CONCERTINA FAQ
News
CONCERTINA FAQ
--------------
VERSION : 1.4
AUTHOR : CHRIS TIMSON
ch...@harbour.demon.co.uk
DATE : 1 July 1995
CONTENTS
1 ................................... Introduction
2 ................................... History
3 ................................... Types of Concertina
4 ................................... Buying Advice
5 ................................... Tutors etc
6 ................................... Repair Techniques
7 ................................... Miking Concertinas
8 ................................... Makers and Repairers
9 ................................... Shops and Dealers
10 ................................... Clubs and Organisations
11 ................................... Magazines
12 ................................... The Internet
"Concertina ... the result of an accident between two moving vehicles"
English - Thai dictionary
1 INTRODUCTION
This document is a brief introduction to the concertina. It attempts to
answer some of the questions I have seen in rec.music.folk plus others
which would have been helpful to me when I first picked up this
fascinating, frustrating and delightful instrument. It is not a true FAQ
in that it is not in question-and-answer format, but I have never found
that a conducive form in which to write.
As I am a UK player this document will unavoidably have a British bias.
I would welcome any information from players elsewhere in the world that
I can incorporate into later versions. Please e-mail me with any
corrections, additions and comments. I myself play the anglo concertina.
My partner in crime, Anne Gregson, plays the English.
Thanks are due to various people who reviewed this document, and in
particular Colin Dipper of C & R Dipper Concertinas who made many helpful
suggestions, and Phoebe Sengers who produced the hypertext version. All
opinions not directly credited are, however, my own.
2 HISTORY
The concertina belongs to a class of instruments known as Freed Reed
instruments, which also includes accordions and harmonicas. It was
patented in 1829 by Sir Charles Wheatstone (of Wheatstone bridge fame)
after several years of building prototypes, a few of which still exist.
He founded the firm of Wheatstone & Co to manufacture concertinas, each
one expensively hand-made by highly skilled craftsmen, and at first the
concertina was very much an instrument of the middle and upper class
drawing room. Its fully chromatic range was suited to classical pieces,
with its fast action lending it to "party pieces" such as The Flight of
the Bumble Bee. In due course other firms such as Lachenal and Jeffries
were founded (several by ex-Wheatstone employees) the cost of concertinas
lowered, and the instrument moved out of the drawing room and into the
world of popular music.
It became popular with music hall performers, several of whom, such as
Percy Honri (who billed himself as "A concert-in-a turn") and "Professor"
J. H. MacCann, were musicians of the highest virtuosity. The Salvation
Army liked it for its portability and strident tone. Concertina bands
were formed, playing marches and other popular pieces. It also became
a favourite of traditional musicians throughout the British Isles.
In the 20th Century the instrument gradually fell out of favour, and one
by one the makers closed or went out of business. Wheatstone's themselves
(by this time owned by Boosey & Hawkes) closed in 1968, the last survivor
being Crabbe & Co of Islington who closed in the late '80s.
What saved the instrument from gradually dwindling away into obscurity,
as far as the UK was concerned, was the Folk Revival from the '60s
onward. Performers looking for a different sound from the ubiquitous
guitar were drawn to the concertina for all its old virtues of
versatility and flexibility combined with portability. In addition the
concertina permitted song accompaniments that were free of the rhythmic
straitjacket that the guitar in unskilled hands tends to impose upon
everything. For folk and morris dance the anglo concertina and its
accordion cousin the melodeon proved ideal. People started making
concertinas again, many of a quality to equal anything made by the old
companies.
3 TYPES OF CONCERTINA
There are several distinct types of concertina, all sharing the same
basic design of folding bellows with buttons at each end, and anything
from 6 to 12 sides in cross-section. Where they vary is in the layout
and function of the keys. The variation is so great between the types
as to effectively render them different types of instruments - the player
of one type or "system" will almost certainly not be able to pick up a
concertina of a different system and play it without starting almost
from scratch to learn it.
Concertinas come in various sizes which govern the range of notes they
can play. The most common are treble concertinas. The range of a standard
48 key English concertina is from G below middle C to C 3 octaves above
middle C (i.e. the same as a violin). Below them are baritone concertinas
which play one full octave below the treble, and the bass which plays one
octave lower again. Also fairly common are tenor-trebles which cross the
range of the treble and baritone. VERY occasionally you find piccolo
concertinas which play one octave above the treble.
