Novice Seeks Concertina (new Or Used)

[EB07]

Hi all,

 

I am interested in learning to play the concertina and am looking for a concertina in the key of D/G. I already play a few instruments and play a lot of Irish traditional music most often in the key of D. As i am only starting out, I would like to purchase a 'beginnners' concertina which will not cost me a whole lot. New or Used are accepted!

 

Look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks!

[Woody]

Hi all,

 

I am interested in learning to play the concertina and am looking for a concertina in the key of D/G. I already play a few instruments and play a lot of Irish traditional music most often in the key of D. As i am only starting out, I would like to purchase a 'beginnners' concertina which will not cost me a whole lot. New or Used are accepted!

 

Look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks!

Welcome aboard Concertina.net

 

To be able to answer your question could you let us know which country you're in and a rough idea of how much you were thinking of paying? The rough ranges are beginners instruments costing a few hundred UK Pounds ( £1 = $2 US), mid-range instruments costing around £900-£1500, and then more expensive instruments peaking at around £4000-£5000.

 

Presumably from your question you're looking for an Anglo concertina - others on this site will know better than me, but I believe that the majority of Anglo players that play Irish Traditional music use an instrument in the keys of C/G even for tunes in the key of D. I believe that you will also find that the majority of Anglo Concertina instruction materials and courses for Irish Music assume that you are playing a C/G box.

 

Welcome to a lifelong addiction

 

- W

[EB07]

Hi,

 

Thanks for your reply 'Woody'! I am from Ireland and since I am only starting out I would only be willing to pay in the range of a few hundred UK pounds (Euro).

Correct me if I am wrong here: I play the button accordion (a little) and it is in the Key of D. Therefore would a concertina in the Key of D/G be more appropriate to me as I would be 'pushing in' and 'out' the same as a D accordion? I play a lot of traditional Irish music so I think I would find it confusing if I were to get a C/G concertina whereby I would be 'pushing in and out' the opposite way to a D accordion. Am I right in saying this?

 

Looking forward to hearing anymore advice!

Kind regards,

EB

 

 

Hi all,

 

I am interested in learning to play the concertina and am looking for a concertina in the key of D/G. I already play a few instruments and play a lot of Irish traditional music most often in the key of D. As i am only starting out, I would like to purchase a 'beginnners' concertina which will not cost me a whole lot. New or Used are accepted!

 

Look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks!

Welcome aboard Concertina.net

 

To be able to answer your question could you let us know which country you're in and a rough idea of how much you were thinking of paying? The rough ranges are beginners instruments costing a few hundred UK Pounds ( £1 = $2 US), mid-range instruments costing around £900-£1500, and then more expensive instruments peaking at around £4000-£5000.

 

Presumably from your question you're looking for an Anglo concertina - others on this site will know better than me, but I believe that the majority of Anglo players that play Irish Traditional music use an instrument in the keys of C/G even for tunes in the key of D. I believe that you will also find that the majority of Anglo Concertina instruction materials and courses for Irish Music assume that you are playing a C/G box.

 

Welcome to a lifelong addiction

 

- W

[Chris Timson]

Correct me if I am wrong here: I play the button accordion (a little) and it is in the Key of D. Therefore would a concertina in the Key of D/G be more appropriate to me as I would be 'pushing in' and 'out' the same as a D accordion? I play a lot of traditional Irish music so I think I would find it confusing if I were to get a C/G concertina whereby I would be 'pushing in and out' the opposite way to a D accordion. Am I right in saying this?

Well, let's see. A G/D anglo is not the same as a two row D/G melodeon. On the melodeon the D row is the lower key in pitch and is a fourth below the G row. The anglo has G as the lower row, and it is a fifth below the D row. In practice this means that any cross fingering between the two rows is completely different on the two systems.

 

If, however, your melodeon is only a single row, then it will largely be the same as the D row of a G/D anglo.

 

Woody is correct that most players of Irish music on the anglo appear to favour the C/G; however historically there have been a number of players of Irish music on the G/D anglo and I have certainly heard good Irish music played on the G/D (just as I have heard some magnificent Irish music played on the English concertina, but that's another story). Myself, I play the G/D and think G and D the perfect keys for the anglo - but then I play English music together with a smattering of French and Swedish tunes, so what do I know?

 

Chris

Edited January 4, 2008 by Chris Timson

[Woody]

Hi,

 

Thanks for your reply 'Woody'! I am from Ireland and since I am only starting out I would only be willing to pay in the range of a few hundred UK pounds (Euro).

Excluding the key issue I think the current consensus is that a C/G Rochelle Anglo from Concertina Connection would be the way to go, though unfortunately they are only made in C/G. You can get them from All About Accordions in Dublin - I don't know the price - or they are available direct from Concertina Connection for 265 Euros including shipping, basic gigbag and beginners guide. These are great beginners instruments.

 

If you decide to go down the G/D route, there's a Stagi G/D around for about £450 in the UK.

 

 

Correct me if I am wrong here: I play the button accordion (a little) and it is in the Key of D. Therefore would a concertina in the Key of D/G be more appropriate to me as I would be 'pushing in' and 'out' the same as a D accordion? I play a lot of traditional Irish music so I think I would find it confusing if I were to get a C/G concertina whereby I would be 'pushing in and out' the opposite way to a D accordion. Am I right in saying this?

I'll pass on this question

[Gan Ainm]

I am from Ireland and since I am only starting out I would only be willing to pay in the range of a few hundred UK pounds (Euro).

Excluding the key issue I think the current consensus is that a C/G Rochelle Anglo from Concertina Connection would be the way to go...

I'm in Dublin and, if you decide to go for the Rochelle, I have one that I bought a few months ago, which you can have for for the same price that I paid for it, i.e. 265 Euro, including Gig Bag and Tutor. It has barely been used and you are welcome to try it out before you buy. It's a Rochelle 30 key accordion-reeded anglo concertina in C/G.

 

As regards the G/D vs. C/G discussion, my impression is that the G/D is more popular with people who play English music and the C/G is more popular with people who play Irish music. This may have something to do with the fact, and I know I will be corrected very quickly here if it is not a firm fact, that the G row on a G/D is an octave lower than the G row on a C/G.

[Chris Timson]

This may have something to do with the fact, and I know I will be corrected very quickly here if it is not a firm fact, that the G row on a G/D is an octave lower than the G row on a C/G.

I also stand to be corrected, but I think it's because the G/D anglo is largely a modern innovation. Thus it was simply not an option available to the players of the 19th century.

 

Chris