Stepping up to a Stagi

[LoiS-sez]

In a previous topic I talked about the "joys" of starting out inexpensively. When I started on guitar I started with a cheap beginner instrument & later moved up when I needed it. Well I just stepped beyond my cheap Chinese made Cozart to a Stagi. O.k. it's not a major step, but I've gone from a 20 button to 30 & am slowly exploring the differences. Was told most people starting out as I did give up the concertina. NOPE! It let me try it out & see if I really wanted to play concertina.

 

YES! I'm hooked. I learned I wanted to stay with an Anglo because it is perfect for Celtic music I love. I'm especially fond of Scottish music & need to write a separate topic asking more about any Scottish concertina traditions. I also expected I'd want a G/D since I find Drop D tuning on my guitar & playing in those keys seems perfect for my voice on the guitar. Guess what? I can manage a C/G by singing an octave lower. The benefit is that kids can hear that higher octave of the instrument, which is better for their voices. I also have to do less transposing with a C/G of many folksongs. That row of accidentals is making that even less necessary. LET"S HEAR IT FOR A B FLAT!!!

 

I remembered Stagi being a topic at the Button Box's site, so I just went to see what they say is needed:

Our skilled technicians enhance Stagi concertinas by:

 

• checking for and repairing leaks
• completely tuning all reeds so that the instrument is in concert pitch (a=440 Hz)
• checking and repairing the action mechanism to ensure that it is quiet and responsive
• adjusting valves to minimize noise
• adjusting the reed set to make sure that the voicing is even.

We spend considerable time on each concertina before it goes to its new home, and we guarantee new instruments for one full year. You may see a Stagi concertina sold for a lower price by another retailer -- but there may be hidden costs. Customers who bought a Stagi elsewhere have spent hundreds of dollars with our repair department to fix problems that the Button Box takes care of before you buy.

 

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Mine is a new Stagi with no leaks. Haven't checked for concert pitch, but don't foresee playing it with others, although that may change since I'm a member of a local folk music society. The action is both quiet & responsive. I'm not sure if the voicing is even, but I think the only time it's not is due to the amount of air available. I do find it louder & at times it has made me think of a car horn. Some say Stagis are mellow, but I'm not sure about that. Part of this could be that I'm still getting used to concertinas in the 1st place.

 

Somewhere here I read your playing improves just with a better instrument. I know the extra row is something that trips me up a bit. One reason I decided to "step up" right away is the fear of picking up bad habits. I don't notice this making my playing improve except in 1 way: the bellows motion is more fluid. I still have the same needs for air in just about the same places, so that's not a factor.

 

I bought it at Castiglione's here in the Detroit metro area when I had a storytelling performance nearby. I'm told there's a 1 yr. warranty. Aside from getting to know it by playing & playing, any suggestions on what I should check out during this year?

[LoiS-sez]

Woops, consider this a p.s. to my post. I was just reading the discussion on playing standing up. One major difference I noticed while deciding on my new Stagi is that it's lighter. As a storyteller I find a definite difference in how an audience's interest is lower when the performer is seated. I'm sure this isn't a factor among musicians, but it is if I want to insert the concertina into my programs. Just this past week I had the opportunity to test this with my guitar & found it true there, too.

[Alan Day]

I enjoyed your very sensible approach to learning a new instrument. You are enjoying the concertina without spending an initial fortune. You are already experimenting with the new layout. If you upgrade again at the right time(when your instrument is slower than you can play it), you will in a few years become a very interesting player.

Good luck

Al

[Woody]

In a previous topic I talked about the "joys" of starting out inexpensively. When I started on guitar I started with a cheap beginner instrument & later moved up when I needed it. Well I just stepped beyond my cheap Chinese made Cozart to a Stagi. O.k. it's not a major step, but I've gone from a 20 button to 30 & am slowly exploring the differences. Was told most people starting out as I did give up the concertina. NOPE! It let me try it out & see if I really wanted to play concertina.

Glad you weren't put off by the naysayers. I followed a similar path to the one you're taking, as I'm sure many other members here have. Despite starting on cheap Anglos I'm still enjoying playing & haven't lost any fingers on the way.

 

I also found that, through selling my earlier instruments on eBay once I'd upgraded, starting on cheap instruments cost me very little. If I'd had to put off learning until I could reasonably afford a hybrid (or even a Rochelle if it had been available at the time) I'd probably never have started.

 

Good luck with your new friend.

Edited March 24, 2010 by Woody

[Steve_freereeder]

Yes - I am also please to hear that you have now got a suitable concertina. The 30-key Stagi will stand you in good stead for a while yet and you will learn a lot with it. As it is a new instrument, it will be in concert pitch, so no worries there.

 

Enjoy playing your new-found friend. It could well become a lifelong obsession!

[Anglo-Irishman]

Hi, Lois,

Let me add my congratulations on your new musical companion!

I, too started with a cheap 20-buttton, which back then (1960s) came from East Germany rather than China. When I got seriously involved in Irish folk I bought a metal-ended Stagi 30-button. That was about 13 years ago, and it's still going strong. I play almost exclusively with my group, who all tune to A=440, and have no problems with pitch. My Stagi blends particularly well with the fiddle. I had some teething problems with my Stagi - one of the two-part buttons came apart and the visible part fell out. A bit of glue solved that, and I believe Stagi have different actions now. So don't worry!

