Because I'm greedy....

[Ivan Viehoff]

My perception is that a Duet concertina is more difficult to play to an acceptable standard than either than an Anglo or an English. Because of the shortage of available learning material, etc, they tend to be favoured by people who can read music and adapt materials intended for other instruments to them.

 

For your £500-£600 budget, well you find quite a lot of of 46-key Maccanns for sale at that price and coming up on ebay. Maccanns sold by dealers in that price range can usually be relied on to be in tatty condition, probably with some fixes needed. Though on ebay you can be lucky to get one in good condition in that range. Recently a couple went for not far shy of £500 which were obviously tatty and in need of a bit of fixing. I think the sellers were lucky. But ones in good condition often don't sell for much more (on ebay), and on a bad day (for the seller) go for less.

 

Because 46-key Maccanns have certain infuriating shortcomings, most people who play 46-key Maccanns, if they take to it, end up wanting to play a 57-key+ Maccann, which are will cost twice that as a minimum.

 

You might also come across a 42-key Crane at that price. They don't come up too often, and condition is often questionable on them. They verge onto the "not valuable enough to be worth spending the money to fix up nicely" category. But I suspect they are, in some ways, less infuriating than a 46-key Maccann in their shortcomings.

 

The Stagi 46-key Hayden I think can be had in your price range.

 

You quoted my paper, so you know my views on the different size instruments, so I won't explain any more here. You can also get duets with fewer keys than those mentioned above, but I think they are likely to be too infuriatingly limited in their potential.

[LDT]

My perception is that a Duet concertina is more difficult to play to an acceptable standard than either than an Anglo or an English. Because of the shortage of available learning material, etc, they tend to be favoured by people who can read music and adapt materials intended for other instruments to them.

its the lack of teaching materials that's putting me off in the main.

 

The Stagi 46-key Hayden I think can be had in your price range.

That's the one I was looking at....

[Boney]

The Stagi 46-key Hayden I think can be had in your price range.

That's the one I was looking at....

Compared to a decent Hybrid like the Tedrow you've ordered, the Stagi will feel like driving a broken-down delivery van. It'll make your shoulders hurt and put creases on the back of your hand. (I know, I've played both). I would not have taken up the Hayden duet if the Stagi was the only box available.

[ragtimer]

My perception is that a Duet concertina is more difficult to play to an acceptable standard than either than an Anglo or an English. Because of the shortage of available learning material, etc, they tend to be favoured by people who can read music and adapt materials intended for other instruments to them.

its the lack of teaching materials that's putting me off in the main.

True, there are no teaching materials directed at Duets per se. But an experienced multi-instrumentalist who knows chord changes will easily teach himself the Duet -- at least the oom-pah style.

The Stagi 46-key Hayden I think can be had in your price range.

That's the one I was looking at....

I've been playing the Stagi Hayden Duet 46 for nigh unto 4 years now. While this box is kind of stiff (the button springs are too strong), I make decent music with mine, and no major failures yet. Once broken in, the bellows are nto stiff at all.

 

I don't know what Bob Tedrow's waiting time is for his 52-key Haydne (a great button layout), but his $4750 is a bit much for an impulse buy!

 

Your other option would be a used Crane/Triumph duet -- at least, I would prefer that to a Maccann, but that's a personal taste matter.

 

Other than the urge to splurge, what are you really looking for, musically? The ability to accompny yourself with bass and chordds? Then a melodeon may be even better choice than a Duet -- the bass is deeper, tho the bass notes and chords are limited.

 

Finally, as someone suggested, learn to play chordal style on the Anglo, liek Jody Kruskal. Jody has started to publish detailed charts of tunes with tablature to show how he works his miracles of "playing Anglo like a Duet" (my words, not his).

 

FWIW, last fall I bought a Jack EC to see if I could learn the English system. Well, I made a little progress, but when frustrated, it's so easy to just pick up the Hayden and whip off the tune I was struggling with. Tha'ts another pitfall of too many instruments -- the one you always return to is the one you like. Right now I've a yen to go flog my 88-note keyboard dulcimer upstairs -- but the Haydens are sitting next ot me.

--Mike K.

[Anglo-Irishman]

True, there are no teaching materials directed at Duets per se. But an experienced multi-instrumentalist who knows chord changes will easily teach himself the Duet -- at least the oom-pah style.

 

Your other option would be a used Crane/Triumph duet -- at least, I would prefer that to a Maccann, but that's a personal taste matter.

 

Other than the urge to splurge, what are you really looking for, musically? The ability to accompny yourself with bass and chordds? Then a melodeon may be even better choice than a Duet -- the bass is deeper, tho the bass notes and chords are limited.

 

I must disagree in part - but first, I'll agree that "an experienced multi-instrumentalist who knows chord changes will easily teach himself the Duet - at least the oom-pah style". I'm doing just that on a 48-button Crane just now. The beauty of the crane is that the standard chord shapes require no knotting of the fingers - much easier than on the guitar! (Not quite as easy as on the Anglo, but for your pains you have great freedom of key, which is ideal for singing.)

I don't really think I'd fancy singing to the six or so ready-made chords on a melodion

 

Where I disagree is on teh availability of Duet learning material - there's a Crane tutor online for download at the Concertina Library.

 

Cheers,

John

[Ivan Viehoff]

Where I disagree is on teh availability of Duet learning material - there's a Crane tutor online for download at the Concertina Library.

Most people think those old tutors are not much more use to anyone than is a bicycle to a fish.

 

Certainly there is something - Brian Hayden has some any-system duet beginners' materials, and David Cornell has some arrangements useful provided you have middle C in the right, etc, all at Concertina.com. But it isn't doesn't really add up to complete adequate materials for learning, without using your own ingenuity in addition.