gerardo1000

Yes I guess that a tech could easily re-tune that reed. Problem is: I live in Michigan and, since the Castiglione Accordions shop closed years ago, there is absolutely no accordion/concertina repairman in the State. On the other hand, to ship the concertina out of state to have it fixed will defeat the purpose of having bought a budget instrument.

I am a 70 yrs old living in US who plays acoustic guitar, a bit of accordion, and I was interested in trying to learn the anglo concertina. As a test to understand my interest in the instrument, and in order not to spend too much money upfront, I purchased from Amazon a Trinity College black 30 buttons anglo concertina, knowing that if something is wrong with the instrument I have 40 days to return it, no question asked. The concertina arrived today and, in all honesty, I was expecting the worst, but it does not seem like a bad instrument in my opinion, considering the affordable price. The bellows are tight, although they are made of fabric and not leather, all buttons work smoothly and don't get stuck. Sound is good, maybe, I guess, not as full as a professional concertina, but good. Tuning is fine, but there is an issue. One button on the left side, top row (see image attached) that is supposed to play A on push and Bb on pull, play instead a perfect regular B on pull, instead of a B flat. I checked all other buttons and they play in tune. My question, as a beginner, is: how much the missing B flat on that button will limit the use of this concertina? Your opinion is welcome, thanks!

When I look at people playing concertinas on youtube, I only listen to Irish and English folk music. That's all? So if I buy and learn concertina I will be limited to this ? What if I want to play, just as an example, the Godfather theme, or Libertango by Astot Piazzolla, or some songs from the Amelie movie? No chances? Is the accordion the only solution?

There is also an additional reason why I am not looking to a Duet concertina, even if in theory it is the ideal one for playing melody on one side and chords on the other side. It is expensive, out of my budget, and finding used ones here in US is very difficult. The only affordable one is the Concertina Connection Elise, and this is the one that I tried years ago. I didn't like it a lot, the bellows were hard and the buttons not very smooth. I think that I will go with the anglo...

So, both Anglo and English can play chords?

I'd like to buy and learn concertina, and I'd like to know which type between Anglo and English is better if I want to play a melody and some chords to accompany it. Note: I tried a duet concertina years ago and I found it too difficult for me. Thanks.

Sold on E Bay on 5/22/2011. Thanks.

geoffwright, why are you so rude ? I am new to concertina and of course I have lot of thoughts and questions, that I like to ask and/or share on this forum that is a wonderful source of knowledge for me. Some of these questions could be seen as naive or a bit stupid, but if you don't like them just ignore them, and use your time -as yourself suggest- to play concertina instead of criticizing other forum members.

SOLD ON E BAY ON 5/1/2011. THANKS.

Sold. Thank you.

Thank you Frank. By the way, I just purchased your instructional DVD and it is just great. Perhaps it will help me to play my Rochelle and one day I will be able to get one of your beautiful concertinas. On a separate note, can you tell me which is the accordion shop still open in Windsor ? I live less than one hour drive from there.

I play a bit of accordion and am a beginner concertina player (well, I should say learner, for now), so I looked online and put on my "favorites" the web addresses of the two most popular accordion and concertina forums: concertina.net and accordionist.org. Now here is the weird story: on paper, it looks like the accordion, even if not as popular as in the past, is far more popular today than the concertina. For example, there are many more online stores that sell accordions than concertinas. Here in Michigan (another example) there is one of the biggest accordion stores in the United States (Castiglione accordions in Warren) while it is almost impossible to find a store that has a concertina. But... after having followed the forum Accordionist.org for weeks, I noticed that the forum is almost dormant,i.e. deserted by members.I The current threads are the same as weeks ago, with rare new answers from the Forum members. And, unless I am wrong,this is the only real accordion forum that I have been able to discover. While Concertina.net is very alive and well: every day there are new threads, and members contribute with tons of answers and opinions. A bit like Chiff and Fipple for flutes and whistles, or the Acoustic guitar Forum for acoustic guitars. How do you explain that ?

But everybody says that the Elise Hayden is too limited with 30 buttons, and I do not have the money, at least in my early search for the ideal concertina, to invest in a vintage Duet.

Well I just purchased a Concertina Connection Rochelle on E Bay! the seller says it is the new upgraded model and that the concertina is one month old and in perfect condition . See link: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120712792662 Rod and OCD: as you can see, I dither no longer ! This has been an interesting journey: I started with the option of an English in mind, perhaps a Duet, and I am ending up with an Anglo ! I will get the concertina in one week. I'll let you know how I feel with it. In the meantime.. back to my small 26 keys/48 bass piano accordion.

