20 Vs 30 Button

[mcm]

just bought my dad a 20 button hohner for Xmas

 

looks like you cannot play any songs with sharps or flats.....is this true?

 

if so, does he need a 30 button then?

 

thanks much

 

mark

[Bruce McCaskey]

You can play many tunes on a 20 button. As to your question regarding playing anything with sharps or flats, assuming it's a standard C/G (one row in the key of C and the other in the key of G) there will be an F# available on the G row. In addition, it will be possible to shift the key of some tunes written in other keys to play on a 20 button. I'll leave more specific comments to concertina.net members more conversant with the details and terminology of keys and scales.

 

As to the 20 button vs. 30 button issue, much depends on your budget and his interest, not to mention how difficult it might be to return/exchange it for a 30 button. A 20 button can be a great novelty instrument if that's what you expect he'll think of it as. If you think he's going to focus on it more seriously, then I think it's a safe bet that in the long run he'd like a 30 button model better. Beyond that, if he spends a lot of time with the instrument I would think it likely that he'll eventually want to move to a higher quality (and more expensive) one.

 

That said, a Hohner may be a good way to test the waters if it's a good fit for the budget, though it's my understanding that some models are better than others. If you have an interest in exploring other concertina options, you might check with The Button Box. I think I've heard that they'll rent concertina's and so you may end up spending less money overall if your father either loses interest fast or decides he wants a better quality instrument right away.

 

Bruce

Edited January 3, 2006 by Bruce McCaskey