Back, playing English this time

[Ubizmo]

I was here a year or so again, when I was trying to learn the Anglo. Eventually, though, I threw in the towel. I had persistent elbow pain that was becoming a problem. I also didn't feel like I was really getting the hang of the Anglo layout, even after 8 months or so. I sold my Anglo and didn't expect to be playing the concertina again.

Recently, I got a notification for an English concertina for sale, a Concertina Connection "Jack" baritone, for $300. I thought, why not?, and bought it. That was about a month ago. The elbow pain had subsided, after a course of exercises with resistance bands. Anyway, the Jack was in very good condition, although the soft carry bag was torn. So, I've started learning the English concertina. It's long enough since I stopped playing Anglo that there's little or no interference in my brain with the button layout. Interestingly, I have a tendency to reverse the bellows for no apparent reason, but I guess that'll pass. I'm also making reasonably good progress. I think my brain likes the layout better.

I like the deep sound of the Jack but, like the Rochelle Anglo from CC that I used to own, it's quite stiff. The thumb straps make that even more of a challenge, but I'm doing okay.

I visited the Liberty Bellows site for the first time in quite a while and saw a "Bella Vista" English Concertina (30 buttons) for $799. I believe Bella Vista is a house brand, since they have accordions with that name, made by someone else--I don't know who. I'm just wondering if anyone knows anything about it. It looks rather like the "Trinity College" 30 button EC, which is sold for about half that price.

https://www.libertybellows.com/shop/Concertinas/English-Concertinas/p/NEW-Mahogany-Bella-Vista-Treble-English-Concertina-M-30-Button-x96678923.htm

[Tiposx]

That model looks a bit tacky from here. I like the look and specification of the Sherwood Reynard much more

https://www.hobgoblinusa.com/local/sales/brands/sherwood/category/480/?g=1&BrandPage=sherwood&BrandCategory=480&Filter=480&Order=S2&BrandFilter=SHERWOOD&Style=A&np=1&s=0&PrintPage=1

Your habit of bellows reversals is a good one, especially on the baritone ec. I would aim for reversing at the start of every bar. You might want to start with every second bar. When that becomes easy you can aim to reverse the bellows for emphasis, drive and so on.

[Matt Heumann]

Regardless of price or quality, it's important to remember you'll be missing 37% of the normal English range of 48 buttons, which may limit your playing choices at some point in the future.

[Ubizmo]

At some point, I'll visit Liberty Bellows again and have a look at it and their other ECs. No rush. 

I imagine the added range of the 48 buttons would be mainly relevant to the classical repertoire. That's not a major concern for me, but I guess you never know. 

I'm having fun, that's the main thing. 

[adamhuestis]

It looks like the Jackie with a couple of changes.  I wonder if it is from the same factory.

[Ubizmo]

28 minutes ago, adamhuestis said:

It looks like the Jackie with a couple of changes.  I wonder if it is from the same factory.

Now that you mention it, yes. And of course it also looks exactly like the Jack, which I own, with the exception of the color of the wood veneer. Even the exact placement of the screws. 

For some reason, I wouldn't have thought that Concertina Connection wholesales for rebranding, but I have nothing to base that on. It's quite a bit more expensive than the Jackie. 

I really have to drive down to Liberty Bellows to investigate. 

 

Edit: The button placement in the top row is a bit different from the Jackie. 

Edited October 31 by Ubizmo

[Don Taylor]

12 hours ago, Ubizmo said:

I wouldn't have thought that Concertina Connection wholesales for rebranding

I understand that the CC have their entry level concertinas made in China, but they are not simple rebrands of existing Chinese boxes.  The action mechanisms are proper levers rather than the Stagi-type actions and I think that the reed pans are different too.  The bellows and ends are the same as the usual Alibaba sourced concertinas, but the internals are better.

[Pianist]

On 10/29/2025 at 9:55 PM, Ubizmo said:

I imagine the added range of the 48 buttons would be mainly relevant to the classical repertoire. That's not a major concern for me, but I guess you never know. 

I'm having fun, that's the main thing. 

Great. Having fun is the main thing

 

48 keys aren't just for classical. Depending on the style you play you canl run across a lot of accidentals. The main problem iwth the Jack / Jackie is the lack of a G# in the middle. You have an A flat at the top  (enharmonic equivalent) but that can be tricky to finge and a G# at the bottom. This makes tunes in A major - mainly Scottish-  a bit tricky.

[Ubizmo]

4 hours ago, Pianist said:

Great. Having fun is the main thing

 

48 keys aren't just for classical. Depending on the style you play you canl run across a lot of accidentals. The main problem iwth the Jack / Jackie is the lack of a G# in the middle. You have an A flat at the top  (enharmonic equivalent) but that can be tricky to finge and a G# at the bottom. This makes tunes in A major - mainly Scottish-  a bit tricky.

