Rising of the moon (or wearing of the green, or whatever). I really appreciate everyone's input, I'm very excited to get started!

I've been strongly considering an Anglo-concertina for a while now because I absolutely love Irish folk, specifically stuff from the folk revival period. Recently, as the entire world has gone on lock down, I've been considering a banjo as well. I need some help deciding here. My one concern with the concertina is that all the music I can find is very traditional folk. The "more modern" stuff that I really like (Rising of the Moon, etc.) seems to be much less common on the concertina. Am I just looking in the wrong places?