Search the Community

Okay, so I've moved into student accommodation in a totally different town to where I was before. I'm half an hours walk from any place I could busk, but I have a bike. Where I was living before, I got a bus into the biggest town and walked two minutes to my pitch, but I'm IN town now. Would it be demented to buy a softbag to carry it while on a bike - only a nine minute travel time - or would that damage it? I have a Tina Swift model... (And I'm guessing it would be even worse to try and strap it to the back in the hardcase?)

Hi everyone, I'm finally looking to upgrade my Mcneela Wren after a couple of years of playing on it. I'd really like to invest in something for the long haul, but even after doing some research I'm a little confused on what constitutes "hybrid" reeds from traditional concertina reeds. My current understanding is that hybrid concertinas use accordion reeds rather than traditional concertina reeds Do the sellers that offer "tipo a mano" mean that these are made in the traditional way? For instance, I see the Morse Ceili recommended quite a bit - is this still a hybrid concertina? If not, are there any makers that still offer reeds in the traditional way, or is this exclusive to vintage concertinas from makers like Lachenal? Thank you! Alex

Greetings all, I am hoping to gain advice on which tutor book to purchase. I'm sure this has been enquired about multiple times before, but thought it was worth asking considering my specific experience and wants. For some background, I have wanted to learn the concertina since I was 17, (but opted for a electric guitar for my 18th birthday instead, I was a fool), and have now finally ordered a 30 button anglo. I have general music knowledge and experience playing folk music in an English session (on tin whistle) in Brighton where I live. I also finally learned to read music over the last year. My interest lies in English folk music and morris music, as well as in shanties, Finnish folk tunes, and in adapting other songs for the instrument. I've also done some research already, and as such I think learning the harmonic style will match my goals as a musician. I can play whistle, ukulele, guitar, as well as some harmonica, and very basic piano, so I think this puts me in good stead for learning a new instrument. Ideally I need a resource that will get chords, scales, and some tunes under my fingers, so i can look at the dots in my session's tunebook and pick up playing them with some ease, and also by ear - like i can with the whistle...not sight reading (yet), but able to pick them up easily after some practice without having to break it down to every part, bar, beat, sub-division. I am considering Gary Coover's books, as they have good reviews and recommendations, but do not know whether to buy 'Anglo Concertina in the Harmonic Style', or 'Easy Anglo 1-2-3: A Beginner's Guide to the Anglo Concertina', I worry the latter will prove too basic, but also that the former will prove too much too quick...When i have improved, I will surely buy his other books; I appreciate the songs being available on youtube, and when I listen to them, I think "that's what I want to sound like". Also, if there is an alternative available in the UK or as an e-book specifically for this style of playing, I'd be interested to know about it also. I found some PDFs of tutor books from the end of the 19th/ start of the 20th centuries ( 'Tutor for the Chromatic Anglo Concertina' by George Jones c.1946, and 'Howe's Eclectic School for the Concertina' by Elias Howe, c.1880) but I do not know if they will be worth looking at because of thier age and their seemingly steep learning curve (they may have been intended to be used in conjuction with formal lessons) Best wishes

Hi to everyone. I'm totally new here....and new to concertina ownership as I'm about to enter the world of the 'tina. And isn't it a minefield? I'm in the UK with a very limited budget (which isn't likely to get any larger as there's always something that seems to need fixing at home!) so from what I can see I'm going to have to go with Anglo, much as I'd love an English these are way way over my measly £45-£75 budget. (yes I know that's tiny but I have to start somewhere!) I'll only realistically manage 10-15 minutes a day to practice so I assumed that some sort of 20 button Anglo could be a good thing to start on? My entire experience has been a few months playing on our children's Scarlatti junior melodeon but that's very limited with only 7 buttons! But as a result I'm not entirely new to the diatonic instrument and have even learned a few tunes on the basic little thing - I give it 10 minutes a day nonetheless just to prove to myself that I will indeed keep it up. It's given me the bug and I realise that a concertina is the next step as it takes up much less room that a full size melodeon and (I think) looks far nicer! We're an English Folk-loving family so that's what I'll be wanting to play. I'd love a few pointers before I buy. There are no places near me to try things out (there's no longer a Hobgoblin in Nottingham) and the English Folk scene in my area is almost non-existent so I'm going to have to take the plunge and just go for it blindly and hope for the best. Probably something used on ebay - I've been watching the listings for the past month and researching models but the concertina is a complex old thing, isn't she?! Thank you in advance for any advice you can give to a concertina newbie!

