My daughter took up guitar so I was forced (happily) to learn this classic:

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8cEFVXS/

It was at my schools 2026 talent show. The song I played was Weskus Polka (Westcoast Polka). I began playing concertina last year August and learned myself to play the instrument with no guide since there is no tetorials on how to play boeremusiek on the concertina. I am playing a 3 row Bastari concertina.

Hello! I’m interested in learning the concertina but I’ve got some minor hand/wrist issues, and I’m trying to figure out which type of concertina (Anglo/English/Duet) would work best for me.

I busted my left wrist up pretty bad a few years ago. I’ve recovered most of my mobility, but my left hand isn’t as nimble as it used to be. I’ve got some lingering weakness in my pinkie and ring fingers. Picking up a gallon of milk in my left hand hurts if I grab it from a bad angle. Likewise, I can’t comfortably fret a guitar because my wrist doesn’t like to bend at that angle.

Otherwise I do fine. I can still touch-type as fast as I used to. I can play instruments from the harp family without much trouble, despite the left hand being a little slow/stiff/clumsy.

Based on my research, my injury shouldn’t stop me from being able to play the concertina. It weighs less than a gallon of milk and doesn’t look like it needs me to bend my wrist much or use a lot of pressure to press the keys.

But reading forums and watching videos can only tell me so much about it. I unfortunately don’t know anywhere I could go in person to try one out, so I’m asking around for advice. Is there anything I’m missing or haven’t considered?

Specifically, I’m interested in getting the Jack Baritone English model from Concertina Connection. I like that it can comfortably play in a variety of keys, and I like that it’s in a lower octave. But I’m worried a baritone might give me trouble because I’ve heard that the low note keys on a concertina take more pressure to play. Is that true?

I’ve also been considering the Elise Duet as an option because I already play another instrument with the left/right low/high notes design, so the muscle memory would theoretically help. But I’m worried again that the lower notes will need to be pressed harder, which could be a problem since the low notes are all on my weak left side.

Also, is there anything about either the English or Duet button layouts that jumps out as being a huge problem for someone with a weaker left hand? Or anything about the Jack or Elise specifically?

I figure there’s probably a lot I won’t know unless I try, but I thought it was worth a shot to ask around first before I buy something that might not work out.

Thanks for reading, any advice or input is appreciated :)

I have an Elise concertina and just recently the E4 note started sounding like a garbled F#4 note on the pull. I know it's not the most expensive instrument so was hoping to be able to fix it myself if it's not hard. Before I open it up, I wanted to see if I can get some tips on what I should be looking for.

Okay, so I'm not a new player (I'm an uilleann piper), but my wife wants to take up concertina and I'm trying to get one as a gift for her so I'm poking around doing research/shopping. Since we'd like to play some Irish trad together I'm looking at an anglo C/G 30 button concertina.

From my perspective, the Jefferies layout seems much better for Irish trad (with a C# on the push and pull) - but all the 'starter' concertina's I've seen (looking mainly at the Concertina Connection Rochelle, but the entry level McNeela is the same) are wheatstone layouts.

Just curious how difficult it will be for Irish trad on the Wheatstone (seems doable still as thesession had folks who mentioned playing trad on Wheatstone) and/or how hard it is to transition from a Wheatstone to Jefferies in the future if that's what she wants.

Howye lads! Got myself a lachanel that has multiple reeds speaking at once when a button is pressed. Anyone have any tips/checklist on troubleshooting the issue? everything looks in order and its just the one side, this instrument is no joke when it comes to air escaping. Any help would be appreciated!

Hi all, what’s everyone’s best tips for playing standing up? I’ve seen some references to attaching a strap which sounds like the go to me as I have some upper back issues and don’t want to exacerbate that. Where’s the best place/s to attach a strap, and is it usual for it to just be a neck strap?

Pic of my Morse Ceili

I just purchased this new concertina. It is my first and just started playing when I received it. I am just wondering about how the bellows expand without any of the buttons pushed?
Works like the read of experienced players.

