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Fingering For 20-button Anglo


Calybos

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I'm the rankest of rank amateurs, just getting started on an Anglo concertina, and I'd love to find a basic fingering chart for the 20-button C/G model. Any suggestions or links?

 

I can read music, but that's about it. All my previous experience has been with wind instruments.

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Well, that's a start (Thanks!), but I'm looking for something even more basic: Which finger goes to which keys?

 

And on a 20-key, not a 30. I haven't even figured out which row is in G and which is in C yet.

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Well, that's a start (Thanks!), but I'm looking for something even more basic: Which finger goes to which keys?

 

And on a 20-key, not a 30. I haven't even figured out which row is in G and which is in C yet.

Calybos,

 

What kind of music do you hope to play?

 

When you hold the concertina with the air button under your right thumb, the row furthest away from you is the C-row, and the row closest to you is the G-row.

 

As to which buttons go to which fingers - a good place to start is with one finger on each button starting with the button nearest the vertical top of the concertina. As per my bad illustration below. I tend to view the inner (G) row as the home row, but you can do this for either row if you choose.

 

20-button C/G Anglo concertina layout

 

C -row O O O O O \ \ \ \ / / / / O O O O O

 

G-row O Pl Rl Ml Il / / / / \ \ \ \ Ir Mr Rr Pr O

 

Tr

 

I = index finger, M = middle finger, R = ring finger, P = pinky finger, T = thumb.

 

But that's just how I would do it. Something similar to this was suggested by Frank Edgley in his concertina tutor (highly recommended if Irish stuff is your game), while he plays and assumes you have a 30-button, I got lots out of it with my 20-button.

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Calybos:

 

Does this work?:

http://www.concertina.com/anglo/

 

Hope it helps

 

For my own information, (I don't know any better), are all C/G anglo concertina's the same??

I'm fumbling around trying to learn how to play a Morse Albion English.

 

Thanks

Leo

Edited by Leo
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Great! That's exactly what I need, thanks.

 

As for what type of music I'd like to do, I don't really know. Probably simple folk tunes for the most part. I know very little about specifically Irish music, other than what I've heard at fairs & festivals.

 

I'd be glad to just sound out "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" to get started!

 

Thanks again.

 

Edited: The reply was originally to David, but thanks for your graphic pointer too, Leo!

Edited by Calybos
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Good point.

 

I'm in Norcross, GA, just outside Atlanta.

 

I've got the Mick Bramich book, "Absolute Beginners' Concertina - a new guide to playing the twenty key Anglo concertina" and am not using it. If you want it PM me. I'm in Alpharetta so you could just swing by and pick it up sometime.

 

-jeff

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For my own information, (I don't know any better), are all C/G anglo concertina's the same??

I'm fumbling around trying to learn how to play a Morse Albion English.

If you're talking 20 button, then yes they are, largely. 30 button anglos and up have two distinct layouts known as the Jeffries and Wheatstone layouts. This mostly affects buttons in the third "accidentals" row. Having said that, there is an awful lot of variation around. The anglo has many different approaches to fingering, and it is not at all uncommon for players to have the layout customised to suit their personal approach to playing (especially in that third row).

 

Here are some charts from the Concertina FAQ. Hope they help.

 

Chris

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Here are some charts from the Concertina FAQ. Hope they help.

 

Chris

 

Chris:

 

Yes! Thanks! That's twice I forgot such a great reference. I should have known, as often as I looked at it, it didn't register what I was looking at. Darned short term memory and all. That's usually the second thing to go. I don't remember what the first is though.

 

Leo

Edited by Leo
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  • 2 weeks later...

thanks to CALYBOS for posing the very query I had in mind. Another thought...I am in the Orange, California area (just outside Disneyland) and have been looking for instruction without luck. If any soul perusing this post has a thought to assist me in my search for inner concertina peace I'd be very grateful. I'm doing very poorly trying to get it on my own. Thanks

JimB

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thanks to CALYBOS for posing the very query I had in mind. Another thought...I am in the Orange, California area (just outside Disneyland) and have been looking for instruction without luck. If any soul perusing this post has a thought to assist me in my search for inner concertina peace I'd be very grateful. I'm doing very poorly trying to get it on my own. Thanks

JimB

 

Hi Jim

Since you've gotten this far, I assume you've read through the above references. They are a great source of information. Are you looking for a type of music to play? Do you play an instrument now? Do you have an instrument now? There are a few here from CA, unfortunately I'm not, so I can't help with that. In the mean time does this help:

http://www.concertina-academy.com/

 

There is a lot of kind help here, could you be a little more specific?

 

Thanks

Leo

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thanks to CALYBOS for posing the very query I had in mind. Another thought...I am in the Orange, California area (just outside Disneyland) and have been looking for instruction without luck. If any soul perusing this post has a thought to assist me in my search for inner concertina peace I'd be very grateful. I'm doing very poorly trying to get it on my own. Thanks

JimB

 

Hi Jim

Since you've gotten this far, I assume you've read through the above references. They are a great source of information. Are you looking for a type of music to play? Do you play an instrument now? Do you have an instrument now? There are a few here from CA, unfortunately I'm not, so I can't help with that. In the mean time does this help:

http://www.concertina-academy.com/

 

There is a lot of kind help here, could you be a little more specific?

 

Thanks

Leo

 

LEO, thanks for the reply. Been toying with this new Hohner D40 for a few days and I have come to the conclusion that I have no affinity for the instrument. Never having been a REAL musician (just a drummer) the most elemental instruction is what I require from a local teacher. I enjoy all music. The concertina has always been able to evoke an emotional reaction in me no matter what style. I like bluegrass, zydeco, irish, continental, thats what I call the accordian music from Greece, Italy, France, Spain, etc: I need an instructor in my area.

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LEO, thanks for the reply. Been toying with this new Hohner D40 for a few days and I have come to the conclusion that I have no affinity for the instrument. Never having been a REAL musician (just a drummer) the most elemental instruction is what I require from a local teacher. I enjoy all music. The concertina has always been able to evoke an emotional reaction in me no matter what style. I like bluegrass, zydeco, irish, continental, thats what I call the accordian music from Greece, Italy, France, Spain, etc: I need an instructor in my area.

Check your other post under learning. Those guys might help

Thanks

LEO

Edited by Leo
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LEO, thanks for the reply. Been toying with this new Hohner D40 for a few days and I have come to the conclusion that I have no affinity for the instrument. Never having been a REAL musician (just a drummer) the most elemental instruction is what I require from a local teacher. I enjoy all music. The concertina has always been able to evoke an emotional reaction in me no matter what style. I like bluegrass, zydeco, irish, continental, thats what I call the accordian music from Greece, Italy, France, Spain, etc: I need an instructor in my area.

Check your other post under learning. Those guys might help

Thanks

LEO

 

Thank you Leo

JimB

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