Beginner Anglo For Singing

[donmcl]

Hello! I'm on the verge of buying an anglo concertina. It's between the Rochelle and an overhauled J Wallis 20 key. Which is the best option for a beginner (I'm not worried so much about the 20 vs 30 key issue) in terms of learning to play etc. After a whole lot of practice I'm hoping to accompany myself singing folk songs. Have read that an old 5 bellows instrument might be problematic for playing chords as it 'runs out of air'. Any advice would be really appreciated

[malcolmbebb]

Hi and welcome to Cnet.

 

Not a singer myself, but I imagine the key of the instrument would be important, for an Anglo. Maybe, for accompaniment, an English concertina might suit you better as running out of air will be less of an issue, as will key.

 

I'm sure others will comment.

[gcoover]

30 buttons will give you a lot more options for singing in different keys, and yes, 5-fold can be limiting especially if they (or the pads) are the least bit leaky or if the reeds need lots of air.

[donmcl]

Thanks for the info. What kind of reeds would need lots of air?

[malcolmbebb]

Well, to be blunt, cheap ones - typically Chinese or older German boxes. Brass reeds often need more air to get started, or poorly set up reeds, or reeds set up for hard playing.

[Anglo-Irishman]

After a whole lot of practice I'm hoping to accompany myself singing folk songs. ... Any advice would be really appreciated

 

For a self-accompanied singer, the home keys of an Anglo are more important than the quality of the reeds or the number of buttons. Tell me what keys you prefer to sing your songs in, and I'll tell you whether you need a C/G, G/D or perhaps an Eb/Bb Anglo!

This depends on your voice range - tenor, baritone or bass.

 

As a baritone, I sing most songs most comfortably in C or D, and those that aren't comfortable there I can sing easily in G or F. So I'm very happy with my C/G Anglo. The songs I would ideally sing in D, I can still manage in C. Given the limited range of most folk songs, a couple of semitones up or down won't break your back! (Though songs like "Danny Boy" allow little latitude in your choice of key!)

 

I personally would advise against playing self-accompaniments in keys other than the "home keys" of your Anglo. Self-accompaniments have to be simple, because you can't give them your undivided attention, and their main purpose in to give harmonic support - and playing the chords for the key of D major on a C/G Anglo is not exactly trivial!

I would nevertheless recommend a 30-button instrument, not to give you more keys, but because it makes it easier to play satisfactory - even sophisticated - accompaniments in the home keys.

 

Cheers,

John

[donmcl]

Cheers John