The main types are the English, the Anglo and the various systems of
Duet concertina.
ENGLISH CONCERTINA
This is the original concertina as invented by Wheatstone. You can
recognise one by the 4 parallel rows of buttons and by the supports
for thumb and little finger on each end. (There is quite a good picture
in Microsoft's Encarta encyclopaedia, except that it is upside down!).
The larger baritone and bass English concertinas frequently have wrist
straps as well, to help with the greater weight of the instrument.
The two centre rows on each side are in the key of C, the accidentals
are distributed between the outside rows. Playing a scale involves
alternating between the left and right hands. The layout of buttons is
very logical and fully chromatic, and permits very high speeds to be
achieved when playing melody (e.g. the Flight of the Bumble Bee mentioned
above), but is more restrictive if you want to play melody with low
accompaniment, e.g. ragtime.
Normally the English concertina has 48 keys, but some models had 56. The
extra 8 keys are at the high end of the scale and are thus not so useful
on the treble, but they can be helpful in tenor-trebles and baritones.
ANGLO CONCERTINA
The anglo concertina (or to give it its original name, the Anglo-German
concertina) was developed soon after the English, using as a model the
diatonic German instruments which were also the ancestors of the
melodeon and harmonica. It can have two or three curved rows of buttons
on each side and a wrist strap for support. Some of the duet systems
described below can look a bit like an anglo, but the firm diagnostic
test is "if I press a button, do I get the same note when I close the
bellows as when I open them". If the answer is "no, I get different
notes" then it is an anglo. Only the anglo of all the main types of
concertina plays different notes on the push and on the pull.
(It has been pointed out to me that occasionally English and duet
concertinas can be so horrendously out of tune as to play very different
notes on the pull from the push, and thus fool the unwary into thinking
that they are anglos. This is, fortunately, very rare).
On two-row anglos each row is in a different key, so the instrument is
capable of playing in two keys only. The three row is the same, except
that the third outside row is a collection of assorted accidentals that
enable the skilled player to play in other keys. Anglos are referred to
by the 2 keys. The most common is the C/G anglo, where the outside row
(or middle row on a three row) plays the key of C and the inside row
plays the key of G. Also fairly common are D/G instruments, mainly used
for folk dance music. Occasionally you find C/C#, which are chromatic
between the two main rows, and a whole variety of odd tunings made to
the request of the purchaser.
Anglos are also referred to by the number of keys (here meaning buttons
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they have:- a 20-key is a two-row, a 30-key is a three row, a 40-key is
also a three row but with additional buttons dotted around to make playing
in different keys or more smoothly a little bit easier. You can play good
music on a 20-key instrument, but it is limiting - you have to fudge any
accidentals you encounter. 30-key concertinas are fine for all normal use.
When you get into the expert bracket look for a 40-key.
The low notes on all anglos are on the left hand side, and the high notes
on the right, which brings us on to the last type of concertina...
DUET CONCERTINAS
In fact there are several systems of duet concertina, each as separate
from each other as an anglo is from an English, but all set out to cure
the same perceived problem: how to give an accompaniment to a melody
without going schizoid. The answer is the same in all cases: put the low
notes on the left hand side, and the high notes on the right hand side.
The player can then play the melody on the right hand, with an
accompaniment on the left, thus the name of "Duet".
The main duet systems are:
MacCann, the key layout looks fairly illogical, but there are some
very fine players around! Fairly easy to get one. Sometimes can be
huge instruments with up to 80 buttons and the range of a piano!
Crane, also known as Triumph by the Salvation Army who used it a
lot. Much more logical system, I'm told. Fairly easy to obtain one.
Jeffries, designed for anglo players to convert to. Has a "home key"
such as G and is apparently difficult to play chromatically, thus
players tend not to stray far from the home key. Somewhat rarer
than the first two.
