English or Duet for playing most music?

[Isaiah]

Hello!

I recently took the plunge and picked up an english concertina (concertina connections Jackie) which I've loved playing. I'm thinking about purchasing a concertina with more range at some point, and I'm debating switching systems from english to a duet. I'm looking for a fully chromatic instrument that lets me play melody and accompaniment for anything I set my eye on (pop, music from games, classical, I just enjoy playing allong to music I listen to). I think a duet might be closer to piano which is my background, with the left right separation which would make accompaniment easier than it is with an english. I'm also no opposed to the anglo (I think learning a bisonoric instrument would be really fun) but my understanding is they tend to be tuned to a specific subset of keys, and I'm looking for a fully chromatic instrument. Thanks all!

[Robby-ie]

Greetings, Isaiah. I am not experienced with the duet, but I can say that the English system is well suited to play solo music. Check out this video of Wim Wakker playing an English solo piece if you haven't heard it already. I think it is a good demonstration of the English concertina's solo capabilities: YouTube

Here's my own video of me playing a guitar piece, which the English is surprisingly well suited for: YouTube

 

Hope this helps inform you a little bit.

Edited May 7, 2025 by Turtle

[Little John]

16 hours ago, Isaiah said:

I'm also no opposed to the anglo (I think learning a bisonoric instrument would be really fun) but my understanding is they tend to be tuned to a specific subset of keys, and I'm looking for a fully chromatic instrument.

 

It's helpful to distinguish between chromatic as in "has all the notes of the chromatic scale" and chromatic as in "can be played in all 12 keys".

 

The anglo has two main keys (most commonly C and G) but instruments of 30 or more buttons have all of the accidentals outside these two rows of buttons to make them chromatic (only over a limited central range for the smaller instruments). So anglos can definitely be played in more than two keys, and frequently are.

 

Duets are fully chromatic (except for the very smallest Haydens), but that doesn't a make them easy to play in all 12 keys. In reality, as a Crane player, two flats to three sharps is my limit, though frankly I don't need more than that.

[SIMON GABRIELOW]

Though Anglo are tuned to certain keys in their design you can play anything you want on them ...as they do contain most sharps or flats inbetween (for the  30 key variety  and above) as example. 

[Steve Schulteis]

If I understood the request correctly, the wish is to play melody and accompaniment at the same time in any key. While a 30 button Anglo is chromatic in the sense that it has all the notes somewhere, they can't be played in any arbitrary combination, making it less than ideal for that purpose. Even in the two home keys, you may find yourself a bit restricted in the use of spicier chords (either in combination with certain melody notes, or altogether), depending on how jazzy you want to get. It's still very capable, and adapting music to the limitations of the instrument can be its own pleasure, but you should know that's what you're signing up for ahead of time. So while I'm a satisfied Anglo player, I'd say a duet of some sort might be the best match here, even if some keys are less than practical on it.

[Isaiah]

Thanks all so much for the discussion. Its really cool to learn that with most concertina layouts are quite capable of most that you could throw at them. While I think a duet is more suited towards what I'd want initially, I find that I'm quite enjoying how it feels to play the english. While something like this (played on bandoneon) would, to my understanding, be much easier on the duet (or english), adapting it to the english might be enjoyable so I think I'll stick with it for a long while. The instrument still has a lot to teach me! 

(Also @Turtle nice playing!)

Edited May 8, 2025 by Isaiah

[Richard Mellish]

16 hours ago, Little John said:

Duets are fully chromatic (except for the very smallest Haydens), but that doesn't a make them easy to play in all 12 keys. In reality, as a Crane player, two flats to three sharps is my limit, though frankly I don't need more than that.

The Hayden system makes the fingering the same in multiple keys. One with enough buttons allows the same fingering in all keys. The disadvantage of that system is poor availability. Only you can decide how many keys you actually need.

[wes williams]

The number of keys (buttons) might be important if you choose a duet. A 46 button Maccann has 6 buttons which are duplicated on both sides, so it can only play 40 notes, and if you are hoping to play accompaniment on left, and melody on right, you soon find that many 'musical keys' aren't really feasible.

[Ed Nardell]

I chose the Hayden duet system for similar reasons and am very, very happy with my Custom Peacock from Concertina Connection.  It is available, not inexpensive (the standard Peacock is cheaper) but there is a wait time of about 5 months.  The Peacock has 42 keys and is fully chromatic - albeit some keys are easier to play than others. I wanted 46 keys. but the only option was the Stagi Hayden duet, and that wasn't nearly of the same quality - or price - the Stagi is much less expensive.  I bought a Stagi and it was acceptable, but I sold it when I got my hands on the Peacock. It is a hybrid - accordion reeds - but very high quality and I think the best you can do re availability for the Hayden duet system at this time.  It is all but impossible to acquire a true 46 button concertina with concertina reeds these days.  Good luck. 

 

[Mike Acott]

If you are looking at duets I have a Lachenal new model 72 key fully sorted which is priced at £1500,00 . one draw back it dies not have a case. If you wish contact me by e mail or phone on +441728 768128 for more details.

[Josh in Hartford]

I have a basic duet (the Elise) and while many keys are harder (and some songs in some keys impossible), I've found I can play just about anything if I transpose it. That may frustrate your ability to play along with your favorite tunes, but it will allow you to play them. As a person with a pretty strong musical background (not piano, but bass and trombone), I actually kind of enjoy the limitations of the instrument, because they push me to be creative in the arrangements I devise to play the songs I want to play. That said, I'm mostly arranging songs so that I can sing along, so I'm treating the concertina kind of the way a folk singer treats the guitar - nothing exceediingly fancy, just solid backgrounds for my voice. Your mileage may vary, as the kids say.

[Isaiah]

I've continued enjoying my English and think I'm going to stick with that. Though the layout is definitely less directly intuitive, I'm finding the challenge of the new instrument fun, and seeing great players play has made me confident that with practice I'll be able to play anything I would really want to play. Constantly eyeing the listings here for my next instrument up from the Jackie (with an eye towards 60 button tenor trebles), but its gonna be a while before I'm ready to drop the cash for one. Looking forward to that day, though I must say the Jackie is a wonderful instrument that I highly recommend for beginner English players.