Little Kids Learning To Play

[RustyBits]

Do any of you have little kids that are learning to play? My 5 year old is interested but her hands are so small and my concertina is so big. I have to work the bellows for her. What would be a good way to get her started? A toy button accordion? A harmonica?

 

A cheap 20 button would even be too big at this point. Sad but true, maybe she'll just have to wait until she's bigger.

[Henk van Aalten]

A harmonica might be a good choice: not expensive and (like the anglo) diatonic.

A really small thing with bellows can be found here... but it is an English .

 

Henk

[RustyBits]

Henk, What a cute little box! Is it yours? Where would I find one? Too bad it's not an Anglo, but I'll try to be flexible.

 

I notice that it says Saltarelle on the end which spells $$$$$$$$$$$, but it might would be worth looking into.

[Henk van Aalten]

Henk, What a cute little box!  Is it yours?  Where would I find one?  Too bad it's not an Anglo, but I'll try to be flexible.

 

I notice that it says Saltarelle on the end  which spells $$$$$$$$$$$, but it might would be worth looking into.

Lisa

No it's not mine . The page on which I found the photo, says that it's a STAGI. It is a page that is a part of the Scandinavian Squeeze In 2003 website.

 

Added later: Look at this page almost at the bottom: the prize is reasonable (but also for a 5 year old kid?).

Henk

Edited March 14, 2004 by Henk van Aalten

[JimLucas]

Henk, What a cute little box!  Is it yours?  Where would I find one?  Too bad it's not an Anglo, but I'll try to be flexible.

 

I notice that it says Saltarelle on the end  which spells $$$$$$$$$$$, but it might would be worth looking into.

This thread is a comparison of the miniature Stagi and the Jackie. What you want to look at there are two posts by me, the first of which includes the linked picture and the second shortly following. In those posts I quote Henrik (whose hands are in the photo), who plays one but says (among other things)

Unfortunately I would NOT recommend the small Stagi to a beginner,

especially not for a young beginner.

and then says why.

 

Wheatstone and others made many miniatures -- Englishes 2-3/4" to 3-1/2" across the ends, but also anglos and even the occasional duet, -- and they come for sale occasionally (less often than Jeffries), but now you're talking real money, if you can find one. The other thing is that they ordinarily don't have hand bars or other grips; you're apparently supposed to just hold the end between thumb and little finger and use the remaining three fingers for the buttons. (I understand that some folks added their own thumb loops, or whatever.)

 

There were also some smaller instruments made (I think Jeffries made a model that was smaller than standard (5-3/4"? 5-5/8"? I forget), but again that's hard to find and costly if you do. The Dipper County Clare model is just such an instrument, but good luck on finding one for sale, or affording it if you do. Except for the cost -- or maybe in spite of it -- the piccolo anglo (an octave higher than normal, and correspondingly smaller) recently sold on eBay might have been just what you're looking for.

 

But not all instruments feel the same. There are differences in button placement relative to the bar, weight, etc. The Button Box's Ceilidh, e.g., is extraordinarily light. And a friend has a 3-year-old who doesn't like the feel of the Lachenal or Jeffries, but loves the 30-button Stagi. So far she's only experimenting with single notes, but....

 

But I would really suggest you take a trip down to the Button Box to see what they have, and let your daughter try various instruments. Maybe she'll find something that "fits" her, and you could even rent one for a trial. I just looked at my Ceili, and I'm wondering if one couldn't remove the regular hand bar and put a new one on closer to the buttons, perhaps mounting it with some sort of clamp to the edges, so that it could be adjusted over time as the hands grow. (Maybe you could discuss that with Doug or Rich at the BB.)

 

Good luck.

[RustyBits]

Thanks for the info Jim. If I ever buy a Jeffries or Dipper it DEFINITELY not going to be for my 5 year old! We may try to find a cheap Stagi and move the hand rests (or have someone move them). That wouldn't be too expensive and she'd probably get years of use out of it before outgrowing it.

[RustyBits]

EEEEEW! How about this nice bright blue "Angola" Could I cope with having this thing in my house???

[JoachimDelp]

Lisa,

I am teaching to my daughtetr, whoi is now 9 years old, and we staareted ehen she has been 7.

I am also teaching to my grandson who is 6 years old.

 

My daughter stareted with an old, and cheap German Corcertina 20 buttons. I simpy changed the leather bands, shortening them.

 

Now she has got a nice 20 button Stagi C-1, nicely finished and of sweet sound, I enjoyu to play, coming even with leather bellos for a reasonable price.

 

There is coming an old Lachenal, whioch I must try to repair for her.

 

The Granson has started this year with a Chrismas Present, also a Stagi , made in plastic, and coloured blue, red or yellow, amde for kids. It is no toy. It can be really used for starting with a 5/56 old kid.

This one cost here in Europe about 150 Euros, or about 180 - 185 US$.

 

Have a look to Stagis website toi see the models I mention :

 

www.brunnermusica.com

 

The model I mean, has the number PL-4-2 and is announced as a "special concertina for children".

 

Kind regards

Joachim