Hayden, a modern system. Much the most logical, easy to learn and
straightforward duet system, but quite hard to get because it's
modern. I once asked Brian Hayden how many Hayden duets there were
in the world, and after some thought he said "Oh, about 60". This
may be an underestimate as Bastari made them at one time, though
unfortunately Stagi are not carrying this on. I understand that The
Button Box (see section 8) are well advanced with a project to make
Haydens of mid-range quality but otherwise the only option is to get
one built to order by C & R Dipper or Steve Dickenson.
CHEMNITZER CONCERTINAS
These should be included for completeness as, although they are not
"true" concertinas in that they owe little to Charles Wheatstone's
invention, their players refer to them as concertinas. Indeed many of
them have the word "Concertina" designed into the fretwork on the ends
in very large letters!
They are related to the bandoneon, being approximately the same size and
shape; the treble end of a Chemnitzer concertina usually has three rows,
and in layout is not unlike an anglo. The bandoneon however has several
different layouts, both chromatic and diatonic; the treble end probably
has five or six rows. I know of only one player in the UK, though there
are many more in North and South America. The construction appears to be
accordion like, as is the sound.I am indebted for the following
description to Don Nichols:-
The thing is a forest of buttons, the centre of which feels like an
anglo, but the outer reaches seem totally crazy. They are square or
just slightly rectangular, and are in various sizes up to the "104
key" version (which really has only 52 buttons - they count each
direction of bellows travel as a different key). They are big,
heavy, and have an air lever under the right thumb which opens a
gigantic valve along the back edge of the right-hand end,
ventilating your right armpit when actuated.
There are probably other systems around - concertina makers and players
of the 19th century were a very inventive lot.
4 BUYING ADVICE
Joel Cowan (see section 9, Shops and Dealers) produced the Handley Cross
Concertina Buying Guide, which is excellent and highly recommended reading,
but now sadly out of print. The good news is that he has nearly
completed a new improved edition provisionally entitled "The Lore of the
Concertina".
In theory, before buying a concertina you would consider what you want it
for and decide which type you need from the list above. For instance here
are a few guidelines you may hear on the uses to which you might put the
various types of concertina:-
If you want to play in groups or ensembles of concertinas, go for an
English.
For folk or morris dance the in-out pattern of the anglo scale gives
a "lift" to the music. It is also a good band instrument.
For song accompaniment or for solo instrumentals duets are ideal.
For fast flowing melody lines the key layout of an English gives it
an edge.
If you intend to play from music or to compose music for the
instrument, choose an English or a duet.
If you intend to learn to play by ear the anglo is significantly
easier to learn than the other two, and in fact is surprisingly easy
to get started with.
Unfortunately life is never that simple. The English is widely used for
song accompaniment. Alistair Anderson has shown how successful the English
can be for dance music and band work. I, like quite a few other people use
the anglo for song accompaniment. The anglo is the concertina of choice
for many Irish musicians, who get round its inherent "bouncyness" by
dexterous cross-fingering between the rows. At the end of the day all
you can do is try the various systems as far as possible and see which
suits you best. If you can, talk to other players about why they chose
their instruments and listen to what they play.
When buying a concertina you have two choices: buy new or buy used. If
you buy used then TAKE SOMEONE WITH YOU WHO KNOWS CONCERTINAS. I cannot
stress that too strongly. You will likely be buying an instrument that
is 60 or more years old. There is nothing wrong with that per se - many
of the finest instruments around are of that age or older (we have a
beautiful baritone that is 100 years old), but an old concertina may
have faults not immediately apparent that will be expensive to fix. In
particular check that it is in concert pitch and not "old" pitch if you
intend to play with other musicians. Retuning a concertina is a specialist
job, and expensive to boot.
If you are seriously considering a particular concertina don't be afraid
to ask the dealer to take the ends off and let you look inside. After all,
you may find anything up to and including woodworm. It is only fair to
state that some dealers disagree with people doing this!
Old concertinas come with steel reeds most commonly, or brass reeds.
Brass reeds have greater sweetness of tone than steel reeds, but if
played forcefully (e.g. in band or outdoor work) can go out of tune
more quickly.
