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A Small Concertina?


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I sympathize with ANYONE looking for a 'small' concertina!

 

I recently purchased an Anglo and proceeded to learn from methods books. As a former accordion player (ladies' piano), this wasn't difficult to figure out.

 

I soon had a big problem. The instrument's button placement, combined with my small hands made it very difficult.

 

I did find a wonderful suggestion which helped helped somewhat...to use pipe-insulating foam pieces on the handrest. This still isn't a solution; however, as my wrists paid a price.

 

HELP...IS ANYONE OUT THERE WHO KNOWS WHERE I CAN FIND A SMALLER CONCERTINA?? :(

 

Marcus music sell a travel model, which has 21 keys allowing more range for Irish tune playing. they say it is the size fo a piccolo but standard pitch. This pic should show comparative size.

 

Another miniature instrument availible on the marker is the one by Norman,

with 13 keys.

http://www.btinternet.com/~a.c.normanandco...glo_new_big.jpg

Has anyone tried this one ?

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Hello

 

I have a neat wee Lachenal 26 button C/G which I love. It is 5 1/4" across the flats. It has a wonderful sound and plays almost effortlessly. It is the nicest to play Lachenal that I have ever tried in my limited experience. I acquired it for my infrequent travel needs, but I just love playing it from time to time because it has such personality and is a wonderful little machine.

 

Richard

Edited by richard
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Hello

 

I have a neat wee Lachenal 26 button C/G which I love. It is 5 1/4" across the flats. It has a wonderful sound and plays almost effortlessly. It is the nicest to play Lachenal that I have ever tried in my limited experience. I acquired it for my infrequent travel needs, but I just love playing it from time to time because it has such personality and is a wonderful little machine.

 

Richard

I too have a wee Lachenal 26 Button, which is on its way home to me now, as I write. Dave Prebble has kindly been giving it a Face Lift & a Reed Drop, so it left me as a rather grotty, yucky redish coloured Ab/Eb & will arrive here tomorrow morning rejuvenated as a G/D! Photos & of course a YouTube or two, to follow! ;)

 

I recently sold my 26 Button Jeffries & I'd just like to say that I've had loads of fun with both Concertinas, despite having only 26 Buttons to play with, for the past 17 years.

 

Cheers

Dick

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Dave Prebble has kindly been giving it a Face Lift & a Reed Drop, so it left me as a rather grotty, yucky redish coloured Ab/Eb & will arrive here tomorrow morning rejuvenated as a G/D!

 

And here was me, thinking that it would be lovely to have an old Ab/Eb in original condition! Better hurry up and raise the funds - now there's one less in the world :(

 

Of course it's yours, you can do what you like with it - but I rather like the sentiment frequently expressed here that we're not so much owners as trustees of these remarkable documents of our cultural history.

 

Cheers,

John

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Dave Prebble has kindly been giving it a Face Lift & a Reed Drop, so it left me as a rather grotty, yucky redish coloured Ab/Eb & will arrive here tomorrow morning rejuvenated as a G/D!

 

And here was me, thinking that it would be lovely to have an old Ab/Eb in original condition! Better hurry up and raise the funds - now there's one less in the world :(

 

Of course it's yours, you can do what you like with it - but I rather like the sentiment frequently expressed here that we're not so much owners as trustees of these remarkable documents of our cultural history.

 

Cheers,

John

John, Dave has actually just weighted each reed & he assures me that these weights can easily be removed, if a future owner wishes to take the instrument back to Ab/Eb, leaving it back where it started.

 

Here is the little chap & as you can see, it's not exactly a top of the range model.

 

2401319130102727105S200x200Q85.jpg

 

I'd never ever play it out as an Ab/Eb & as it was a gift, I'd never part with it either, so I reckoned, for better or for worse, that it was better to be playing it, than it just gather dust, as an ornament.

 

I'll post another photo, sound file & YouTube in due course.

 

Cheers

Dick

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I know Marcus Music did a slightly smaller box for a customer, I got to see it at Witney last year and I fell in love. Unfortunately for me, it wasn't for sale.

 

Here's a photo, next to one of his normal sized boxes. Not a whole lot smaller, but smaller than the average.

 

http://www.hostinginseattle.com/bethftp/cf..._concertina.jpg

 

The Marcus Music website is now showing the Traveller model on sale at £1250 UK.

21 button Anglo....looks gorgeous.

 

http://www.marcusmusic.co.uk/

 

Phil

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Dave Prebble has kindly been giving it a Face Lift & a Reed Drop, so it left me as a rather grotty, yucky redish coloured Ab/Eb & will arrive here tomorrow morning rejuvenated as a G/D!

