Advice for absolute beginner?

[petey]

I'm not the kind of guy that can grab an instrument and figure it out right away, but I got my new concertina and was pleased that within a few minutes I was playing a slow but nice "Silent Night", using tablature.  So that was cool.  My question is - the bellows seem stiffer than I had envisioned when I pictured myself playing the concertina.  Is that something just to get used to?  Or is it that my concertina is on the cheaper end?  Or will it go away the more I play?  I've  been playing a little gingerly -  should I just really push and draw without worry?  If it's something I have to live with, fair enough, maybe I'll just use this one for a year or two and then upgrade.  I'd never played until I got this one, a few days ago.  Thanks for any advice. 

[Ken_Coles]

What model concertina do you have? Some of them are known for stiff bellows.

Welcome to the madness!

 

Ken

[petey]

Ammoon, 20 button, which was the 2nd least expensive one I saw online.  I play a few stringed instruments, and it was always easy to find ones that were low cost but decent.  I know that doesn't seem to be the case with concertinas, but it seemed hard to justify spending $ 500 or 1000 on an instrument that I had never touched before.  But maybe someday I'll get a better one.

[Anglogeezertoo]

54 minutes ago, petey said:

Ammoon, 20 button, which was the 2nd least expensive one I saw online.  I play a few stringed instruments, and it was always easy to find ones that were low cost but decent.  I know that doesn't seem to be the case with concertinas, but it seemed hard to justify spending $ 500 or 1000 on an instrument that I had never touched before.  But maybe someday I'll get a better one.

 

Hi Petey, welcome to Concertina.net.

I think AMMOON is the retailer not the make of concertina. 

Is this what you purchased??   .....  https://www.amazon.co.uk/ammoon-Concertina-20-Button-Anglo-Style/dp/B01G52W0OU

 

Jake

[Mikefule]

Play with confidence.  The bellows may be stiff at first but should loosen up after a few (hundred) hours of playing.  Playing won't damage the bellows except if you pull them to a ridiculous extent, or chafe them in some way.  They should be robust.

 

Based on your description and the link posted by Anglogeezertoo, yes it is at the cheaper end, and you will soon discover its limitations.  However, it's a great starting point.