The "best" name in second-hand English concertinas is undoubtedly
Wheatstone. (Be aware though that instruments made after they were taken
over by Boosey & Hawkes in the 1950s are generally regarded as being of
poorer quality than before). Other good makers include Jones, Crabb and
also Lachenal, who made instruments ranging from the cheap-and-cheerful
to the excellent. Their Edeophone range (distinctive for having 12 sides
and rolling off tables if you aren't careful) matched the very best
Wheatstone Aeolas.
The leading name in anglos was Jeffries. Again Lachenal also made a wide
range of instruments. It is quite common for players to start with a
mid-range Lachenal, graduating when time, expertise (and money!) allow
to a Jeffries. Crabb also made many fine instruments, as did Wheatstone
with their Linota range.
With concertinas, you get what you pay for. There are few bargains
around, but you have the consolation that if you have an instrument of
reasonable quality or better it will hold its value and you will have no
trouble selling it if you decide it is not for you. For a first class
treble Wheatstone English or Jeffries anglo in excellent condition expect
to pay from UKP1300, US$2500. A mid-range Lachenal may cost you UKP500,
US$800. Duets and the larger sizes of English and anglo tend to be
cheaper. It is a quite reasonable strategy to buy a cheaper concertina
that needs some work and then get it renovated.
If you are offered a modern mass-produced instrument such as a Stagi
(formerly Bastari) second hand check it very carefully. The method of
construction owes much more to accordions than concertinas and as such
they tend to degenerate with time in a way that true concertinas do not.
(Note that I am not disparaging accordions here. Concertinas are small
and the interior is cramped compared to accordions, and each has its
appropriate construction techniques).
Buying new means either buying a mass-produced concertina from Stagi
and others, or commissioning a hand-made concertina from the likes of
Steve Dickenson or C & R Dipper.
In the UK Bastari/Stagi apparently rarely sold their better intruments
in th
News
quite hard work to play with a fairly coarse tone. I have been told
that Stagi have a significantly better name in the States. Hohner
concertinas are, I believe, badge-engineered Stagis. If funds allow you
may prefer a mid-range second-hand instrument. Note that (especially in
the UK) you can rarely resell a mass-produced instrument once you have
outgrown it. However it may be the only option open to you if funds are
low or you have no access to second-hand instruments - and you could
always give it away and spread the addiction when you upgrade.
Buying a hand-made instrument means being prepared to wait years and pay
in excess of UKP1500. For that, though, you will receive a concertina
that is made precisely to your requirements and probably among the
finest concertinas ever made.
5 TUTORS
Here is a list of tutors that have been published for the concertina. It is
not exhaustive and I would welcome further information for this list.
Some of these books may now be out of print.
ENGLISH CONCERTINA
Concertina Workshop Now out of print but
Tutor for the English Concertina excellent if you can
by Alistair Anderson get it. Folk oriented.
Topic Records Ltd Accompanying record
50 Stroud Green Road used to be available, but
London N4 3EF not necessary.
England
The Concertina: A handbook and I do not have an address,
tutor for beginners on the but it should be obtainable
English concertina from Hobgoblin. Classically
by Frank Butler oriented. Recommended
Oak Publications by those who've seen it.
Handbook for English Concertina Specifically aimed at
by Roger Watson the Hohner concertina,
Wise Publications but applicable to other
Distrib. by Music Sales Ltd makes. Rather perfunctory
8/9 Frith Street but covers the essentials.
London W1V 5TZ
England
Salvation Army Tutor for This is a new reprint,
English Concertina cost UKP10 + UKP1.50 for
T & J Pearson P&P in the UK.
7 Ravens Mount
Pudsey
West Yorkshire LS28 9HT
England
ANGLO CONCERTINA
The Anglo Concertina Demystified This is still in print,
by Bertram Levy and is excellent. Comes
Front Hall Enterprises, Inc with two cassettes.
Voorheesville, New York
Distributed in UK by
C & R Dipper
West End House
High Street
Heytesbury
Warminster BA12 0EA
England
Handbook for Anglo-Chromatic Concertina Specifically aimed at
by Roger Watson the Hohner concertina,
Wise Publications but applicable to other
Distrib. by Music Sales Ltd makes. A bit perfunctory
8/9 Frith Street but covers the essentials.
London W1V 5TZ Good chord list.