 

And here was me, thinking that it would be lovely to have an old Ab/Eb in original condition! Better hurry up and raise the funds - now there's one less in the world :(

 

Of course it's yours, you can do what you like with it - but I rather like the sentiment frequently expressed here that we're not so much owners as trustees of these remarkable documents of our cultural history.

 

Cheers,

John

John, Dave has actually just weighted each reed & he assures me that these weights can easily be removed, if a future owner wishes to take the instrument back to Ab/Eb, leaving it back where it started.

 

Yes, it is totally reversible. Colin Dipper did the same to lower the bottom Ab on my Baritone-Treble Aeola down to low F. I'll never change it back, but I'll leave a note for the next in line. Mike

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Yes, it is totally reversible. Colin Dipper did the same to lower the bottom Ab on my Baritone-Treble Aeola down to low F. I'll never change it back, but I'll leave a note for the next in line. Mike

Mike,

 

My little Lachenal actually just arrived back about 45 minutes ago & I must admit, I hardly recognized her.

Dave has done an absolutely wonderful job of bringing this little lady back to life.

From a tired wheezy old lady, which was in unfriendly keys & whose pads were forever sticking, he has

transformed her into a very fit teenage godess, all set for the Prom! :D

 

Next time I take this little lady out to a session, I'm going to feel a bit like Ronnie Wood & his latest teenage conquest! :P

 

I'm not sure whether Dave has taken his usual set of excellent photos before parting with it, or not, but

if so & I receive copies, I'll let you folks see a couple of them.

If not, I'll take a couple myself & bung them up here.

 

Cheers

Dick

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  • 3 months later...
The Marcus Music website is now showing the Traveller model on sale at £1250 UK.

21 button Anglo....looks gorgeous.

 

http://www.marcusmusic.co.uk/

I got to try this yesterday at the Chippenham FF. It's really nice, very pretty, plays well, and is significantly smaller & lighter than their standard sized Anglo.

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I find this a strange posting.Concertinas are small ,it is what they are about.These lovely instruments pack away in a box about eight inches square.Why would you want to have a concertina smaller than that.There are ladies concertinas one of which I tuned up many years ago which was thirty buttons and a lady bought it.There are miniature concertinas mainly played by clowns as a novelty item,but unless you have some disability you will have a much wider scope by playing a normal size concertina.

I have just checked to see if you are a lady and some have miniscule hands (one in Australia springs to mind) but even the ladies concertinas fingering layout and required hand size is the same as the standard ones.

Some concertina makers would make a concertina to suit your requirements and Bob Tedrow was advertising one on this site.

Al

 

Quite right; that's something I like about the concertina; it's small. But, I just wonder; Why would anyone want a 'smaller' concertina. Aren't they small enough? But it's probably due to my experience for 1 year and 2 months on a C/G Morse that makes me wonder this. :lol:

 

Regards,

Patrick

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I find this a strange posting.Concertinas are small ,it is what they are about.These lovely instruments pack away in a box about eight inches square.Why would you want to have a concertina smaller than that.There are ladies concertinas one of which I tuned up many years ago which was thirty buttons and a lady bought it.There are miniature concertinas mainly played by clowns as a novelty item,but unless you have some disability you will have a much wider scope by playing a normal size concertina.

I have just checked to see if you are a lady and some have miniscule hands (one in Australia springs to mind) but even the ladies concertinas fingering layout and required hand size is the same as the standard ones.

Some concertina makers would make a concertina to suit your requirements and Bob Tedrow was advertising one on this site.

Al

 

Quite right; that's something I like about the concertina; it's small. But, I just wonder; Why would anyone want a 'smaller' concertina. Aren't they small enough? But it's probably due to my experience for 1 year and 2 months on a C/G Morse that makes me wonder this. :lol:

 

Regards,

Patrick

they are small, but us concertina folk have weak minds, and even weaker bodies. we always want to make everything a little easier on ourselves. it doesnt really matter too much to have a smaller instrument, but for some reason it is very noticeable when you play, say, a dipper which is hardly smaller at all.

 

also, when you get EVEN smaller, to miniatures... well, then you're just getting gratuitous. but, i figure if flute players have whistles, why cant we have our little, petite squeezeboxes? *really wants a miniature*

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I find this a strange posting.Concertinas are small ,it is what they are about.These lovely instruments pack away in a box about eight inches square.Why would you want to have a concertina smaller than that.There are ladies concertinas one of which I tuned up many years ago which was thirty buttons and a lady bought it.There are miniature concertinas mainly played by clowns as a novelty item,but unless you have some disability you will have a much wider scope by playing a normal size concertina.

I have just checked to see if you are a lady and some have miniscule hands (one in Australia springs to mind) but even the ladies concertinas fingering layout and required hand size is the same as the standard ones.

