English Concertina for Beginners Part 1

[nytram1309]

No adjustments at all ... just use your ears to find the C Major scale and then you'll be able to follow all the videos easily :) Good luck :)

[wrenrover]

i have just acquired a 20 key english concertina. What sort of adjustments will be necessary to benefit from your video lessons. Thanks

[missbutter81]

Apparently Mahatma Gandhi played the concertina.

[craigwg]

Highly helpful. Thanks for making this video!



[gman11271]

hello! i very much want to learn to play the concertina but im wanting to be a bit of a revolutionary if you will! i really want to play modern songs rather than classical tunes, would this be possible?

[Jcolinsol]

I'm leaning towards an english (I've got a cheapy anglo right now) because I find it's easier to pick out tunes on a piano keyboard, and I'm getting tripped up by the in/out thing on the anglo.

[fingersmaloy]

Very informative and you're a delight to listen to! Thanks!

[NightingaleHMP]

What an excellent inroduction to this instrument..!! Thank you so much. I am considering taking this up and your informal into is fantastic - just what I need to know. Thank you so much for sharing this.......off to ebay now!!

[Annie5303]

I have been playing concertina now for 2 years . Mine is an irish concertina. Personally I think the irish concertina is the best sounding of them all also if you are starting concertina I highly recommend using an irish one and learning irish tunes. They sound the best. =]

[nytram1309]

Please can you tell us what you mean by an Irish concertina? Maybe you mean an "Anglo" concertina? The reeds and construction of both Anglo and English are pretty much the same ... it's the style in which they're played that will make them sound different. Irish tunes can be fast and complicated, and some might just want to accompany their singing, or to play in all the different keys. So I stand by my comments in the video :)

[GermanDulcimer]

Many thanks ! I will start playing English concertina soon and just stumbled about your videos and found out that they will be very useful!

Greetings from Germany :) !

[colleendana]

Thank you for this introduction. I would love to play the Anglo (irish) concertina, but cannot find any tutors! Would you say it is possible to learn how to play it through self-tutoring?? Thanks

[nytram1309]

You're very welcome!! Yes, you can learn to play the anglo yourself ... it works on a push/pull system, different notes on the push and pull. One row of buttons will give you a scale in one key, say D, and the other row will give you a scale in another key, say G. Find and practice the scales then carry on from there ... many of my lessons here will be helpful too, because it's all about music rather than buttons :)

[davedupplaw]

I am a beginner Anglo player but I can tell you the "standard" tuning for an Anglo is C/G so one row plays the scale of C and another G. 30 button models have another row of accidentals for the chromatic scale. It's entirely possible to self-tutor but it will take longer. There's techniques on the Anglo for avoiding pushing and pulling the bellows all the time; such as the cross-row technique. But, this lesson is useful to all players because it gives the idea of playing the music. Great stuff

[swampshine]

Great Video..very helpful chap!

[nutmegger1957]

thank you for taking the time to create this video....

I was discouraged to learn that valves and reeds were involved, but I should have known it, based on the concept of the instrument.

Having to do upkeep on valves and reeds is enough to keep me from buying one....

Which is a pity, since I thought I might like to learn to play it.

Surely do appreciate the video though.

[gceauke]

Hi I have stumbled upon your lessons. A few monts ago I have taken up the ukulele, and I was looking for something else, to play chords and simple tunes.

I was looking for a small size toy accordion, but they are not available at my music store, but hey had concertina's, both anglo (30 keys) and english (30 keys). Your tutorials have been very interesting.

[Esperant3]

if you need help with ukulele , just ask. I'll post 4 u.

[ractac0]

are there ant disadvanteges of a 30-key concertina, compared to a 48-key concertina?

i want to get an english concertina, but i cant afford the 48-key ones.

[nytram1309]

Depends what you want to do to some extent. On a 30 key you'll have enough notes to play folk dance tunes etc. If you want to accompany your singing you might want a box with more lower pitch notes. The 30 key will be lighter in weight and cheaper. In reality, some of the high notes on the 48 key boxes can only be heard by dogs and so are never used lol Does that help?

[dtone2]

I am in the same situation as ractac0 and have tentatively decided to buy a 30 button baritone (a 'Jack') as my first concertina.

Does this make sense and will I be able to use your lesson material with this instrument?

[nytram1309]

The Jack plays an octave lower than the Jackie. Are you sure you want this? Yes ... all the videos can be used with any concertina using the English system. Look forward to seeing how you get on!

[issesdiemoeglichkeit]

oh i enjoy your style of teaching. slow and so authentic!!! i´m on the way finding out which concertina is the right for me. at the moment the english is my favourite. biggest problem of course the price because it´s not easy finding on to play on without buying it...

[GiullarediDio]

Dickinson's site lists new 48-key Englishes in the region of 5000+ GBP! That's about a third of many people's annual wage, or the same as a high-end upright piano. Did you pay that sort of price?

