This means that one row of buttons plays a full scale in the key of C, and another row plays a full scale in the key of G. The two innermost rows of the button layout on each side contain all the notes required to play a C major scale. The two outer rows consist of the sharps and flats required to complete the chromatic scale. Duet concertinas are available in the widest range of keys of all the types of concertinas.
At their most complex they can span up to five octaves! This depends on the type of concertina. The size of the concertina and number of keys dictates how many notes it can play.
A 30 button Anglo concertina for example can span three octaves, playing from C below middle C, to C two octaves above. In addition to the three main styles of concertina — English, Duet and Anglo — concertinas can also come with different voicings:. Treble concertinas feature the highest concertina voice and are the most commonly played. Baritone concertinas sound an octave below a treble concertina and are a favourite for accompanying singing.
Bass concertinas play an octave below the tenor concertina or two octaves below treble concertinas. Of all the traditional Irish instruments, the concertina is one of the easier instruments to learn. Unlike other Irish instruments such as the fiddle , uilleann pipes or even the Irish flute , the notes on the concertina are already in tune and playable with a simple press of a button and a squeeze of the bellows.
Mastering the concertina takes plenty of practice and musical skill. Compare how easy it is to learn the Anglo concertina with the fiddle and the flute. The needs of a beginner concertina player will differ depending on which style of music you want to learn. For traditional Irish music, the Anglo concertina is the most popular choice. Look for a 30 button, three row concertina in the key of C G.
This reliable instrument will take a player from novice to accomplished very easily. Learn more about the best anglo concertinas for traditional Irish music. For English folk music, an English Concertina will do the job nicely.
The Sparrow is perfect for beginners, while the Regondi is a more long-term investment that will see you right through to the advanced stage. Its layout is preferred by most beginners and the price is more affordable than other Duet concertina makers. It is portable and lightweight and as it weighs only 2. It also features imitation leather hand straps that can be adjusted for ease of play.
The button keys are white and touch-sensitive and do not stick on pressing. This concertina has a fast response time and has sounds that are bright, smooth and clear. This concertina from Mirage is a beautiful blend of colours. White, black, red and wine all combined to give its riveting appearance.
It is an Anglo-style concertina sporting 20 button keys and 40 reeds. Its twenty button keys are on two rows on either side of the concertina. Weighs all of three pounds and is a good low-end, entry-level instrument.
Although the 20 button keys put some limitations on the kind and range of music it can produce, it has a bright and clear sound and produces loud notes.
It is a CG concertina meaning it plays on the keys of C Major and G Major like most other button concertinas, and any other keys will have to be transposed.
Its reeds are made of steel, giving it long-lasting and more sustained notes. It has leather straps that can be adjusted for ease of play. This concertina comes packaged in a hard case that keeps the concertina insulated from dust and liquid spills.
The hard case can be locked and is used to store the concertina when it is not being played. It is also very efficient in moving the concertina around. This concertina is essentially a small, lightweight and portable one. It is made out of a combination of metal and environmentally friendly acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene ABS which is a type of polymerized plastic. It is a beautiful bright red colour, but it also has options for both the green and blue colours of the same concertina.
It has 40 brass reeds and 20 button keys. The keys are arranged in two rows of ten button keys on each side of the concertina. The brass reeds produce a somewhat subdued tone for the concertina, as is to be expected in brass reeds. It has a convenient 2. The hand straps positioned on either side of the concertina is for convenient holding, and the carrier bag helps in moving the concertina around. The small size and features of this concertina make it geared towards children and concertina players of a younger age.
This concertina is essentially a toy and it is not for serious, advanced or professional playing as it is not likely to be able to withstand the rigours of vigorous playing. This is a dark blue version of the Ammoon concertina accordion. Like other concertinas of its kind, it is made of red pine.
Being an Anglo style concertina, it has an octave range of 2. It is made available in three other different colours: red, green and blue so that the player can choose whatever colour they find most appealing to them.
Like the other Ammoon concertinas, this concertina also has end plated reinforced with Pearloid. This helps to protect and preserve the end plated of the concertina for as long as the Pearloid will last, although not as much as metal or mother of pearl will.
It is light enough to be played conveniently by anyone and has a bag that keeps the concertina safe from dust when it is not in use. This button concertina can only play in two of the two dominant keys of C and G.
However, the sound it produces is bright, and the tone is smooth. The two key play of this concertina is limiting. It would pose a snag if a player is to play accidentals because it would mess up the tones a little bit.
The Bonetti concertina is an Anglo style concertina. It is hand carved and has a finish of natural colour. It has 20 button keys and 40 reeds that allow it to cover up to a 2. It is hand-tuned to play in the keys of C Major and G Major. The reeds are made of brass and the hand of the concertina is made of leather. The brass reeds give it a mellow quality sound that is soft and smooth.
It is a very relevant instrument that may be used during band practice, at parties, musical concerts, in churches, during events, at jobs and gigs and for practice at home. It also has the added feature of a padded hard case that is fitted to the concertina and designed for safe storage and transport of the concertina to wherever it may be needed.
The leather used in making this concertina is simulated and so should not be confused for real leather. This Phoenix concertina shares a lot of features with the Curlew concertina. It is an Anglo style concertina that plays on the keys of C major and G Major. Its 30 button keys are black Delrin and domed so that there is no friction when playing them. It is lightweight and measures 16 inches across the flats. It has a Jeffries layout, and leather bellows with 6 folds.
