thefirstcorby

Well, that just about sums up the concertina situation in my area... I ended up at that music store to look at another instrument entirely today. The concertina was terrible- leaky and a bit wheezy- and in addition to just being shoddy it was also not even a 30 key! it was a plain old chinese hohner 20 key. *shakes head*

Well, I've done my research and a very, very good local music store has one concertina. It's a Hohner 30 key anglo, according to the clerk I talked to over the phone. One of his coworkers apparently gives lessons, so I'm hoping when I go in tomorrow he'll be there so I can grill him. They're selling it for $149, which strikes me as far, far too cheap for an even slightly playable instrument. It's looking to me like I should bide my time and wait until I can afford to get a good concertina.

Alright, I went and looked at the Button Box, and at Ebay, and both of them scared me. I really don't want to buy an instrument off Ebay. They're affordable there, but I can see even in the thumbnails that most of them are in bad shape. However, the Button Box exceeds my price bracket for the 30 key anglos and the englishes...es. I'm about to start calling around the local music stores to see what they have, hoping they'll have an inbetween. My new question is, is it better to buy a cheap concertina to learn on and hope I can buy a good one later, or just save my money and buy one a few years down the line? If I do buy one, it'll be of the sort that I want to own ten years from now, not a different key or family. (I was hoping to spend less than $400, and I have a backup instrument that I want to invest in if there's no concertina in the offing right now.) As for pennywhistles- Noooo! No more half holing! I started the pennywhistle when I was 13 because I wanted to get away from having to fudge any notes- I was fed up with the violin, where you're swimming around in a sea of pitches and there are no landmarks. Really, I have considered buying more whistles, but they and I just don't get along. I can play my D whistle fairly well, but the music I've found for it has never really grabbed me. I picked up the German flute- classical flute, whatever you want to call it- a little while later, and I found it more suited to me. And yes, there is a second corby. My choir buddy/best friend/stunning mezzo and I formed a duet recently, and we're calling ourselves Twa Corbies, after the first song we learned as an official duet. It means Two Ravens and is a sad, sad song. Two ravens talking to each other about a brave knight, killed and dumped behind a dike, whose hound has deserted him, as has his hawk, and his lady knows where he is- implicating her in his murder- but has run off with another man. Ah, you gotta love the old ballads.

Hmm... you've all given me good info here, thereby increasing my obsession. I'm in Oregon, USA in the general area of Portland- if anyone can point me towards a few saleable concertinas to prod, it would be wonderful.

Alright, I'm a professional dabbler. Actually a professional student, but when it comes to music I try everything. I sing, and play five or six instruments so far, chiefly violin and mandolin. My favorite genre is early and traditional music, so I like the traditional instruments. I fell in love with a friend's concertina, and then got paid, and the influx of money combined with my newfound infatuation and you probably know the rest of the story. When I started playing the pennywhistle I soon found that there was one thing that drove me nuts about it- the restriction of the notes. I don't like to be confined to one or two keys, or having to skip notes to play a song on an instrument. So, when I started looking for a concertina, there were two questions foremost in my mind: Is there a concertina that is not restricted? I've been having trouble deciphering the descriptions of the concertinas, so I don't trust my own research. If there is one, is it a wise choice to buy it? I'm not afraid of complex fingerings or seas of buttons, but if there is a serious downside to the instrument, I'd rather not buy a clunker. Any input greatly appreciated!