Rod and Geo... Done deal ! I will get a 30 buttons Anglo and stick with it for a while and see how it goes. Thanks everybody for the kind and detailed suggestions and point of view. Now, the challenge will be how to find a 30 buttons Anglo that does not cost a fortune. I see that there are at least three offers on the market: Rochelle by Concertina Connection, Hohner 60/8, and Excalibur Anglo, bt JimLaabs Music. All of them cost between $ 300.00 and $400.00. Stagi also makes a 30 button Anglo but it costs over $ 600.00. Any opinion ? Thanks again.

Thank you. Why the Elise is a waste of time ? because it has a limited amount of buttons, or because is a Hayden ?

"Friend, are you sure you're not looking for an accordion? They've even got special buttons for melodies and accompaniments. " Yes I have an accordion indeed ! And I like it. But I would like to spend some time learning the concertina, and I am struggling to understand which kind of concertina would be best (for me). The reason why I am asking questions about melody and accompaniment capabilities is not really because I pretend to "duplicate" on a concertina what I do on the accordion, it is mainly because I play just for myself, solo, not in a band or ensemble, and I'd like to choose, among the three types of concertina -English, Anglo, Duet- the one that is more satisfying for this purpose. Example: many years ago I learned, briefly, to play a bit the trumpet. But finally I gave up because, playing alone, I found it quite boring to play only melodic lines.

Speaking about the you tube video that you both suggest, yes there are chords but in my humble opinion this is not really a separate accompaniment, it is more an embellishment and an enrichment of some parts of the melodies with the use of chords. Of course, I wish I could play so well. But my point is: I guess that with the English concertina it is not really possible to play a melody and an accompaniment as you can do with a piano or a guitar,. Oddly enough (please correct me if I am wrong) I have seen some You tube videos where this task seems to be better achieved with an Anglo concertina ! (And of course, with duet concertinas). In fact, it looks like the Anglo, having a separate set of notes on both sides, and not requiring to move from one hand to the other as often as an English concertina, could allow to play a melody on the right hand and an accompaniment on the left hand, especially in some keys that are typical of the Anglo. Then, if I can re-submit my initial question (with some changes, due to the fact that a Duet is so rare and there is not so much instructional material) : what is the better concertina to play melody and accompaniment ? The Anglo, or the English ? Or, putting it in simple words, which of the two is the most complete instrument for playing solo ?

Well, in all honesty, it seems to me that what the English concertina player is doing is adding ornaments to the melody, while the Duet concertina player really can play melody and chords separately and fully.

Thank you heavyweight boxer. Question: when you play chords on an English, do you use both sides of the concertina for the same chord, or just one side ? I mean: let's say that a chord is made of three notes. Do you play all three notes on the same side of the concertina, or you spread them between the two sides ? I am asking the question because I have an English on rent (Jackie) and I have the "Handbook for English Concertina" tutor from Roger Watson. There is a full page of diagrams with chords, but they are all on one side or the other. I find it difficult to press three adjacent buttons with three fingers all on one side.

In your E Bay auction you say that you tried to adjust to the Hayden System but finally you went back to the English concertina. Do you mind to elaborate a bit ? I have an English concertina for rent and would be interested in trying a Duet, but I read so different and controversial opinions about this kind of concertina that I am totally confused. (By the way,up to today, Wed April 20 at 10:12 pm Eastern Time, I am the high bidder..) Thanks ! :-)

Well, I read that in theory you can play chords on one side and melody on the other side at the same time with a Hayden Duet, but a lot of people say that in reality it is difficult because of the keys layout of the Hayden system that force the fingers to stretch too much and does not allow for speed. So, going back to my original question: is it possible to play chords (not occasional ornaments, I mean chords) and melody at the same time with an EC ? Or the only way is a Duet ? You know, the main reason why I insist with this question is that I want to play by myself, solo, and I am used to boththe accordion and the guitar where you don't really feel the need for another instrument helping you out while you play. I bet that it would be a bit "boring" in the long run to play concertina by myself only with melodic lines, a bit like playing a flute or a trumpet alone. Thanks.

Yes it's true I had an Anglo but was struggling to understand the system. I ordered from The Button Box a Concertina Connection "Jackie" for rent. I thought that in this way I can explore the English Concertina without investing too much money at the beginning. However the "Jackie" is a 30 button instrument, not a 48. Would this be a limit for a beginner like me ? Thanks.

I play a bit of accordion and I find myself lost with the "push and pull" system of the anglo concertina. I play just for my pleasure, and play solo, not in a group. Can I play some classical and jazz with an English concertina, enriching the melody with some chords or walking bass ?

The Button Box store can rent you an Elise Duet for $ 25.00 a month, plus shipping expenses. I think that this would be a great way for you to decide which concertina you want to keep between the Elise and the Stagi.