Key-layout for a tenor-treble English Concertina

[Abel Miser]

Hi everybody - I find it difficult to find a layout of keys for an English Concertina tenor-treble (going down lower than G).

 

Can anyone help me where to find such an „organigram of keys“?

 

Thank you very much!

 

Abel Miser

[alex_holden]

The document attached to this comment may be useful:

 

[4to5to6]

PM me your email address and I will send you a nice image and pdf of a CAD drawing I did up.

[genepinefield]

I've written about other topics as well
This document on range is helpful by Mr.Geoffrey Crabb,  English_Ranges.doc

 

[Little John]

On 8/25/2024 at 11:31 AM, alex_holden said:

The document attached to this comment may be useful:

 

The document, and Geoff's comments in the email, contain an inconsistency which troubles me. In the email he states:

 

"In the case of English 56 and 64 Key Tenor-Trebles, these include the full range of the 48 Treble. 

The 48 Tenor does not, therefore, the inclusion of Treble in a description is misleading."

 

If the full 48 button range of the Treble is required in order to use the description "Treble" then the 30, 36 and 43 button instruments at the end of the document can't be called "Trebles" either; yet they are.

 

The "43 Button Treble" is interesting because it includes two notes from the Tenor range - low F and F#. Adding six more low notes taking it down to C3, and removing the highest D#, you have exactly what Geoff calls a "48 button Tenor" on page 2. Why not call it a "truncated Tenor-Treble"? Like all the other instruments on that page it has the treble range notes in exactly the same position as the standard treble.

[4to5to6]

The most important details in the description are bass / baritone / treble / piccolo so you know where the middle C button is... piccolo plays an octave higher, baritone an octave lower and G Bass, two octaves lower (and C1 contrabass 3 octaves lower if it exists) as related to the treble all with 48 buttons.

 

The second most important thing is the location of the thumb straps in connection with the C button on the LH side but this is never described.

 

There is always going to be a compromise with the terminology (such as calling a “tenor” a “tenor treble” and back and forth) because some follow the modern descriptions and some refer to the Ledgers  / price lists descriptions.

 

For a bit of trivia… My model 15 really messes people up.  I am careful to call it a baritone treble (not a treble baritone) as the middle C is in the traditional treble position as a treble on the LH side.  This baritone ranged Aeola goes down a 4th lower than a tenor treble, 4 octaves from G to G with the same 56 buttons.  However, I would not describe it as taking a row off the top and adding one on the bottom as the layout is completely different.  I’ll attach a couple of photos to show my point.

 

The fingering pattern looks to be completely opposite but you don’t notice this while playing it and find it similar to a TT with extra low notes.  I find having the middle C still on the LH side much more intuitive than the reversed baritone.  

 

Note the layout with reference to the pinky slides / thumb straps.  It took me a while to wrap my head around this one.

 

56 button, Model 19, C to C, Tenor Treble:

 

56 button, Model 14, G to G, Baritone Treble:

.

Edited October 14 by 4to5to6

[Geoffrey Crabb]

I try me best.😩

 

Hope this meets approval. 

Doc 21 56 English Tenor-Treble.doc