Help For A Begginer

[Fiddler]

Hey folks, I've just got a few questions for any concertina players out there. I play Trad. fiddle, but have always enjoyed the concertina and would really like to learn to play it. What should I start out playing? Being a fiddle player, I know the difference between the good and the BAD fiddles and their sounds and am very weary and picky when looking to buy. I have always been drawn to the GOOD quality antique or vintage fiddles. Although, I know there are old fiddles that sound like crap and are made like it too. Usually the number one thing I would avoid when buying a fiddle is to NEVER buy some of these new fiddles and obviously the beginner ones (unless you spend a lot on a nice new hand made instrument, but even then, I really try to avoid that). I just think fiddles with age have more to offer in a way. And I like to think they have a history behind them! I am assuming that this is the case when looking for concertinas. Am I correct? SO, my other questions... How can I find good quality concertinas that are not new, but worth buying and not with a hefty price tag? What is the usual price of a nice one?(in US dollars please!) I look at e-bay quite a bit and see what looks to me like nice older ones, but they all look different. Are there different versions? Also, what exactly do you listen for in one? Are they all always going to be made in the same key or different? And if different, can you change the keys? As you can tell I don't know very much about this instrument, but would love to know more. When I find a nice one, I would love to find someone to teach me a few things and get me started. Basically, I just want to know what I should be looking for when browsing for these instruments. I've been tols that if I want to play Irish than I need to get a 30 button Anglo. Does this sound right? THANKS FOR ANY HELP IN ADVANCE!

 

PS. Also, if I find an old one say in an antique store... but it wasn't playable right away and needed your typical professional "set up", about how much would you say it might cost me if there wasn't any MAJOR problems?

 

~Kaitlin

[David Barnert]

My usual advice is to seek out the person whose playing inspired you to get one and find out what kind of instrument they were playing. Certainly 30 button Anglo is very common for trad Irish. It's also a good idea to avoid mass-produced instruments if you can afford a decent one.

 

Edited for typo.

Edited June 29, 2006 by David Barnert

[Daniel Hersh]

Because of all their moving parts, glue joints, points of wear, etc., concertinas don't age nearly as well as violins. A "good quality concertina that is not new but is worth buying but not with a hefty price tag" is very difficult to find. Best bet for an older concertina of decent or better quality and condition is probably Barleycorn Concertinas--but you may be surprised at the price you'll have to pay for even a lower-end vintage English-made 30 button Anglo in good condition. There's probably greater demand for these Anglos than for any other type of vintage concertina, and the supply is limited.

 

And regarding the possible antique-shop non-working concertina, if it's not English-made and there's much wrong with it it's probably not worth fixing. Good concertina repairs are not cheap, and good technicians are not easy to find. There's only one shop in the US who are real concertina experts--Button Box, in central Massachusetts--and they have a six-month waiting list for repairs. There isn't really a "typical professional set up"--but to give you a sense of costs, Button Box recently tuned my 30-button English-made Anglo and did some pretty basic work, replacing a spring or two, a couple of reeds and a number of small leather valves, and I spent over $250.

 

On the other hand, there are a number of reasonable choices for new instruments out there now. If you're willing to consider that, say so and I'll offer more advice.

 

Daniel

 

Hey folks, I've just got a few questions for any concertina players out there. I play Trad. fiddle, but have always enjoyed the concertina and would really like to learn to play it. What should I start out playing? Being a fiddle player, I know the difference between the good and the BAD fiddles and their sounds and am very weary and picky when looking to buy. I have always been drawn to the GOOD quality antique or vintage fiddles. Although, I know there are old fiddles that sound like crap and are made like it too. Usually the number one thing I would avoid when buying a fiddle is to NEVER buy some of these new fiddles and obviously the beginner ones (unless you spend a lot on a nice new hand made instrument, but even then, I really try to avoid that). I just think fiddles with age have more to offer in a way. And I like to think they have a history behind them! I am assuming that this is the case when looking for concertinas. Am I correct? SO, my other questions... How can I find good quality concertinas that are not new, but worth buying and not with a hefty price tag? What is the usual price of a nice one?(in US dollars please!) I look at e-bay quite a bit and see what looks to me like nice older ones, but they all look different. Are there different versions? Also, what exactly do you listen for in one? Are they all always going to be made in the same key or different? And if different, can you change the keys? As you can tell I don't know very much about this instrument, but would love to know more. When I find a nice one, I would love to find someone to teach me a few things and get me started. Basically, I just want to know what I should be looking for when browsing for these instruments. I've been tols that if I want to play Irish than I need to get a 30 button Anglo. Does this sound right? THANKS FOR ANY HELP IN ADVANCE!

 

PS. Also, if I find an old one say in an antique store... but it wasn't playable right away and needed your typical professional "set up", about how much would you say it might cost me if there wasn't any MAJOR problems?

 

~Kaitlin