Deciding between Anglo and English concertinas

[Jo English]

Hello all, 

 

I'm brand new to your forum and even newer to concertinas. I'm fortunate enough to live in Norwich, UK and have access to hiring both Anglo and English concertinas through a lovely group called SqueezEast. My difficulty is in deciding which type I would like to learn. So I'd like to hear from anyone who would be willing to answer: why do you play the system you do and how did you come to that decision? Have any of you swapped sides?  

[SIMON GABRIELOW]

It will be different for each individual as to how they came into concertina.

Myself it was gradual through not knowing anything about them and wanting to attempt to accompany my father on his accordion [ with its push pull note system [ two notes per button approach] - and the two worked OK when played together, and then gradually progressing from my 20 key GDR little concertina; later to the 30 key Anglo  I still use now.

I almost had English system at the beginning  - but the music shop stated a huge delay in getting one , and so I saw instead an Anglo in  their catalogue and I went for that instead.

It works for me very well indeed and has served me so well for 27 plus years now [ even if I do play using my own unique ways!].

The anglo is: two notes on one button is to be realised for beginner [ one note in bellows] the other note [out on bellows] - this creates a snappy rhythm, and some little challenges on co-ordination, as you also have to use bellows for making air intake, as well as note production, but is worthwhile [ in my own opinion]. 

 

Thirds [ chords] are easy to make simpy by pressing two button together - but there's more than this to learn if you decide on one - and there's also many others with their own worthwhile expert opinions.

Enjoy whatever you decide on - as you will [ as many discover] get well 'hooked' on playng a concertina once you start.😊

Edited March 27 by SIMON GABRIELOW

[Anglo-Irishman]

Hello, Jo,

I chose to buy a concertina because I had enjoyed listening to one played in a particular setting when I was a child. I was a teenager when I got mine, and didn't realise that there are concertinas and concertinas. All I could find in the music shop was an Anglo, but I later learned that the one I'd heard at the Salavation Army Citadel long ago had been a Crane/Triumph Duet! 

So now I'm an Anglo player. I've meanwhile obtained a Crane Duet and learnt to play it a bit, but the Anglo remains my "main squeeze."

So my advice to you would be, think of the music that made you want to play the concertina in the first place, and find out what system the person played that music on. 

I have no experience of English, but I do know that the same tune comes out different on my Anglo and my Crane. Some things are easier on one, some on the other.

If you want to emulate someone, use their system!

Cheers,

John

[Johanna]

I play English.  I was fortunate that I had access to a shop that stocked beginner models of both English and Anglo concertinas, so I got to try out both systems briefly before I made my choice.  From the time I spent noodling around and trying to play simple melodies by ear, the "alternating notes between left and right hands" aspect of the English system seemed easier for me to wrap my brain around than the "different notes on push and pull" of the Anglo system, so English it was.

 

As I've developed as a player, I've been happy with my choice.  I enjoy the versatility of the English system: Any combination of notes that exists, you can play, as long as you can get your fingers to the right place in time.  In addition to playing English and Irish traditional music (typically associated with the Anglo, but very possible to play on the English), I enjoy dabbling in genres that aren't typically associated with the concertina (rock, jazz, blues, etc.), which often involve playing weird chords in weird keys, and the English system makes that relatively straightforward.  I also enjoy the relative abundance of vintage instruments at relatively reasonable prices.

 

I do envy Anglo (and duet) players' ability to play quick-moving melodies along with chordal accompaniments.  Melody plus accompaniment is also possible on the English, but it's more of a brain-twister, and with my personal abilities, it's limited to slower and simpler tunes.

[David Barnert]

29 minutes ago, Anglo-Irishman said:

So my advice to you would be, think of the music that made you want to play the concertina in the first place, and find out what system the person played that music on.

   ...

If you want to emulate someone, use their system!

 

This has always been my advice, and I’ve given it many times. I play a Hayden duet concertina which is probably not an option for you as available ones are quite difficult to find. But examine why you want a concertina and find out what sort was responsible for pushing you in that direction. Then get one.

Edited March 27 by David Barnert

[pinnman]

Following David's comment, I think that was my approach at the beginning of the year. 

I had previously been a saxophonist and wanted to play similar music rather than traditional/folk tunes. I could read music, and the advice I found was that the English suited me best for both style of music and ability to read the score.

I also thought the alignment of keys with the stave - RH notes on the lines and LH in the spaces -  made sense, and I did not fancy the push/pull system of the Anglo.

That was my thinking, and I am happy with choice. But, one man's meat .....!

[Jonnotantan]

Hi Jo, I play both! I started on Anglo due to easier availability of the instrument and also that the Irish style was what captivated me first - lessons were available on Anglo where I live (Cambridge at the Comhaltas branch) and so it was a no brainer.

