Russian boot-concertina

[Konzertina-123]

Not sure this can be called a concertina, but just in case :

 

[David Barnert]

Of course it’s not a concertina! The keys are pressed  towards the chest, perpendicular to the axis of the bellows. That makes it a melodeon. Or a boot.

[Stephen Chambers]

3 hours ago, David Barnert said:

Of course it’s not a concertina! The keys are pressed  towards the chest, perpendicular to the axis of the bellows. That makes it a melodeon. Or a boot.

 

It's a variety of cherepashka (="turtle" in Russian), the miniature Russian diatonic accordion, and used for novelty - much as miniature concertinas would be.

 

 

Semyon Shtyrkhunov, who posted these videos on YouTube, and is playing it, makes cherepashkas and has figured on melodeon.net (making and selling them) in the past. The Russian text reveals that this is "The first harmonica-boot in modern Russia. The creation of the hands of the Shtyrkhunov family."

 

 

Edited February 13, 2022 by Stephen Chambers

[Luke Hillman]

Oh man. This is just the kind of thing I won't remember ordering during a bout of insomnia...

[SIMON GABRIELOW]

I have to say, it was quite enjoyable, and very different. It had a real sense of variety in it!

[Stephen Chambers]

On 2/13/2022 at 9:53 AM, David Barnert said:

Of course it’s not a concertina! The keys are pressed  towards the chest, perpendicular to the axis of the bellows. That makes it a melodeon. Or a boot.

 

It's the start of a definition, but I have several instruments that challenge it - for example here's a 20-key German-system concertina that was made by Kalbe in Berlin, but "the keys are pressed  towards the chest, perpendicular to the axis of the bellows":

 

 

Whilst, in light of today's invasion of Ukraine, "the Russian boot" in the title of this thread strongly reminds me of (the Ukrainian port-city of) Odessa where my Ivan Blagin Melharmonium concertina originated:

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 25, 2022 by Stephen Chambers
Edited for clarification

[Luke Hillman]

2 hours ago, Stephen Chambers said:

"the Russian boot" in the title of this thread strongly reminds me of Odessa where my Ivan Blagin Melharmonium concertina originated:

 

 

Ah! This reminds me of the Seven Dwarfs' utterly incomprehensible "concertina":

 

 

Seeing the "melharmonium" almost makes this one make sense, though from what I can tell, the D*sney instrument doesn't have buttons at all, just holes.

 

2 hours ago, Stephen Chambers said:

Whilst, in light of today's invasion of Ukraine [...]

 

I'm sure we're all wishing for an end to this violence. I hope everyone reading this is somewhere safe.