England
First Steps Concertina Anglo-Chromatic Still in print, but in
International Music Publications attitude seems from an
Southend Road earlier age. Classically
Woodford Green oriented.
Essex IG8 8HN
England
DUET CONCERTINA
Salvation Army Tutor for This is a new reprint,
Triumph (Crane) Duet Concertina cost UKP10 + UKP1.50 for
T & J Pearson P&P in the UK. Although
7 Ravens Mount specifically for the Crane
Pudsey system the exercises and
West Yorkshire LS28 9HT arrangements are suitable
England for any duet concertina.
6 REPAIR TECHNIQUES
This section only describes repairs on a conventional concertina.
Bastari/Stagi type concertinas that are derived from accordions
require different techniques that are described in the accordion FAQ
(see section 10). Don Nichols Home Page (see section 12) has much
useful information.
First, a couple of dos and don'ts.
Don't try and tune a concertina unless you are *absolutely* certain
of what you are doing. It is very easy to ruin a reed. It is very
much a specialist job.
Don't touch the two screws that hold a reed in place in its metal
frame.
Don't leave a concertina dismantled overnight. The screws keep the
wood clamped into shape. If left too long the wood can warp and the
repair will be expensive.
Work on one end at a time and reassemble it before starting work on
the other end. There are an awful lot of screws in a concertina,
somtimes hand-turned, so keep careful track of where they come from.
If you have a concertina with leather baffles fitted to sweeten the
tone think very carefully before removing them. The spacers inside
the end of the concertina sometimes assume their presence and you
can cause the wood to distort when you reassemble it. Personally I
prefer to fit baffles in our concertinas - I like the sweetness for
song accompaniment and it is an easy job with double-sided tape!
Many of the makers in section 8 will supply spare parts such as pads,
valves and springs if requested.
If you remove the screws round the endplate of the concertina you can
remove the end containing the action (i.e. the buttons, levers and
pads which control the air flow). This exposes the reed pan which is
held in the end of the bellows. Remove the screws one at a time from
opposite sides of the endplate so as to distribute the strain, and
replace them the same way when you are reassembling the instrument
(do not overtighten as you may cause the ends or reed pans to warp).
The reed pan has reeds on both sides as a reed is only designed to
play in one direction. Reeds on the inside play when the concertina
is being pushed or closed, and reeds on the outside play when the
concertina is being pulled or opened. Small leather flap valves on
the opposite side of the pan from their corresponding reeds control
the air flow. If you look on the inside of the end then you will see
the holes through which air passes as you play. Press on a button
and you will see the corresponding pad lift to allow air through.
If you are having a problem with a reed then to identify it press
the button on the end corresponding to the note of the problem reed.
This will show the hole for that reed, which you can then tie up
with the reed pan. Sometimes the reed has the note it plays stamped
on its frame.
The pan is not normally screwed in and can be removed by careful
pulling with one finger hooked through the centre hole. Make sure
before you remove it that you know which way round it must be to go
back in! (Frequently matching numbers are stamped into the reed pan
and frame to help with this).
There are two repairs that can be carried out easily on reeds:-
silent reeds and buzzing reeds. Silent reeds are frequently due to a
small piece of dirt or fluff lodged in the reed, and can be cleared
by gently twanging the reed with a Stanley (US X-acto) knife, or by
gently sliding a piece of thin, clean, stiffish paper under the reed
and over the frame to dislodge the offending object. A buzzing reed
can be due to the reed having shifted slightly in its frame. You
should be able to see or feel the reed snagging on the frame. Gently
ease it straight with your knife or a thin steel shim
A note sounding when not being played in one direction only may be due
to a flap valve getting stuck out of position. This can sometimes also
prevent a note from playing (again in one direction only). Ease the valve
back and all may be well.
Reed frames can come loose within the pan. Remove the reed frame, cut
a thin, short piece of masking tape and wrap it round the top and
side of the frame before easing the frame back into the reed pan.
Don't force it - if you have to force it you have put on too much
tape and you may cause the reed to jam in its frame. Try removing
some tape from the side of the reed frame.
If the spring breaks on a button or a pad gets dislodged causing a
note to sound continuously in both directions you have to get inside
the end to expose the action. The way you do this differs for English
News
West Sussex RH10 2DT though some anglos are made by A. C.
