I’m wondering about buying this english concertina http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEBTOX:IT&item=320201749476&_trksid=p3984.cTODAY.m238.lVI
The problem is that i really don’t know if this is good for irish music. The concertinas I’ve seen has had a long…uhm “strap” or something over the hand instead of the thumb only. And i think this seems to be chromatic and you get the same sound when you push or pull it. I really don’t remember how it’s supposed to be but when i tried a concertina in Ireland i think i got different sounds from pushing and pulling but I’m not sure.
However, what kind of concertina is used in irish music?
Claudine is right. The English system concertina can certainly be used for Irish music (it’s what I use), but it is far less common than the Anglo 30 button C/G.
But I really don’t recommend these cheap Stagi/Bastari concertinas, like the one on eBay. They’re cheaply made with low-grade accordion reeds, not concertina reeds, the button action is clumsy and slow, and they’re slow to speak. They might be OK for slow song accompaniment, but for playing Irish music you can get frustrated very quickly.
Also, the standard English button configuration is 48 or 56 buttons. With only 30 buttons, this model is missing notes at the upper range, and some of the chromatic notes.
For a new English concertina you can expect to pay around $2000 US to start, and maybe $1200 and up for a used Wheatstone or Lachenal. So you can imagine what $145 gets you. In this case, you get what you pay for, and you don’t get what you don’t pay for. But if you just want to see if you might like concertina, and your expectations are in line with the price, it might be OK.
The new instruments from R. Morse are supposed to be pretty nice. In the UK, you can contact Chris Algar at Barleycorn Concertinas for a good selection of used instruments. And check Concertina.net for both instruments and tons of information.
Strange enough but everyone in Colorado Springs that plays Irish concertina plays an English. My friend Kent bought a beautiful Wheatstone concertina. The coolest instrument and he seems to do fine on it!
I thought I might like it so I borrowed his Stagi English and I just couldn’t bond with it. I later picked up a B/C and C#D accordion and really like it.
I also was fortunate enough to get on the tedrow tour and tried out a C/G anglo. It was a beautiful instrument and I definatley like the push pull with two different notes but I did find it difficult to get a D scale out of a C/G.
I know, I know, that’s what people play Irish music on but it just didn’t seem that intuitive to me. Grant it, a week with Noel Hill and I might sing a different tune, but I decided to stick with the accordion even though the concertina is a beautiful and intriging instrument!
I don’t think you could go wrong with an entry level concertina from the concertina conection. Jackie=english, Rochelle=anglo. Someone was recently selling a Jackie on the board. Bob Tedrow sells them and will trade it back towards one of his own concertinas, which are very resonable at 1850$!