 

However, I have since come into possession of English instruments initially just for the challenge of fixing them and now play them as much as my anglo - these are my observations which I'm sure will mirror what a lot of other players think - only caveat is I'm not a singer so can't comment on which works better for accompaniment:

 

Anglo:

 

Pro:

 

In the correct keys, easier to learn tunes by ear

 

In the correct keys, easier to play chords/drones to accompany melody

 

Hand straps allow for much more pressure to be exerted on the instrument, if volume,pulsing rhythm and the growly pitch-bending of Irish playing is to your liking (think Cormac Begley for force or Caitlin Nic Gabhann for rhythm)

 

Therefore easier to play energetically, with lilt, occasionally a somewhat staccato/bouncy fashion - watch players bounce their concertinas on their knees with every foot stomp!

 

Certain ornaments can be played really energetic/rapid/explosive exploiting the fingering system as long as the instrument you're playing is responsive enough

 

Cons:

 

In the wrong keys (IE not C,G,D,A or their relative minors), really quite tricky to play - whilst the middle 2 octaves of a 30k in theory are fully chromatic the bellows reversals/finger duplication situation make some tunes practically unplayable 

 

Some mental gymnastics required in order to select the "correct" combination of duplicate notes for any given run, ie: "should I use my middle-row-pull A, my inner-row-pull or my outer-row-push A for this particular A"

 

English:

 

Pros:

 

Genuinely chromatic - no issues in playing in B flat minor or whatever key you fancy 

 

Very fast melody runs especially if scales due to alternating finger system

 

Much easier to play legato as long as you have sufficient bellows for it! 

 

Bellows can also be worked more like a violin bow with the advantages to phrasing this offers

 

Easier to sight read - layout of the buttons matches the staves of standard sheet music, one button per note, no mental gymnastics required.

 

Cons:

 

Harder to play punchy/forceful - not impossible (especially if the instrument is equipped with wrist straps) but it is harder to exert force with a single thumb Vs your whole hand - to be clear this is not just about playing loud, but putting in rhythmic accents such as off-beat emphasis when playing an reel. Quality of instrument however can make a big impact on this - I've had the good fortune of having a go on some fully restored metal-ended Aeolas and I think they can shout even louder than a Jeffries!

 

Buttons are closer together making some ornaments harder to play (for example the classic Irish ornament of a rapid single note triplet using multiple fingers in quick succession is definitely easier with the increased button spacing of an Anglo, but by no means impossible)

 

Some phrases (like arpeggiated runs with a lot of alternating 3rds/5ths) can be trickier than Anglo, again mostly due to closer button spacing.

 

So to conclude, if you want to play:

 

Trad/traditional dance music with smallest learning curve - Anglo (C/G for Irish, possibly G/D for other folk traditions based on personal preference - I'm aware some Morris musicians or singers prefer these instruments)

 

Everything else, or even Trad but you'll have to work harder to get it to sound "authentic" - English (I've recently been enjoyed playing bossa nova!...)

 

Thank you for listening to my TED talk,

 

JT

[Tiposx]

I went with with what my friend had (EC). Much later I had a wider range of musical friends, and now play Anglos as well. I wouldn’t rule a duet out either but I am fully occupied now.

[AndrewCollins]

Another recommendation for -:  What sort of music do you think you'd like to play on the concertina ?   Have you been inspired by particular players / styles of concertina players ?   Who was playing it ?  What system did they play ?  

[Richard Mellish]

22 hours ago, Johanna said:

I play English.  I was fortunate that I had access to a shop that stocked beginner models of both English and Anglo concertinas, so I got to try out both systems briefly before I made my choice.  From the time I spent noodling around and trying to play simple melodies by ear, the "alternating notes between left and right hands" aspect of the English system seemed easier for me to wrap my brain around than the "different notes on push and pull" of the Anglo system, so English it was.

I strongly endorse the virtue of trying both. You will probably find that one suits the way your brain works better than the other. What kind of music you wish to play is a consideration, but seems to me less important than whether the layout of the notes makes sense to you.

[Mark Bickford]

Listen to some of the World Concertina Day concerts on YouTube. They cover many styles and systems. Figure out which performances "spark joy" and go for that.

For me, it's the Irish style of Noel Hill, Dympna O'Sullivan, Tim Collins, etc. so I play 30 key C/G Anglo.

Edited March 28 by Mark Bickford
Add more fix typo

[macnalley]

I have been through all three major contemporary systems (English, Anglo, and Hayden), and landed on the English.

 

I originally wanted an accordion, but was drawn to the concertina's portability. I fell first into an Anglo without much thought because it was the most common and popular, and because it seemed the most "well-rounded": it was the smallest and lightest given its range, and popular internet opinion held that while it didn't have the melodic fluidity of the English or the potential for harmonic complexity of the duet, it could passably do either melodies or melodies + harmony. It seemed good enough for me.

 

After about a year, I became very frustrated with key limitations, and the push/pull nature and note layout felt like I was relearning the instrument with each new tune. I love improvisation, but that felt impossible when you have to so carefully plan each arrangement.

 

I got a Hayden next, and while it was closest to what I wanted out of the instrument, I again became frustrated because I wanted to move past a beginners model. Any upgrade was exorbitantly expensive, and getting all the keys I wanted would make the instrument quite large.

