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Anglo Layout


Snorre

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Hello all.

As I am buying a new concertina, one that I will play for many years to come, I am faced with the last choice in the process:

Wheatstone or Jeffries?

I have been playing a cheap C/G 30-button for a little while now, with Wheatstone/Lachenal layout. As I try to learn tunes and technique pretty rigidly (from recordings, books and videos, as I have no access to a teacher in Norway), I am moving along slowly but steadily. My concern is if I choose the "wrong" layout today, will that be an issue when I, a couple of years down the road, want to play tunes I already know (as a fiddler) in "trickier" keys like A maj or Bb.

I also wonder what layouts accomplished players use.

I have no plans (nor finances) to aquire concertinas in different keys, so future versatility is very important to me.

Thanks

Snorre

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As I am buying a new concertina, one that I will play for many years to come, I am faced with the last choice in the process:

Wheatstone or Jeffries?

Will your new concertina have 30 keys, or more?

 

Also; do we assume that you do not plan to play Irish music (or at least, not in the Irish style)?

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Will your new concertina have 30 keys, or more?

 

Also; do we assume that you do not plan to play Irish music (or at least, not in the Irish style)?

Yes and no. 30 keys and more or less only Irish music, hopefully in the Irish style.

 

S

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Will your new concertina have 30 keys, or more?

 

Also; do we assume that you do not plan to play Irish music (or at least, not in the Irish style)?

Yes and no. 30 keys and more or less only Irish music, hopefully in the Irish style.

 

S

Thanks!

 

On that basis, I would suggest the Jeffries layout, since the C# (push) falls under the middle finger of the right hand making certain runs much easier. I've seen a couple of top Irish players at close quarters and was able to see how easy/natural this pattern seems to be. With the Lachenal/Wheatstone, the C# is on the adjacent button and needs to be fingered by the index finger.

 

http://www.concertina.info/tina.faq/images/finger3.htm

 

The Jeffries layout appears to be favoured by a majority of Irish players, and I'm sure other members of this Forum (those who specialise in ITM) will put forward reasons for/against this comment based on their experience.

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