I was haunting a local antique shop today and found a couple of old intruments. One as a Marx Pianoette in unbelievably good condition. For a pcture of what I mean, see form (picture) 3d on this site:
I can’t play it but I bought it anyway. Does anyone here know how to play the class of instruments that seems to be referred to as “violin-ukes”?
The second instrument I did not buy but am mentioning here in case anyone else is intertested. Its an old concertina - the hexagonal variety with buttons at both ends. The veneer on the ends has a couple of chips and the paper trim is worn, but the bellows is still good and it still sounds like it’s in tune, not that I’d have any way of knowing. All in all, it looks and sounds pretty good for it’s age. No maker’s mark.
If anyone here is interested, I have the dealer’s name and e-mail and will be happy to provide them if asked. He assured me that he does have the ability to take and send digital pictures.
This is a good time for me to ask something that I’ve always wondered about. How does a concertina work? Is it like a Melodion (sort of a type of harmonica where a vibrating metal reed produces the tone and the buttons merely direct the airstream to the appropriate reed.)? I ask because I did notice that it made no sound unless a button pas pressed.
This is the first time I eer even saw one that close, let alone handled it.
Jaysus, you can’t get the reeds in a concertina for $120. If that’s really a concertina, of course – you can’t tell, there are a lot of cheapie imitations that are worth about $120.
And yes, that’s how it works. Same as any kind of accordion. The “push” and “draw” give different notes. The concertina uses smaller reeds than the accordion. They’re like mouth-harmonica reeds, made of steel. Since they’re smaller, they react much faster than an accordion’s reeds. Real concertinas are hard to come by, and expensive. They used to be a mass-produced item, but not anymore. There are only a couple or so makers now, and the 100-year-old ones that still work.
Very nice instrument. Used to be considered a woman’s instrument in Ireland, because it’s small and delicate compared to the accordion. Nice instrument, very fast, nice sound in a small package.
Basically, yeah. Each button can produce two notes because when the air is flowing one direction, one reed is pushed flat against a block and another is pushed away from the block to vibrate. Switch bellows direction and the two reeds basically swap roles, and you get a different pitch depending on what reeds were placed where.
If you want to play with a really simple version, get yourself one of these:
Of the assorted “Violin Uke” instruments, the Ukelin is probably best known. They go on ebay for around $50 in playable condition. I’ve wanted one for about 2 years, but can’t justify the cost when I doubt it would be anything better than a dust collector…
How old would an original be vs. a copy? I can’t say how old for sure, but this one is old. I’ve been selling antiques for years and there are too many hints. The veneer type, the underlying softwood, the 'wallpaper-loke" trim and the funny old screws are dead giveways. Also, this thing is aged in a way that no counterfeiter would use - only Mother Nature does it that way. The hand straps, which I assume were originally leather, have been replaced by fabric strips. Other than that, the wear I saw was age and use.
There’s actually a very close relationship between an anglo concertina and the diatonic harmonica that extends way beyond the mechanical aspects of sound production. Although anglos can vary a bit in just where certain notes are located the, standard sytem has two main rows of buttons, the innermost in G and the outer (or middle) in C. Imagine a C harmonica placed on top of a G harmonca and buttons and bellows activating the reeds rather than mouth holes and lungs. Now imagine both harmonicas cut in half and the left half of each harmonica place on the left side of the bellows and the right half on the right side. You now have your basic two-row G/C. Most of us play three row anglos, the outer row containing accidentals and crucial notes for when the bellows are moving in the opposite direction to what we require on G or C rows. Mine is a fancy-pants 32 key number with an extended C row for easier playing in keys like D but the basic layout is still the same.
Given the chance, I’d snap up something like the instrument you described. Often, even a fairly mediocre old instrument can be restored to the point where it is a useful backup or good beginners instrument.
On the first question, I didn’t notice. I’m just guessing here, but each end had perhaps 12-14 buttons in two lines arrange in sort of a blunt crescent formation.
Perhaps I’m just overtired, but I’d swear the text above is in either Early English or perhaps Swahili.
As for snapping it up. $40 for a pianoette that I may perhaps be able to learn to play is one thing. Just a WhOA variant, you might say. $120 for a concertina that is beyond even my comprehension, let alone my dexterity and ear, would be prima facie evidence of insanity and cause for commitment. If my wife didn’t kill me first.
Okay folks, I scanned the Concertina.net stuff. Here’s what I think. Remember, I examined it for a whole two minutes and was more interested in the instrument I was buying than the concertina I (w/c)ouldn’t afford.
First of all, it is probably an “Anglo” type from the button arrangement. I squeezed and drew it once or twice to see what happened and to see if I could detect any air leaks in the bellows (I couldn’t) but don’t recall anything at all about what the notes might have been.
Second, it’s OLD. There is no metal on it’s face. The ends are wood, a softwood type with a thin wood veneer. The holes through which the buttons (which resemble rounded ends of 1/4" dowel) are unornamented and larger than the buttons. The veneer is missing two small chips about 1/4 -1/3 inch across. The ends are perhaps an inch thick. Around the edges of the wood ends is a wallpaper-like trim band, which is worn in spots but mostly intact. Its pattern is unspectacular, merely dark lines forming diamond shapes on a lighter background.
The bellows is black leather. It remains flexible, looking on the surface sort of like a worn leather jacket. The hand straps, presumably originally of leather, are now black fabric of some sort. A couple of the buttons have broken ends but still protrude far enough to allow easy finger contact.
I was unable to find any serial numbers or other identifying marks on either the ends or bellows. There os also no fancy engraving or scrollwork. It looks like a nice, workaday instrument - a musician’s tool, if you will.
Beth
Quote: “Tinker just told me to buy it. Does that make him an enabler?”
Depends. if he’s providing the money, he’s an enabler. Given your stated impoverishment, if he’s not providing the cash it makes him a tease.
Chuck, when I wrote that out I thought I was making a difficult issue simple. Honest.
Now, rereading it, I’ve got to admit that I can see your point. I guess we free reed enthusiasts are doomed never to be understood. And they say pipers are strange.
Well, I’m off to practice concertina. Back to the dark side.
…or a duet? if it is a duet is it a McCann or a Jefferies or another system?
How many keys is a big help.
Just be aware that not all old free reed instruments are necessarily any good. I have an old melodeon that is really just an ornament; its not that it has deteriorated it was just rubbish from day one! On the other hans I picked up an old Wheatstone Duet (46key McCann) from an antique shop in yorkshire a few years ago for £200 which I have just recently traded for a rather fine Wheatstone (made by the father of the Concertina chap) 8 Key flute.
Just beware of rubbish! Although if you can beat the price down it is well worth a gamble; they are great fun to play with if you are into restoring, their ‘guts’ are fascinating.
If anyone gets it then let us know what its like.
Mat
Update:
Oh…the button description does indeed sound like an Anglo.
From the description, it sounds like a 20-button anglo. The leather bellows took me by surprise: for 120 beans, you can often get a big fat swarthy German concertina, with 20 buttons and paper bellows and accordion reeds. Usually covered with perloid.
But if the wood has a veneer on it, that might indicate it’s a cheap old Stagi or some such.
My usual advice for concertinas in this price range (e.g., less than $1000) is to try it out before buying. Even if you’re buying a new box for under a grand, those things have quite a bit of variation in playability and quality control. That’s the advantage of stores like House of Musical Traditions: you can try a bunch of Stagis before buying one.
Chuck, when I wrote that out I thought I was making a difficult issue simple. Honest. 