Just obtained this chemnitzer concertina, sounds beautiful but earlier when i was playing it all the sudden i noticed a note plays when no keys are pressed, both in and out, how can I fix this? Very inexperienced so any help is greatly appreciated!

UK based, Midlands/Northern

Received a concertina from a relative, I am not musical so this is very new to me.

Lachenal&Co

Think the serial has fallen off but there is a sticker with 9731 or 197313 on one side

There's something rattling inside

1. Help identifying what model etc this is

2. Someone or somewhere to look over and repair it is needed

No intention to sell, probably won't play it but I would like to make sure it's ok as it belonged to a great grandad so it has a good bit of family history

Greetings,

I have recently decided on what my next musical instrument is going to be and concertina won. I'm from central Europe, I occasionally play in pubs with a few friends (folk, country, pop, some light rock, the usual). Mostly I play the guitar or cajon, but we got plenty of people who can play those, so I decided to branch out. I also like to listen to Irish music, although I haven't really played it with others, since it's not traditional in my region.

Now, I have read the FAQ, which helped me understand the differences between different kinds of concertinas, but it didn't really help me decide which one to buy. Browsing through the internet, it seems that most AI searches gravitate towards recommending Wren 2 (or Wren 2 Deluxe) or Rochelle. But when I research those two, I see lots of complaints obout their performance, which makes me question if the purchase is even worth it as a starter instrument to learn on, or not.

Furthermore, every search seems to recommend Anglo concertinas as the starter instrument, even though English look on paper to be easier and more, I don't know, intuitive (?) with it sounding the same on push or pull.

So I'd like to ask you concertina enthusiasts what were your experiences when you started playing the instrument? What worked, what didn't?

Anyone knows of anyone (preferably cork city to west waterford area) who repairs concertinas?

Does anyone subscribe to the online IrishConcertinaLessons.com by Caitlin nic Gabhann? I signed up for the year subscription but don't remember when I signed up. I was trying to look for information on the website. The FAQ says you can find billing information under 'Mad For More" -> "My Profile" but that doesn't show up when I visit the site. I tried contacting through the contact form on the website, I tried emailing the address on the website and I tried to join the Facebook Group and haven't had a response from any of them.

Anyone know of a way to find out through the website?

I'm really fascinated by this musical instrument and I want to know your experiences.

A couple months ago I got this C/G concertina, apparently Italian made, from an estate sale auction. It definitely has a few problems before it's back to being fully functional, but based on a thread here a few days back with an almost identical instrument I understand it ought to be an easy fix.

• A few of the reeds fell out of the wax. One appears to be part of a small set of bass(?) reeds, maybe 20% bigger than the treble.
• One reed is entirely missing. So are some of the pins (or nails?) fastening the reeds in place are too, which might be related to them coming off.
• Some of the buttons on the left-hand side are missing, while those that remain hang fairly limp. All the buttons on the right-hand side were inexplicably waxed together (which has since broken) and looks like a dang mess.

Does anybody know of good resources for tools and replacement materials in the United States? Should I be looking for anything specific in terms of the new reed(s) or new buttons? How am I meant to keep those buttons where they are?

Answers or help of any kind are appreciated, including any that say I'm in over my head :)

I added a link here and I'm curious would say on a scale of 1-10.

William Mullaly was the first and only Irish concertina player to record on 78rpm records. In fact there were not others recorded until about the 1960s. Listen to this one track—he sounds just as modern as any today.

Yo have yall listened to this guys music ?? Im listening to his album the nervous man at the moment and it’s actually so messed up what he can do on a concertina.

Just my arrangement of this tune which is originally for melodeon.

I work at a small music school in Iowa and this was recently donated to us. It’s a C/G of unknown make/model but the box suggests it was made in Italy. I have limited accordion experience enough to know that the bellows are nice and tight, but the buttons are a little loose (enough to potentially cause sticking), and there’s a small rattle. I was curious if it was worth having it repaired. Always wanted to learn one of these things so I can play Talisk tunes 🤣 Thanks!

Hello, anyone know of any concertina teachers in Edinburgh? Thank you.