 

I was just reading the discussion on playing standing up. One major difference I noticed while deciding on my new Stagi is that it's lighter. As a storyteller I find a definite difference in how an audience's interest is lower when the performer is seated. I'm sure this isn't a factor among musicians, but it is if I want to insert the concertina into my programs. Just this past week I had the opportunity to test this with my guitar & found it true there, too.

 

Oh yes, standing or sitting IS a factor for musicians. At least for me as a singer. But of course, a singer has (or should have) the same function as a story-teller! You have to draw attention as a singer, and look people in the eye, and also breathe deeply, all of which speaks for standing up.

 

Having said that, when I'm playing a instrumental solo, I usually sit. Solos are (or should be) technically more demanding than accompaniments, and supporting the instrument on your knee gives your fingers more freedom of movement. And you have to concentrate more on the fingerings, which means you can't do much with eye contact anyway.

 

Anyway, standing or sitting, have fun!

 

Cheers,

John

[s2maur]

Well I just stepped beyond my cheap Chinese made Cozart to a Stagi. O.k. it's not a major step, but I've gone from a 20 button to 30 & am slowly exploring the differences. Was told most people starting out as I did give up the concertina. NOPE! It let me try it out & see if I really wanted to play concertina.

 

Good for you. I wish that I had gone from my German Hohner 20b to a Bastari 30b instead of a 40b. Both were in G/D tuning. Having had a jazz background, I found myself experimenting with playing all kinds of extended and contorted chords. I finally realized that I was going no where fast when it came to learning Irish Tunes and finally stuck to the basic 30 buttons. It was a good learning tool and thought that I was not cut out for this instrument. I was not getting any faster and was about ready to give up when the revelation that I wasn't the one that was slow, it was the instruments limitations that were holding me back. That is when I realized how much I loved Irish music and the concertina and made the leap to a Dipper re-furbished Jeffries in C/G that I bought from Chris Algar. I have never looked back since then. Although my improvement as a player has leveled out a bit over the years, I will continue to better my ability to play the concertina in the Irish Tradition for as long as my mental and physical conditions allow.

 

A bit of humour; I would agree that going from the Cozart to a Stagi was not a major step. I would like to add that it was at least a few minor steps and maybe climbed sideways instead of taken head-on. But, it is an improvement and you may find yourself surpassing the Stagi's capabilities within a year if you are as dedicated a musician as you seem to be in your post.

 

Best of Luck,

Steve M

[catty]

Despite starting on cheap Anglos I'm still enjoying playing & haven't lost any fingers on the way.

 

I also found that, through selling my earlier instruments on eBay once I'd upgraded, starting on cheap instruments cost me very little. If I'd had to put off learning until I could reasonably afford a hybrid (or even a Rochelle if it had been available at the time) I'd probably never have started.

 

Me as well. If it hadn't been for a cheap $100 Hohner 20-button I found randomly in a second-hand store, I'm quite sure I wouldn't be a concertina player--I'd no aspirations for concertina other than general curiosity as I have with all instruments. But there it was before me, and I was able to begin learning impulsively--which is always the best for me. That little box has made a lot of music, performed for and made lots of people happy. I've since acquired a second cheapie Hohner--I keep both in the living room for others to try and for the kids to learn on.

Edited March 24, 2010 by catty

[LoiS-sez]

Thanks everybody for your encouraging remarks! It was also good to think about the difference between instrumentals & playing while singing. I agree that when it's just the instrument, I tend to need to just sit & concentrate on what I'm doing. In contrast, the minute I'm singing it's a different level of performance. Don't know if I'll try to sell my Cozart (& an antique store melodeon that I bought before that, but found it wasn't what I wanted because of its weight) or follow Catty's example letting the cast-off permit others to experiment.

 

Quick Dumb Question: I never thought to ask how Stagi is pronounced. Is it Stah - gee (like glee without the "l") or . . . ?

[Anglo-Irishman]

Quick Dumb Question: I never thought to ask how Stagi is pronounced. Is it Stah - gee (like glee without the "l") or . . . ?

 

Quick Smart-Alec Answer:

No, it's "gee" as in "gee-whiz". The "g" is soft before a slender vowel ("i" or "e") in Italian. You got the rest right first time.

 

Cheers,

John

[LoiS-sez]

Quick Dumb Question: I never thought to ask how Stagi is pronounced. Is it Stah - gee (like glee without the "l") or . . . ?

 

Quick Smart-Alec Answer:

No, it's "gee" as in "gee-whiz". The "g" is soft before a slender vowel ("i" or "e") in Italian. You got the rest right first time.

 

Cheers,

John

[LoiS-sez]

Quick Dumb Question: I never thought to ask how Stagi is pronounced. Is it Stah - gee (like glee without the "l") or . . . ?

 

Quick Smart-Alec Answer:

No, it's "gee" as in "gee-whiz". The "g" is soft before a slender vowel ("i" or "e") in Italian. You got the rest right first time.

 

Cheers,

John

 

Gee thanks! (& gee I'm sorry, but I accidentally sent a reply w/o sending this message of thanks for your clarification!!) I'd hate to mess up the name of my concertina.

LoiS(igning off to play my Stagi)