Sean M

Hello all, I currently am playing a 20 key anglo concertina in C/G. I was at a local trad session and wanted to pick up some of the tunes that are commonly played there. Some tunes were played in the key of Dmaj. Not having a C# key on my concertina I was wondering what people suggest doing when this happens. if the note isn't played often can I just replace it with another note? Should I just sit out and wait for the next tune in Gmaj? One example is Morrison's Jig (technically I think its Edorian but I'm not that great with music theory) which uses the C# only once or twice throughout the entire tune.

Where does one find out about local workshops?

Hey everybody, I am completely new to the anglo concertina. My friend lent me a 20-key C/G anglo concertina that I'm trying to learn how to play for Irish trad. Unfortunately, even though my friend owns it he doesn't know how to play it. I have musical experience with a bunch of other instruments. I started on guitar but started getting into Irish trad and learned how to play tin whistle and to an extent the Irish flute. That being said I don't have many questions with music in general, just specifically in terms of the concertina. I've been practicing for a few weeks now and can play a few tunes at a slow pace (Blackthorn Stick, Merrily Kiss the Quaker, etc.) but I wanted to find something out before I pick up bad habits. The concertina has two different ways to play most notes, pushing and drawing. I've read that the one you want to use usually depends on the tune and that cross-row playing is usually better in the long run than just playing in the C row or G row. If this is true can someone go into more detail as to what to look for when picking the push or draw key? Is it better to try and alternate push/draw each note or is it better to try and play a few pushes in a row followed by a few draws in a row? Is it better to try and find keys that are next to each other or is it better to alternate hands? I'm just wondering if there are any good tips to follow that will help my process of speeding up the tunes. Thanks.