New to Concertinas?
If you're new to concertinas, this is a good place to start. This will help you to decide which type of concertina would be best for you, based on your musicical preference.
Step 1: Which Concertina type is best for you?
Choosing the right concertina for the way you want to play music, is a very important decision. It is worth taking a few minutes to learn about the differences. The 3 concertina types: English, Duet, and Anglo, are used in different musical styles, and have different characteristics.
The English Concertina
The English is the original concertina, patented in 1829 by Sir Charles Wheatstone. It is fully chromatic, meaning it 'has all the white and black notes', just like the piano, violin, etc..
This means that it can play in any key, which allows you to play all kinds of music, ranging from classical, to folk and dance music, pop songs, jazz... English concertinas play the same note on both bellows directions (pull and push). If you want to be able to play a wide variety of music in different musical styles and want a concertina without any 'limitations', the English would be a good choice.
This means that it can play in any key, which allows you to play all kinds of music, ranging from classical, to folk and dance music, pop songs, jazz... English concertinas play the same note on both bellows directions (pull and push). If you want to be able to play a wide variety of music in different musical styles and want a concertina without any 'limitations', the English would be a good choice.
The Duet Concertina
The Duet concertina was patented in 1844, also by Wheatstone. The layout of the first duets was called the Maccann system. Our duet models have the Wicki/Hayden layout.
The Elise is partially chromatic, meaning that it has all the 'white notes', but only some of the 'black notes'. This is because of its small size. Larger models have more notes. This is not a problem if you want to play popular tunes, folk music, or accompany yourself or other players. The Elise can play in the keys common in general popular music. Just like the English concertina, the Duet also plays the same note on both bellows directions (pull and push).
The Elise is partially chromatic, meaning that it has all the 'white notes', but only some of the 'black notes'. This is because of its small size. Larger models have more notes. This is not a problem if you want to play popular tunes, folk music, or accompany yourself or other players. The Elise can play in the keys common in general popular music. Just like the English concertina, the Duet also plays the same note on both bellows directions (pull and push).
The Anglo Concertina
The anglo concertina is based on the German harmonica, invented in 1834 by Carl Friedrich Uhlig, and was originally called the German-Anglo concertina.
The Anglo is diatonic in design; the notes of one row consist of notes of the C major scale and another one consists of the notes of the G major scale. There is a 3rd row on the standard 30 key anglo model with all the accidentals (black notes) and some doubled white notes. The anglo is partly chromatic, but it is not really setup to play in keys with a lot of sharps or flats. Just like other folk instruments, the anglo functions best in the primary keys and modes. It is great for traditional Irish music, and other folk music. The anglo is the only concertina that plays a different note on each bellows direction (pull and push).
The Anglo is diatonic in design; the notes of one row consist of notes of the C major scale and another one consists of the notes of the G major scale. There is a 3rd row on the standard 30 key anglo model with all the accidentals (black notes) and some doubled white notes. The anglo is partly chromatic, but it is not really setup to play in keys with a lot of sharps or flats. Just like other folk instruments, the anglo functions best in the primary keys and modes. It is great for traditional Irish music, and other folk music. The anglo is the only concertina that plays a different note on each bellows direction (pull and push).
Step 2: Which quality concertina do I need
We always advise to start with a Starter Concertina, even if you are an experienced musician on an other instrument, for several reasons.
First of all, you do not learn any faster on a nicer, more expensive instrument. I know this contradicts what most music retailers will tell you, but it is just a fact.
The first phase of learning a new instrument is mainly a cognitive actity; you're learning to read music notation and the location of the notes on your instrument. Controlling and coordinating arm, hand, and finger movements is all "brain" activity. How 'smooth' the instrument plays or how 'nice' it sounds will not make any difference in how fast you will learn.
In this phase you're mainly 'thinking' and making body parts do what you want/need them to do. However, instruments do have to function properly of course. An instrument that doesn't work is not going to teach you how to play music.
Secondly, there is a financial aspect. Higher end concertinas can be expensive. Since the tempo of your progress does not depend on how nice your concertina is, it makes sense to limit the investment at this stage. Playing an instrument can be a lot of fun, but it is not for everyone. It might look like something for you, but you never know for sure until you try.
If it doesn't work out, you end up with a musical instrument that you most likely want to sell to recover part of your investment. Unfortunately, most musical instruments will lose a large percentage of their value, even if they are only a few months old. In this scenario it is better to lose a percentage of a few hundred $$ than a few thousand $$.
The third reason to start with one of the Starter concertinas is that they are part of our trade in program. In short, if it does work out, and you decide you want to move up to a nicer concertina later on, you can trade in your starter model at any time, and receive your full purchase price back as a credit towards the next instrument.
First of all, you do not learn any faster on a nicer, more expensive instrument. I know this contradicts what most music retailers will tell you, but it is just a fact.
The first phase of learning a new instrument is mainly a cognitive actity; you're learning to read music notation and the location of the notes on your instrument. Controlling and coordinating arm, hand, and finger movements is all "brain" activity. How 'smooth' the instrument plays or how 'nice' it sounds will not make any difference in how fast you will learn.
In this phase you're mainly 'thinking' and making body parts do what you want/need them to do. However, instruments do have to function properly of course. An instrument that doesn't work is not going to teach you how to play music.
Secondly, there is a financial aspect. Higher end concertinas can be expensive. Since the tempo of your progress does not depend on how nice your concertina is, it makes sense to limit the investment at this stage. Playing an instrument can be a lot of fun, but it is not for everyone. It might look like something for you, but you never know for sure until you try.
If it doesn't work out, you end up with a musical instrument that you most likely want to sell to recover part of your investment. Unfortunately, most musical instruments will lose a large percentage of their value, even if they are only a few months old. In this scenario it is better to lose a percentage of a few hundred $$ than a few thousand $$.
The third reason to start with one of the Starter concertinas is that they are part of our trade in program. In short, if it does work out, and you decide you want to move up to a nicer concertina later on, you can trade in your starter model at any time, and receive your full purchase price back as a credit towards the next instrument.
If it doesn't work out, you should have no difficulty selling your instrument on market places like Ebay, Facebook, concertina discussion groups, etc. We have produced over 18000 of our Starter concertinas , they are considered the benchmark in their class worldwide. The fact that our 5 year warranty automatically transfers to the new owner also helps.