Greetings! I accidentally watched a video with a concertina demonstrated in it and fell in love with the sound I have been reading all over the forum & internet for quite some time now, trying to learn more about concertinas before purchasing one. I believe that the kind I'd like to start with is the 30 buttons Anglo Concertina...I have a thing for irish / authentic / unusual / folk / medieval / fantasy music and so on...same for for sea shanties and the like...I've heard that this one is more appropriate for this kind of music. (I want to compose a tune along with my banjo and include it in my animation movie that I've been working on for over 2 years ) Unusual / exotic / cultural and more vintage types of musical instruments always attracted me and I've so far taught myself to play the Banjo, Kalimba, Jaw Harp, Harmonica, Mountain Dulcimer and couple of others...They each have a unique character...I love it and feel the same towards the concertina Unfortunately my budget is quite limited (up to around 350 euros or so) so I guess that I can't afford some of the amazing boxes I've seen out there...Of course I'd like something authentic and vintage / antique..but unless I get lucky, perhaps this is something for later on? I've been trying to research which one would be the best beginner's concertina for me that would still produce good & satisfying sounds...I had a look at the Wren, the Scarletti, Carreg Las, Excalibur and some others that I've come across...I'm finding it extremely hard to make a decision...and finding one in my price range isn't a walk in the park either so far I currently live in the Netherlands...If anybody has some tips / recommendations / info for me, or could send me to a place where I could purchase a good one, It'd be highly appreciated Some links I've been looking at: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Cerres-Las-Anglo-concertina-31-button-CG-Italian-reeds-with-tags-/191611131796?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item2c9ce9d794 http://www.gear4music.com/Woodwind-Brass-Strings/Concertina-by-Gear4music-C-G-Ex-Demo/1AOH#full-des http://www.hjmusic.nl/product/concertina-2-x-15-knoppen-bruin/ Thanks ahead for any reply, tip, trick recommendation and tidbit of info! Or (P.S - I apologize in advance if this is not the right place to post this )

My daughter (17) thinks she would like to learn the concertina. She is not the most musical person in the world but she does play the guitar. Which is the easiest type of concertina for a novice to play. She probably would play it as a solo instrument. We are in west London.

Hello! So here's my story: I have always loved Irish music. I recently crossed paths with a great Irish flute player who inspired me to give Irish music a shot. We discussed different types of instruments that I could learn, and he seemed really excited about the concertina. To be honest, I didn't even know what that was, so I spent the next several hours online watching the concertina in action on YouTube. Needless to say, I immediately decided that I wanted to play one. Now I want to make sure I'm on the right path: From perusing different forums around the web, the general consensus is that one needs to invest a little money in a decent instrument to start out with, and concertinaconnection.com came up in several discussions. I checked out their starter models and listened to various players on those three models (Jackie/Jack english, Rochelle anglo, and Elise duet). Does anyone have any personal opinions or experience with these models? My second question is in regards to which style to pursue. I've read lots of discussions on this very question, so I hope I don't open a can of worms here. I've been playing classical piano for about 15 years, and the button layout of the duet system seems to make the most sense to me because of the parallel nature of the fingerings (like playing two mini piano keyboards on their sides). Any thoughts? Is it also reasonable to assume that I would be able to play various styles (including Irish) on a duet system? I've heard people playing classical music on english systems, can duets do the same? Ok, I think that's all of my questions for now. Thanks for any help/advice!