There are no concertinas in Chile

[Rodrigo Álvarez]

Hi everyone, hope you have a good day, My name is Rodrigo and I'm from Chile, South America, when I discovered the concertina (I played Sea of Thieves and discovered this wonderful instrument) for the first time, I was amazed by such beutiful sound that can produce, that's when i decided to play concertina for the first time, the only trouble is that here in Chile, THERE ARE NO CONCERTINAS!, I got a little depressed and leave it for two years trying to forget it, but this year i got a great idea, why don't I create a concertina for myself and the other people around that also wants one but can't afford it? (Since buying one is like paying two times the concertina price thanks to fees here) but there is another problem, how do i do it? I haven't found anything like a super detailed manual or tutorial where i can see the steps to do, how to do it and what do i need, (well, i have found some but I'm not too sure if it's the correct way or standard way to do it) and also it seems scary to do it, so that's why i ask you today if someone who have made one before could help me create an anglo 30 button concertina for my first time. Please, I have dreamed of playing one before and i still want to so if anyone can give me the details of how to do it and what do i need for it, i can try and show the progress of the building. Thanks for reading me

[Richard Mellish]

I remember reading about players of the English concertina somewhere in South America. A quick Google has found me this: https://www.concertina.net/forums/index.php?/topic/9801-concertinas-in-bolivia/

 

[David Barnert]

Here’s one from Chile:

 

 

The description on the YouTube page translates to:

 

Quote

The Bolivian Julio Crespo Performing Concertina at the Indigenous Fair of Santiago de Chile. I recorded it on February 4, 2007 at Cerro Blanco.

 

Thanks to the long departed @Leo , who first pointed it out here.

 

Of course, the concertina came from (and presumably went back to) Bolivia.

Edited May 22, 2023 by David Barnert
Added last sentence.

[Steve Schulteis]

These videos show most of the process and demonstrate that it's possible to build a working instrument with relatively crude equipment. Be warned, the materials and construction shown are quite rough compared to a quality instrument from an experienced builder. So take them as a sort of outline, and search elsewhere for more details about the individual pieces. This forum's old posts and YouTube are good sources of information, and Bob Tedrow has some great stuff on his website as well.