What's the ideal amount of resistance on the bellows of an English?

[Nate R]

Hi there, I've been playing a Sparrow model from McNeela, their entry-level English 30 button.  I very much enjoy playing and learning, but I find that I fight to pull the bellows open with my thumb, and my pinkies and thumbs are red and my wrists achy when I'm done.  The bellows have loosened up a bit since it arrived, but I still feel like I'm constantly fighting the instrument.

 

Are all English concertinas like this?  I'd be happy to invest in a 'better' one, but I have no idea if this would address the issue.  Does anyone have a comparison for what ideal bellows tension on an English might be?  For what it's worth, I hopefully have at least average hand strength, and it seems that these bellows are cardboard wrapped in vinyl.

 

Thanks all, I very much appreciate the forum and all of your help.

[alex_holden]

2 hours ago, Nate R said:

Are all English concertinas like this?

 

In a word, no. If you get a chance to try a top quality instrument you'll probably be astonished by how much easier they are to play than an entry level model. The downside is they will also be heavier due to the use of stronger materials and extra buttons.

[Nate R]

Thank you for your reply, I'm very grateful for your knowledge.  I don't have a reference point or know any players, this helps a lot.  I followed the link to your website and you make beautiful work btw, absolutely incredible.

[Phil Hague]

I bought a "beginners" instrument and it was just as you described, hard to play, (in fact a waste of money). I soon invested in a decent Wheatstone from Barleycorn and it plays so lightly. My playing is improving rapidly. Yes it is a lot of money, but worth every penny. I can't stress enough for you to try a decent instrument.

Edited December 7, 2024 by Phil Hague

[d.elliott]

I suggest you find other players in your area and compare with their instruments. Meanwhile there are concertina storage & bellows stretching actions you can take to maintain and develop bellows flexibility. 

 

Concertinas should always be stored with their bellows firmly compressed, soft bags just do not do it, and un blocked hard cases are just as bad. 

 

Occasionally fully stretch the bellows, ensure you have a couple of buttons pressed and stretch the bellows out to their maximum, bit like a chest expander.

 

Finally consider fitting wrist straps to supplement the thumb straps, use these take the forces of pulling the concertina in play.

[gcoover]

Unfortunately, the cheaper instruments often have very shallow bellows that are fairly stiff due to the way they are made with folded cardboard.

 

Better models have deeper bellows folds, are usually made from individual pieces of cardboard.

 

I've played some where I didn't even feel or notice the bellows at all!

 

Gary

[Clive Thorne]

19 hours ago, gcoover said:

I've played some where I didn't even feel or notice the bellows at all!

 

I was going to say that "Ideally the only resistance in the bellows would be from the air flow through the reeds"

[alex_holden]

One might argue that it's ideal for the resistance to follow a bathtub curve with a wide flat bottom. If the resistance increases quickly when you are approaching the limits but doesn't come to an immediate dead stop, it warns you when you are about to run out of air and need to change direction.

[fred v]

You can loosen the bellows by opening it half way and flex the ends by rotating your wrists to open the folds on one side and closing them on the other. Do this for awhile every day and they will loosen up.

[wunks]

I believe there needs to be a fair amount of free bellows movement for expressive playing.  I have a large duet 81/2"x with 7 folds that's very air tight.  Unless I'm playing chords or mostly in the low range the bellows won't expand enough for ornamentation, speed,  etc..  They continue to fight the vacuum.  I've taken to resting my thumb half way up the air button to introduce a zephyr or a gust as needed.  On my other box a recent re-work left me with two buttons with no reeds in the chambers ( highest squeakers ) I can use them with my pinkey for air when I'm droning with my thumb.  Perhaps part of your problem is that your bellows are starved for air.  Try playing four low notes at once to see what happens.  

EC has no air button(?)  and I don't see a good place on the layout to take out a reed.

 

I think there's some info about other players leaning a bit on the air button here but I can't find it.

Edited December 10, 2024 by wunks
clarity

[Clive Thorne]

8 hours ago, alex_holden said:

One might argue that it's ideal for the resistance to follow a bathtub curve with a wide flat bottom. If the resistance increases quickly when you are approaching the limits but doesn't come to an immediate dead stop, it warns you when you are about to run out of air and need to change direction.

Good point.

[Chris Ghent]

Inefficient reeds feel like bellows stiffness.  See what happens if you loosen the end screws or try holding down as many buttons as you can and see if it is easier. If so then at least part of the problem is the reeds. The bellows should have next to no resistance, but some cheaper methods of construction, especially continuous card, can come with substantial resistance.