Some concertina makers would make a concertina to suit your requirements and Bob Tedrow was advertising one on this site.

Al

 

Quite right; that's something I like about the concertina; it's small. But, I just wonder; Why would anyone want a 'smaller' concertina. Aren't they small enough? But it's probably due to my experience for 1 year and 2 months on a C/G Morse that makes me wonder this. :lol:

 

Regards,

Patrick

they are small, but us concertina folk have weak minds, and even weaker bodies. we always want to make everything a little easier on ourselves. it doesnt really matter too much to have a smaller instrument, but for some reason it is very noticeable when you play, say, a dipper which is hardly smaller at all.

 

also, when you get EVEN smaller, to miniatures... well, then you're just getting gratuitous. but, i figure if flute players have whistles, why cant we have our little, petite squeezeboxes? *really wants a miniature*

 

I think you might be right there, David. To be honest, I thought you couldn't get concertinas smaller than the C/G's. Does the size of the concertina depend on what key it is in, or are the buttons smaller and more compacted together?

 

Thanks,

Patrick

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I think you might be right there, David. To be honest, I thought you couldn't get concertinas smaller than the C/G's. Does the size of the concertina depend on what key it is in, or are the buttons smaller and more compacted together?

 

Thanks,

Patrick

 

Hello Patrick,

 

There are 30 button CG anglo's of less than 6 inches across flats. I assume that they even could be made smaller. The reeds have to fit the pan, there is some unused space on a default size 30 button reed pan. The action needs space to put 15 buttons, levers, pads and springs on one action plate, my gamble that it would be possible to make a 5 inch C/G concertina with 30 buttons or eventually 28 buttons. If it is really good to play may be related to hand size...

 

There are anglo mini concertinas (for example by Jones) which are about 12 cm across flats. They usually have 20 buttons.

 

Smaller mini concertinas do exist and they usually are chromatic with 6 buttons on each side. But there are many types. Here is one, probably less than 4 inches across flats, and it shows that it must have a lot of folds in the bellows to push some air... It is probably an anglo system, it has been listed before:

 

 

Cheers,

Marien

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I think you might be right there, David. To be honest, I thought you couldn't get concertinas smaller than the C/G's. Does the size of the concertina depend on what key it is in, or are the buttons smaller and more compacted together?

 

Thanks,

Patrick

 

Hello Patrick,

 

There are 30 button CG anglo's of less than 6 inches across flats. I assume that they even could be made smaller. The reeds have to fit the pan, there is some unused space on a default size 30 button reed pan. The action needs space to put 15 buttons, levers, pads and springs on one action plate, my gamble that it would be possible to make a 5 inch C/G concertina with 30 buttons or eventually 28 buttons. If it is really good to play may be related to hand size...

 

There are anglo mini concertinas (for example by Jones) which are about 12 cm across flats. They usually have 20 buttons.

 

Smaller mini concertinas do exist and they usually are chromatic with 6 buttons on each side. But there are many types. Here is one, probably less than 4 inches across flats, and it shows that it must have a lot of folds in the bellows to push some air... It is probably an anglo system, it has been listed before:

 

 

Cheers,

Marien

 

Miniatureisation. Is it not true to say that there is always something fascinating about miniaturisation of almost all things ? I am thinking, for instance, of those who have derived pure pleasure from engraving the entire Lord's Prayer onto the head of a pin ! Serves no practical purpose but all good fun and a harmless sense of achievement. I am not of course suggesting that miniature concertinas come into this extreme category. Far from it.

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Quite right, Rod.

 

Pity on me for not thinking about that.

and if I may ask you, David, what did you mean by 'Nanotina?' Did you mean a mini concertina? If so, what does the 'Nano' mean? I can't find it in my dictionary. :( I feel depressed when I can't find a word in my dictionary when I can't. :D

 

Thanks,

Patrick

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I find this a strange posting.Concertinas are small ...There are miniature concertinas mainly played by clowns as a novelty item,but unless you have some disability you will have a much wider scope by playing a normal size concertina.

 

Quite right; that's something I like about the concertina; it's small. But, I just wonder; Why would anyone want a 'smaller' concertina. Aren't they small enough? ...

It's probably quite a niche market, but after trying the Marcus Traveller I can see that the smaller volume & lighter weight would make it useful for people for whom weight and size are at a premium - e.g. backpackers, cyclists, mountaineers, spelunkers/cavers, submariners, and astronauts :rolleyes:

 

 

...David, what did you mean by 'Nanotina?' Did you mean a mini concertina? If so, what does the 'Nano' mean? I can't find it in my dictionary...

Serves you right for having a Nano-Dictionary ;)

Edited by Woody
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