There's a G# on the left hand, but no Ab on the right, is that what you mean? 

Speaking of that, that appears to be the difference between the advertised Bella Vista and the Jackie. On the BV there's no button where the (low) G# is on the Jackie, but there is a button where the middle Ab would be. The left side has only two buttons on the top row, compared to 3 on the Jackie. 

All of which is enough to conclude that whatever the BV is, it's not a rebranded Jackie. 

[fred v]

On 10/29/2025 at 12:14 PM, Tiposx said:

That model looks a bit tacky from here. I like the look and specification of the Sherwood Reynard much more

https://www.hobgoblinusa.com/local/sales/brands/sherwood/category/480/?g=1&BrandPage=sherwood&BrandCategory=480&Filter=480&Order=S2&BrandFilter=SHERWOOD&Style=A&np=1&s=0&PrintPage=1

Your habit of bellows reversals is a good one, especially on the baritone ec. I would aim for reversing at the start of every bar. You might want to start with every second bar. When that becomes easy you can aim to reverse the bellows for emphasis, drive and so on.

I'm in full agreement about working the bellows for folk music especially Irish music. That is where all the bounce and accents come from.  

[Al.]

I've just checked my Jack and there is definitely a G# "in the middle". I've had mine for five months and haven't come up against it's limitations yet.   It even plays fast enough for me to use it in my local session on the tunes I know.   Not an Irish session but it still goes at a reasonable speed. 

Edited November 1 by Al.

[Pianist]

Yes, my bad. It's the topG# that's missing and that's a pain if you play any pipe marches which all live up ther and use G#.

[Ubizmo]

47 minutes ago, Pianist said:

Yes, my bad. It's the topG# that's missing and that's a pain if you play any pipe marches which all live up ther and use G#.

 

There's a high Ab on the left hand. I guess better concertinas have enharmonics on both hands? 

 

[Pianist]

4 hours ago, Ubizmo said:

 

There's a high Ab on the left hand. I guess better concertinas have enharmonics on both hands? 

 

Yes for G#.

 

Playing Ab is possible but tricky, if you go F# G#  A because they're all on the same side of the concertina. 

[Ubizmo]

It looks like Concertina Connection's next model up, the Busker, with 36 buttons, has the full complement of accidentals rather than extended range. 

[xgx]

8 hours ago, Pianist said:

Yes, my bad. It's the topG# that's missing and that's a pain if you play any pipe marches which all live up ther and use G#.

Pipe tunes are usually in Amix, no need for a G#

[Duncan Luddite]

On 10/30/2025 at 3:25 AM, Ubizmo said:

I visited the Liberty Bellows site for the first time in quite a while and saw a "Bella Vista" English Concertina (30 buttons) for $799.

G'day Ubizmo, If you're considering this sort of budget, don't ignore antique English concertinas as some turn up around this price. I do understand there's an exchange rate between £ - US$ (not as bad as £ - Aust.$ though   ).
Eg. https://concertina.co.uk/stock-selection/english-concertinas/lachenal-48-key-treble-8958/
Antiques have history, beauty, value holding, and more notes than a 30 button generic. And the bellows will probably be easier.
 My personal concertina is an 1850's 32 button EC, which makes it fully chromatic, and a delight to play. It also has brass reeds (like the linked one above) and can put out reasonable volume with a more mellow tone. It's history and beauty inspires me to practice every day. The two octaves, +two notes, does mean needing to be a little creative with some tunes (I go up for the last few notes on Silent Night for instance), but it's often not an issue. Like singing a song and you can't reach part of it, so you either drop, or rise, an octave, or harmonise.
A 48 button Treble EC has a number of higher notes, but very few lower ones.
All the Best with your EC journey.

Cheers

[Duncan Luddite]

Also, in regards effort/strain on the thumbs and (especially in my case) pinky fingers, I made hand straps that were fitted without making any modifications to the EC (Antique; want to preserve it ). It mounts with two of the long case bolts, using folded brass sheet brackets and wire I bent around nails in a block of wood (brass sheet, and wire, can be got from model aeroplane stores). I also made a palm rest out of plywood (dyed with brown leather dye to match in), lined underneath with billiard table felt (the same sort of felt used for bushing the cross holes in the keys/buttons, and for the damper washers underneath them) and hollowed out underneath so the sound produced in the palm area is directed forward, and not muffled (second photo).
Find a billiard/pool table repair place and ask about their offcuts.
A couple of posts of a bunch of photos to give an idea of what I did. Made a *big* difference to the comfort of my fingers.
Cheers