The hand straps are soft, adjustable and made of premium leather. This concertina is fully chromatic and has melodious, clear and rich tones. The reeds are Tipo a Mano and made from high quality Czech steel which gives the concertina its rich, loud tones. This concertina is eye-catching and comes in a padded hard case that insulates the concertina from shock while at the same time providing a safe place to keep it stored in. It offers more opportunities in playing and plays on the keys of C Major and G Major.
This concertina is a high-end concertina and it packs a lot of impressive features. Across its flats, it measures approximately a remarkable 16 cm. The reeds are made of high-quality Swedish steel which is durable and stay in tune, lending this concertina a brighter, clearer, stronger and sweeter tones for longer periods. The rivet action of this concertina is good, and it gives quick, efficient and fast response. This concertina is in the vintage Wheatstone layout with adjustable leather straps and black leather bellows that are six fold.
This ensures that there is more air in the concertina, and the player does not need to run out of the air on the pull only when there are lots of notes to be played. The end plates are made of metal, and the buttons are touch-sensitive so there is no delay between depressing them and their action. This concertina is fully chromatic and can be used for any type of play, beginner or professional.
The Wren 2 Anglo concertina is an improvement to an existing Wren concertina. It has 30 buttons of three rows on either side of the concertina. Because this article is geared towards concertinas for beginners, all of the products mentioned here are Anglo concertinas. Read customer reviews. The Hohner Concertina is an Anglo style with 20 buttons and 40 reeds. It comes with a gig-bag for better portability, and it has a day limited warranty.
The Johnson FI Concertina is an Anglo style with 20 buttons and 40 reeds, and is larger than average. The Mirage C is an Anglo style with 20 buttons and 40 reeds, and is a bit smaller than average. It has adjustable hand straps, and comes with a lockable hard case. IMHO this is way over priced, it might be worth but even that is asking a lot for a box that might be wrecked and was not that great to start with. Edited to add: the Kijiji concertina that I am referring to is in Nanaimo and is branded as a Hohner, but it is a Stagi.
You would do better with Greg. I couldn't agree more with the sage comments your question elicited, and chime in with a query: Have you played the harmonica? Most all? I am unable or perhaps just unwilling, but it feels like unable to make the leap to cross-rows, since my brain is absolutely stuck with the in-out-in scales identical to the harmonica.
In fact, the Anglo remains, to me, a double handful of harmonicas, and I get more and more out of it, despite my confessed limitations. Easy and faster and faster tunes, by ear, with simple chords on the left hand. A blast, and an everyday joy. OTOH, the Hayden duet, mentioned in responses here, allows me a much more flexible set of keys, with the same fingering for each. If I hadn't started on the Anglo, I'd be more dedicated to the Hayden, but as a real beginner to it, it is just wonderfully different.
Neither box has me at full Irish session speed, although I am close to the requisite "muscle memory" with a couple of tunes on the Elise, and can see the potential with the Anglo since I have rented and will probably purchase a fast and responsive Morse Ceili anglo in G and D. I picked up a cheap 20 button anglo a few years ago without knowing anything about concertinas.
I have learned a great deal, the main thing was that I should have bought 30 keys. However, I play in a folk club where we just go round the room and most people perform solo. I play whistle and play the melody then sing, sometimes playing the melody somewhere in the middle or at the end. I tried to play concertina and sing at the same time but just gave up playing and went back to the whistle. I would like to be ale to accompany myself.
Have you tried starting really, really basic on accompanying singing? For just starting out, I'd recommend literally just doing a drone, like if you're singing in D just finger the lowest D and A and just let those hum while you sing over it. Then once you feel comfortable there, try some simple three-chord songs, just two buttons per chord, and see if you can change chords at the right time. It takes a little knack, but Anglo concertina is an outstanding instrument for accompanying your singing.
So far as 20 vs 30, don't underestimate the 20b if you don't need to play in a huge variety of keys, especially if you're mostly accompanying folk singing. Also if you want to upgrade your 20b to a vintage box, a vintage 20b or 22b, 24b, etc is way, way, way less costly than a 30b since the Irish players snatch all those up. So consider when you upgrade getting a vintage box with some notes if you're using it for relatively uncomplex folk requirements.
I looked at all the options before settling on a 48 key English. I aim to play different types of music and would find an Anglo too restrictive - even more than my chromatic harmonicas. Both the Anglo and chromatic harmonica are quite limited when it comes to Chords, but at least the harmonica is not limited to a couple of keys.
Either English or Anglo is an excellent choice for song accompaniment, but it's worth pointing out that a button Anglo is by no means limited to a couple of keys. This is particularly true if you follow Matthew's good advice of keeping the arrangements simple--but even more ambitious harmonies are quite possible outside the home keys of C and G, once you learn the fingerings.
I routinely accompany myself on Anglo in at least half of the twelve keys, and can manage the others if necessary. I play button instruments, but most of what I play could be adapted to The more I learn about the Anglo, the less restrictive I find it. I want to be able to play Minor, Augmented, Diminished, in addition to Major Chords in all keys, which I would guess are not available on any Anglo instrument, so I chose English.
I would say, find out what concertina music you really like, see what those people are playing, and get something similar. If it's Irish type jigs and reels etc, you don't need to think for long. It's an anglo every time. Now for the qualifications. Your options for voicing a particular chord can indeed be limited--the more so as you move away from your instrument's home keys.
The inversion you end up using might not be the first one you'd choose on a more fully chromatic instrument: voice leading is a challenge. And it is sometimes necessary to play a partial chord, for want of a particular note in the direction you're going.
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