England Norman using Antonelli accordion
Phone 01293 515858 reeds, and are significantly better.
Homewood Musical Instrument Co Sells Stagi concertinas. Bob Tedrow
3027 Central Avenue from the store teaches concertina.
Birmingham Has his own WWW page at:-
Alabama http://www.the-matrix.com/server/bob/bob.html
USA
Phone (205) 879-4868
House of Musical Traditions As well as buying and selling, they
7040 Carroll Ave also teach concertina.
Takoma Park MD 20912
USA
Phone (301) 270-9090
toll free in US 1-800-540-3794
E-mail HMT...@aol.com
Lark In The Morning Dealers in new and second-hand
PO Box 1176 instruments
Mendocino
California 95460
USA
Phone (707) 964-5569
Marcus Music Usually has a good range of second-
Tredegar House hand instruments. Sometimes has a
Newport stand at UK folk festivals.
Gwent
Wales
Phone 01633 815612
10 CLUBS AND ORGANISATIONS
This list is not exhaustive and I would welcome further information.
Alabama Concertina Support Described as "a support group for
Group southern players".
315 Laplaya Place
Homewood
Alabama 35209
USA
Concertinas at Witney Witney is in Oxfordshire UK.
J Cox C@W is an intensive weekend
26 Hill Grove course for concertina players
Bristol held annually with tutors of
BS9 4RJ the calibre of Dave Townsend.
England Next course: 23-24/9/1995
Phone 0177 9629931
International Concertina Has been around since 1953.
Association Has an extensive library of
1A Virginia Road music. Newly revitalised and
Gillingham useful newsletter. Subscriptions:
Kent ME7 1PB UK UKP8
England Europe UKP9
Phone 01634 855738 Rest of the world UKP10
Midland Concertina Group
A & R Davies
42 Patricia Drive
Arnold
Nottinghamshire NG5 8EH
England
01602 260297
North East Concertina Players Restarted having found a new home:
Alan Alden monthly on the 2nd Sunday 2 - 5 p.m.
2 Church Street Mews at Ceddesfield Community Centre (opp.
Guisborough parish church), Sedgefield.
TS14 6HG
England
Northeast Squeeze-In A major annual weekend event for all
Bucksteep Manor free-reed players in the States, but
Washington MASS always has a large contingent of
USA concertina players. Reviews I have
For info/tickets contact read make it sound a great weekend.
The Button Box 1995 dates 15 - 17 September.
9 East Pleasant Street
Amherst MA 01002
USA
Phone (413) 549-0171
West Country Concertinas A flourishing group. They have a
Barry Wallace series of workshops during Sidmouth
18 Whitebrook Terrace Festival week which is inspirational:
Holcombe Rogus hundreds of concertina players!
Wellington
Somerset TA21 0PY
England
Phone 01823 673021
Yorkshire Concertina Players
J Edwards
63 Wrenbeck Drive
Oxley
West Yorkshire LS21 2BD
England
01943 463804
11 MAGAZINES
This list is not exhaustive and I would welcome further information.
Concertina and Squeezebox An excellent magazine, some of the
PO Box 6706 information in this FAQ was culled
Ithaca NY 14851 from its pages. Issued irregularly,
USA subscription is for 4 issues rather
Distributed in UK by than for a year.
R Dipper
West End House
High Street
Heytesbury
Warminster BA12 0EA
England
Phone 01985 840516
Distributed in Ireland by
J McNeill's
140 Capel Street
Dublin 1
Ireland
Phone 722159
12 THE INTERNET
This list is not exhaustive and I would welcome further information.
Accordion mailing list Covers both accordion and
Subscribe by e-mailing concertina. Distributes this FAQ and
the list owner at the accordion FAQ, which contains
accordio...@cs.cmu.edu useful information particularly
for Bastari/Stagi owners.
