Advice on a beginner concertina for singing accompaniment.

[JollySam]

Hi All,

 

I am new here and to the world of the concertina. So hello.

 

My focus is really singing and I have come from the classical world. However I love how singing is very much part of "one" in the folk world and how it is so regular with all the singing clubs etc. In the classical world one goes from one high profile event to another, hence my fascination for developing my skills in the clubs... not singing opera I hasten to add !!! I recently attended a concertina singing accompaniment workshop which was great and opened my eyes to the concertina. My conclusion was to get an English to help motivate and create an extra layer for my singing, but not detract from. In the first instance I suspect it will be simple "chord" accompaniment.

 

While I am still focussing on getting an EC, the Crane Duet was also mentioned, but these seem much rarer and more expensive.

 

So I have concluded that a "Student" Lachenal 48 button with 4 folds, bone buttons, brass reeds and recently restored to be the ideal solution. I am aware of the Jackie. I believe I could get one for about £400. I am also aware of the 5 fold, metal buttoned Lachenals which would cost about £800 which I think to be a little expensive for me as a true beginner.

 

Any thoughts would be extremely appreciated.

 

Sam

[Johanna]

Hi Sam, welcome to the "world of the concertina" (I love that)...

 

For playing chords, your first priority should be getting an instrument that's perfectly in tune, at least with itself. A Jackie (or Jack, the baritone version) will do the job. A vintage Lachenal (or Wheatstone or whatever) that hasn't been recently tuned, probably won't.

 

Not every vintage concertina (even if it is in tune) makes chords sound equally good. Others can tell you more than I can about specific things to look for, but my advice would be, if you have your eye on a particular instrument, there's no substitute for listening to what it actually sounds like, or even trying it out yourself. (You can play simple chords on an EC even if you don't know what you're doing - any three buttons from the middle two rows that make a small triangle will play a close-position chord.)

[Anglo-Irishman]

Hi, Sam,

 

Nice to see another singer here on the forum!

I also passed through a classical phase (baritone solo and choir) between nursery rhymes and folk singing. The result is that I can sing folk songs in venues with upwards of 50 of an audience without amplification!

 

The concertina as an accompaniment for solo singing is a good alternative to the ubiquitous guitar. You can bash out three chords on the guitar just as easily as on the concertina, but when it comes to neat little melodic intros, outros and bridges (not to mention instrumental verses), the concertina - any system - is much easier to handle. You may be thinking of simple chordal accompaniments just now, but believe me, once you've got that far, you won't want to stop ...

 

As a singer, I find that this is the stong point of the Crane duet (and probably the other duets, too.) As the term implies, a duet concertina is really two instruments in one, and in the context of singing you can regard the left-hand end as a chord machine and the right-hand end as a melodic instrument, equivalent to flute, violin, etc. I find it quite neat to work up instrumental versions of songs with RH melody and LH harmonies, and when I sing them, just give the right hand a rest until I want an instrumental verse.

I'm not so sure if this is so easy with the English system, because I've never played English - plenty of expertise on the EC here in the forum!. It works on the Anglo, but of course you're limited in the choice of keys there. The C/G Anglo just happens to suit my vocal range.

 

Anyway, welcome to the many-facetted world of the concertina!

 

Cheers,

John

[catty]

 

Nice to see another singer here on the forum!

 

Well I'm self-taught (as with everyhing the past 30 years) and can't claim the most sonorous pipes...but singning is the primary feature of my performance

 

I went to entertaining with banjos, resonator guitars and accordians/concertina so I wouldn't have to haul an amp...I can keep up with them in medium/large rooms

Edited May 8, 2012 by catty

[JimLucas]

Nice to see another singer here on the forum!

You make it sound like something rare.

In fact, there are

lots

of us here.

[catty]

Nice to see another singer here on the forum!

You make it sound like something rare.

In fact, there are

lots

of us here.

 

well, you know in this age of sampling

[JimLucas]

While I am still focussing on getting an EC, the Crane Duet was also mentioned, but these seem much rarer and more expensive.

Crane duets are rarer, but I believe they're generally a bit less expensive than Englishes, for the same quality.

 

My standard advice is to try, if at all possible, the different systems and see which "feels" most right to you. Good song accompaniment for various genres is possible on all the main types of concertina, though what constitutes a "simple" arrangement can be quite different on each.

[JollySam]

As a singer, I find that this is the stong point of the Crane duet (and probably the other duets, too.) As the term implies, a duet concertina is really two instruments in one, and in the context of singing you can regard the left-hand end as a chord machine and the right-hand end as a melodic instrument, equivalent to flute, violin, etc. I find it quite neat to work up instrumental versions of songs with RH melody and LH harmonies, and when I sing them, just give the right hand a rest until I want an instrumental verse.

I'm not so sure if this is so easy with the English system, because I've never played English - plenty of expertise on the EC here in the forum!. It works on the Anglo, but of course you're limited in the choice of keys there. The C/G Anglo just happens to suit my vocal range.

 

Hi,

 

I think your recommendation of a Crane Duet is really interesting. This was the same recommendation I had from a Singer/Concertina pro at this workshop I attended. He played EC, and I think he wished he played the CD. I spoke with large dealer this morning and he confirmed that you can get Cranes for the same as ECs or less. Now that I have recovered from my Ebay Concertina obsession and calmed right down, I have now decided to concentrate my efforts on my A Cappella singing and then meet up with other concertina players and sample away. Hopefully I may get access to a Crane Duet. I might even be able to borrow one. However I was seriously warned about trying to do too much and to focus on my singing at present. However I do love your description of how you use your Crane with the chords in the left hand and melody in the right.

 

Cheers,

Edited May 9, 2012 by JollySam

[JollySam]

Nice to see another singer here on the forum!

I also passed through a classical phase (baritone solo and choir) between nursery rhymes and folk singing. The result is that I can sing folk songs in venues with upwards of 50 of an audience without amplification!

 

I appreciate the above statement since I have been taking singing lessons and have been trained to sing in churches etc without amps. Open Mics will be interesting !!! Different style of singing at the end of the day.

 

Cheers.

[JollySam]

Hi Sam, welcome to the "world of the concertina" (I love that)...

 

For playing chords, your first priority should be getting an instrument that's perfectly in tune, at least with itself. A Jackie (or Jack, the baritone version) will do the job. A vintage Lachenal (or Wheatstone or whatever) that hasn't been recently tuned, probably won't.

 

Not every vintage concertina (even if it is in tune) makes chords sound equally good. Others can tell you more than I can about specific things to look for, but my advice would be, if you have your eye on a particular instrument, there's no substitute for listening to what it actually sounds like, or even trying it out yourself. (You can play simple chords on an EC even if you don't know what you're doing - any three buttons from the middle two rows that make a small triangle will play a close-position chord.)

 

 

Great advice. Thanks for this. I have laid off purchasing off Ebay and instead will take it steady and test instruments as I go along.

 

Thanks.

[JollySam]

While I am still focussing on getting an EC, the Crane Duet was also mentioned, but these seem much rarer and more expensive.

Crane duets are rarer, but I believe they're generally a bit less expensive than Englishes, for the same quality.

 

My standard advice is to try, if at all possible, the different systems and see which "feels" most right to you. Good song accompaniment for various genres is possible on all the main types of concertina, though what constitutes a "simple" arrangement can be quite different on each.

 

Great advice. I have also heard today that Cranes can be cheaper than ECs.

 

Thanks.