[nytram1309]

Hi there ... I didn't buy mine new but yes, that's the price of a new one. They're made entirely by hand and take from 6 to 8 weeks to make ... so Wheatstone can only make around 7 or 8 a year ... and there's a waiting list of some years! Other makers charge less ... but beware, they often use accordion reeds and layouts which can be mass produced and give a different sound.

[RyeMan3]

Hey, its ryan pitcher, blatently your best student.. mainly due to your superb teaching :) wank stain

[Domytar]

wah hay thanks lad even thuogh i didn't pick up anything i hope4 i spelt thuogh right whatever taeching was very good . thank lancs

[irishlad6]

You have been quite helpful. Thanks for such great education and help :)

[elongatedharibo]

Ahhh you also taught me Maths at deben

i found the vid and showed my peirs

we were very impressed

keep up the good work =D

xxx

[snoopy773]

you taught me maths too!

..and now you're famous on youtube.

over 10,000 views :)

[ericinsurgent]

5:20  Waxie's Dargle?

[nytram1309]

Need more clues than that lol

[cheese012345678]

Mr Alan!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[nytram1309]

And who might you be? How's your maths? :)

[pandscarr]

What a lovely introduction to English concertina! Thank you so much,

[adnagu]

Hi Martin, enjoyed your videos 1& 2 so far and this is just the kind of intro to the concertina that I am looking for. I love how expressive this little instrument is and my intension is to learn to read music on something other than a guitar which I have played by ear for a number of years now. Martin, you might not be making any money from this but your efforts are very much appreciated. Thanks for doing this its a superb forum for learning this rare instrument.

[nytram1309]

You're very welcome ... good luck with your playing!  Martyn

[jandesnoo]

An interview with Martyn will appear in the ICA (International Concertina Association) Newsletter in March 2008. Martyn was so kind to receive me in his house and answer my questions about his lessons on Youtube and other subjects. It will make interesting reading.

The editor: Pauline de Snoo

[kalindoscopy]

archival stuff

[GabKoost]

Pfff.. there is nothing like Portuguese Concertina! Kust browse on Youtube and see what we can do with it! Concertina is the main musical instrument of portuguese culture! 6 years kids play it like masters!

[Subutubiata]

Yeah, apart from the fact that the Portuguese 'concertina' is in fact just a diatonic accordion. That's Portugal for you: the only country in world to be named after a jellyfish. No wonder they're confused...

[b5b9]

Wonderful presentation. Very informative. Thank you for taking the trouble to post it. I look forward to viewing your other postings.

[BigMikeX21]

Awesome I'll definitely be back here watching when I get my concertina in about a week.

[AlphaCelt]

Hello! could you advise as to a good starter English concertina? Perhaps some namebrands and links? Also, what size concertina should a beginner start with? I play some piano accordion but would love a smaller box to take to sessions.

AC

[nytram1309]

Hi there ... a 48 key, treble, steel reed, metal ended with 6 sides is the most common and best for session playing because it's a little louder than wooden ended. There are some modern made cheaper boxes around £350-£400 but the feel and action are quite poor when compared with a traditionally built instrument.

[AlphaCelt]

This is an amazing amount of effort on your part for something you could easily (and should still consider) selling! Even if they're out here for free you might find some folks (me) who would pay to have all of this on DVD/CD ROM!

AC

[nytram1309]

Lachenal and Wheatstone are the main names to look for ... expect to pay a minimum of £750 for a good playable instrument made in the early 1900s (more for Wheatstone) but remember ... it'll hold it's value unlike a cheaper modern box. Does that help?

[AlphaCelt]

Yes, this helps. I've been pricing and would love to find one for under $1,000.00 US. Would you have any links to websites handy?

AC

[triumphkirsten]

I really enjoyed that thanks !! I'm now sad though because you have made me realise that the instrument I have is a cheapie and not much use. Carry on with the lessons on youtube though - think that is a great idea - much appreciated.

[NicktheIrishman]

Thanx for mentioning the Irish :D. It's a very nice instrument, even though I think that us guys use the Anglo. Which is less preferable

[creamofcardstv]

Your video clip is great and I've rated it as awesome. Please check out mine on some 1920's trading cards of musical instruments, including the Concertina.

[consairtin]

anglos are in c/g with a 3rd row for accidentals.

many irish play tunes using the key of c as their home row, even though most tunes are in g and d. they switch to the g row for f# and high g and the accidental row for the c# of the key of d.

there is a 2nd style where the home keys are across the rows, even when notes are easier found on the c row. this is done to facilitate speed and phrase tunes, as your strongest two fingers of each hand play the majority of notes.

[MikeBatten]

you did a great job in this video!

im more familiar with the Anglo style but i would suggest any english concertina player to watch this :)

[brcp4321]

thanks for all that part 1 and 2 i am a late starter player and really looking forward to part 3 and 4 it sounds a lovely instrument what is the makers name again , i have a cheap Gremlin 6 sided i have given you 5 stars  keep on squeezing

[southcoastsounds]

I hope someone finds it helpful!