Also has WWW server at:
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs/user/phoebe/mosaic/accordion.html
Concertina! Maintained by Toby Koosman, contains
links to many sites of direct and
peripheral interest to concertina
players.
http://funnelweb.utcc.utk.edu/~tkoosman/boxlinks.html
Concertina FAQ This FAQ in HTML format, set up
by Phoebe Sengers who maintains
the accordion mailing list.
http://www-cgi.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs/user/phoebe/accordion/concertina-faq.html
Don Nichols Home Page Very knowledgeable gentleman when it
comes to the interiors of concertinas,
his home page has some fascinating
info and diagrams.
http://204.91.85.9/dnichols/DoN.html
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DOCUMENT HISTORY
v1.0 11 Feb 1995 Initial release
v1.1 3 March 1995 Various amendments and updates following
feedback on v1.0
v1.2 8 April 1995 Minor amendments, additions and updates
v1.3 6 May 1995 Quote at head of introduction added: found
by Alan Clarke of Manchester Morris and
quoted in Concertina World, the ICA
newsletter. Other minor amendments and
additions.
v1.4 1 July 1995 New Internet section. Address for Frank
Edgley (at last!). Substantial rewrite of
text on Chemnitzer concertinas.
COPYRIGHT STATEMENT
The text in this document is copyright (c) 1995 Chris Timson. This
document may be freely distributed. You may even add things provided
you make clear which text is your addition. Please do not delete
anything, however. You may quote from it as extensively as you wish,
but please give credit.
I have done the best I can to make this document accurate. However
addresses change, information becomes out of date, and I can accept
no liability for any problems however caused which may arise from
this document.
I welcome updates, comments and advice about this document. I would
also be interested in knowing where it ends up! You can e-mail me
at ch...@harbour.demon.co.uk
--- End of FAQ ---
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that need to be removed, one in the middle of the thumb strap and one
in the middle of the little finger support. Remove these and the whole
faceplate should come off the end, exposing the action.
On an anglo there is normally a screw on the inside of the end which
you can remove. There may be additional screws in the centre of the
outside on some instruments which will also need to be removed.
The action looks quite complex but is quite logical in its layout and
you should be able to work out the required repair by comparing the
action for the broken button with a working one. You may need a new
pad or replacement spring from one of the makers or repairers in
section 8, however I have heard of cut-down safety pins being used in
an emergency!
7 MIKING CONCERTINAS
...is frankly a bit of a bugger. The problem is of course that sound
comes from both ends of the instrument, and those ends move around.
Usually sound men aim a mike somewhere at the middle of the bellows
and hope for the best. A little better is to use two mikes, one for
each end, but this feels limiting somehow to the player though the
sound is much improved. In the studio life is much easier as you
don't have to cope with ambient sound and can thus use an omni-
directional mike some way back from the instrument. Use the best
mikes you can lay your hands on - the timbre of a concertina will
defeat cheap mikes. I have used an AKG C1000S mike with some success.
There are manufacturers who make a living from devising mikes for
awkward instruments - some are listed in section 8. As an example we
use Microvox kit. Their system consists of two close mikes which you
attach one to each end of the concertina using Velcro. Each mike has
a lead which runs into a small box you clip on your belt. From this
one single lead runs to the DI box. The advantage is that since both
mikes are held in proximity to the concertina you can move freely,
and the sound quality is quite good too.
It is worth considering in any situation whether you can get away
without miking at all. The tone of a concertina is quite penetrating
and sometimes in smaller venues where PA is in use we have used
mikes for our voices but not for our concertinas.
I asked the concertina maker Colin Dipper whether it would be
possible to fit mikes permanently within the body of a concertina,
but he advised that this would probably have a detrimental effect on
the overall sound of the instrument.
8 MAKERS AND REPAIRERS
If sending your concertina through the post for repair or tuning
(e.g. from the US to one of the UK repairers) PLEASE make sure it
is properly packed first. Please contact the repairer in question
before dispatch - they may have moved!
This list is not exhaustive and I would welcome further information.
I have only expressed opinions where I am familiar with the
instruments.
Accusound Make specialist microphones for
19 Bitteswell Road miking awkward instruments -
Lutterworth including concertinas. Probably
LE17 4EL have the edge on Microvox for
England quality, but Microvox are cheaper!
Phone 01455 552306
The Button Box Repairs (also see section 9).
9 East Pleasant Street Also organise the Northeast
Amherst MA 01002 Squeeze-In in Massachusetts
USA every September, a weekend event
Phone (413) 549 0171 for all free-reed players.