 

So then I bought a used Stagi English tenor. It doesn't have quite the harmonic flexibility of a duet, but it's not too hard to insert sparing harmonies into a melody. Plus it's fully chromatic and the chord and scale shapes are mostly similar in all keys, which is a big benefit if you want to play more than folk.

[Clive Thorne]

The thing to remember is that, despite their many similarities (appearance from a distance, basic sound, basic construction, required finger dexterity etc.) the English, Anglo and various Duets are fundamentally different instruments in terms of how and what you play. 

[Ubizmo]

Which intuition is strongest? That the low notes should be on the left hand and the high notes on the right hand, or that notes should be the same whether pushing or pulling. If the former, it's got to be Anglo. If the latter, it's English. If you can't live without both, it's Duet. Each one gives you something you want, but also causes a bit of pain--although I've never played the Duet, so I can't really speak to that.

 

I suppose this is true of every musical instrument.

[hjcjones]

20 hours ago, macnalley said:

After about a year, I became very frustrated with key limitations, and the push/pull nature and note layout felt like I was relearning the instrument with each new tune. I love improvisation, but that felt impossible when you have to so carefully plan each arrangement.

 

To defend the anglo, whilst it is true that arrangements have to be planned (to some extent at least) to find the best combination of push-pull, especially when adding chords which often dictate the bellows direction, an experienced player knows where to find these and is well able to improvise. 

 

The point about key limitations is certainly an issue, although some can play in more keys than you would usually expect. However it's a good excuse to get another instrument in different keys :). Seriously though, if you want to play chromatic music or in a wide range of keys then anglo is probably not the right choice.

 

Like others, I suggest you ask yourself which players, or which type of music, attracted you to the concertina in the first place. That should be a strong pointer.  However if you have the opportunity to try both then I suggest you do so. Some just can't get their heads around push-pull, and others can't manage the left-right alternation of the English.

[David Colpitts]

To Jo English: I have experience only with Anglo and Duet, and love both.  

 

The Anglo (perhaps because it's so much like diatonic harmonicas, which I have played for decades) quickly became what I wanted: an almost transparent link among ears, brain and fingers that lets me (mostly) play whatever I can whistle, hum or sing.  Of course, in my simplistic musical world, that's only in the home keys, as others have pointed out.  So I have a CG, a GD, and a DA for playing out with others.  No "subjunctive" keys or sight-reading for me, but instant and reliable small chords in those keys.

 

The Hayden Duet lets me try other keys and more "exotic" tunes, and I find the right hand side almost as directly connected to brain and ears now, after just a few years with it.  The left still lags, but is progressing.  I suspect the duet is much more like the English than like the Anglo, in all ways except the alternating left-right scales of the English.

 

As the wiser folk hear have said, play the one that inspired you, or play both!

[Duncan Luddite]

On 3/28/2026 at 4:01 AM, pinnman said:

 

 RH notes on the lines and LH in the spaces

 

I think you mean "L for left (hand) and L for line (notes), R for space (notes)"
  I ended up with a concertina (mid 19thC, dealer sold it to me very cheap and it needed three months work to be fully functional 🙃) before I was aware there were two main sorts. Mine is an English, and I'm extremely happy with it.

  As others have pointed out, being chromatic it has no limitations on what key you can play; if you have a reed stop due to sucking in a bit of grot while playing (as happened to me once), with the same key you still have it's partner in the opposite bellows direction available (and you can deal with the obstruction later).

  Any two diagonally adjacent keys give you a chord of thirds, and any front to back adjacent keys give you a chord of fifths. The closer button spacing means that fifths can be achieved with one finger tip. Also I find neat, short, finger nails are helpful so as not to catch a second key by accident.

  For learning to play English I thoroughly recommend the free download of Frank E. Butler's book, "The Concertina" ( third tutorial down in the right hand margin here   http://www.concertina.com/merris/bibliography/english-tutors.htm ) . I printed mine out and did a simple binding so that I could read it wherever I was if I was waiting. It's very clear, and takes you through reading music (something I had to relearn after 44 years), and the concertina, one button/note at a time. By the end of the book (75 lessons) you're playing Mozart ! I'm not there yet
  I have made wrist straps, as I was getting pain in my little fingers. These are fitted to tabs that go under two end bolts nearest the player, so there is no modification to the body of the concertina. It's an antique; I don't want to damage it The straps feed through a wooden palm rest that I've hollowed out underneath to let out the sound of the rear notes.

  All the best with your concertina journey.

[Duncan Luddite]

Further to the English: Vintage/Antique EC are fully chromatic. Some of the new ones, say, the EC's sold by McNeela Music, are missing some of the sharps and flats. Don't ask me why. Also, some of the pricing on new ones are close to, or more than, some of the vintage/antique instruments around. The vintage ones are often nicer to play, and hold their value.

Just something to watch out for if you want to go that way.

Cheers