Malcolm Clapp Repairs (also see section 9).
8 Sandra Street Recommended by Wayne Richmond of
Woodpark the Australian Concertina Band.
NSW 2164 (Woodpark is a suburb of Sydney)
Australia
Phone: 61 2 632-7144
Connor Concertinas Repairs and makers of new
30 Eastbury Avenue concertinas.
Rochford
Essex SS4 1SF
England
Phone 01702 546745
C & R Dipper Concertinas Repairs and makers of
West End House concertinas of all systems.
High Street Make outstanding anglos -
Heytesbury I have a baritone on order.
Warminster BA12 0EA
England
Phone 01985 840516
Frank Edgley Repairs and tuning. Fergus O'Byrne
Complete Concertina repair says "My machine...needed a complete
2346 Meldrum retuning job as it was a quarter tone
Windsor out of standard. Frank did a great
Ontario N8W 4E4 job for me".
Canada
Phone (519) 948-9149
Richard Evans Recommended by Bob McKay, who says
Lot 5 "anglo maker and general free reed
Sandham Rd repairer (and also all-round nice guy)"
Bell
NSW
Australia
Paul Groff Recommended by Greg Bullough, who says:
27 Vaille Ave "He's a very good reed fixer and restorer
Lexington, MA 02173 for both concertinas and accordions".
USA
Phone (617) 862-9665
Hamish R Bayne, trading as Makers of English tenor treble
Holmwood Concertinas concertinas to their own design.
134 Pitt Street One owner (Don Nichols) says "It
Edinburgh EH6 4DD is a visual work of art, as well
U.K. as being wonderful to play".
Phone 0131 554-6663
Jurgen Suttner Concertinas Makers of English and anglo
Industriestr 17 concertinas.
5901 Wilsndorf2
Germany
Microvox Make specialist microphones for
Westfield Music miking awkward instruments -
Westfield Villa including concertinas. We use
Belgrave Mount them ourselves.
Wakefield
WF1 3SB
England
Phone 01924 361550
Star Concertina & Accordion Make the "Star Beauty Quadruple
5808 West 35th St Reed Concertina", which is a
Cicero Chemnitzer concertina. Will
Illinois 60650 also repair Chemnitzers.
USA
Phone (708) 656-8884
West Country Cases Maker of instrument cases,
Barry Wallace but specialises in cases
18 Whitebrook Terrace for concertinas.
Holcombe Rogus
Wellington
Somerset TA21 0PY
England
Phone 01823 673021
Steve Dickenson, trading as Repairs and makers of concertinas of
C Wheatstone & Co Ltd all systems. Excellent instruments,
21 Bridge Street I would hate to have to choose
Stowmarket between Dickenson and Dipper for
Suffolk quality!
IP14 1BP
England
Phone 01449 615523
9 SHOPS AND DEALERS
This list is not exhaustive and I would welcome further information.
Barleycorn Concertinas Usually carries a good range of
Chris Algar second hand concertinas. Callers
67 Little Chell Lane by appointment only. Sometimes
Tunstall has a stand at UK folk festivals.
Stoke on Trent
ST6 6LZ
England
Phone 01782 816504
The Button Box Dealers in new and
9 East Pleasant Street second-hand instruments.
Amherst MA 01002 Particular interest in duets.
USA
Phone (413) 549-0171
Malcolm Clapp Dealer in second-hand instruments
8 Sandra Street (Woodpark is a suburb of Sydney)
Woodpark
NSW 2164
Australia
Phone: 61 2 632-7144
Joel M Cowan Dealer in second-hand instruments
PO Box 6706 (and also editor of Concertina
Ithaca NY 14851 and Squeezebox). Offers a search
USA service for hard-to-find instruments.
Phone (607) 273-2440 Currently revising his buying guide.
The Folk Shop Run by Hobgoblin Music (see below).
Cecil Sharp House
2 Regent's Park Road
London NW1 7AY
England
Phone 0171 284 0534
Hobgoblin Music Probably the biggest dealer in new
17 The Parade and second-hand concertinas in the
Northgate UK. Own brand Gremlin concertinas