There are several distinct types of concertina, all sharing the same basic design of folding bellows with buttons at each end, and anywhere from 4 to 12 sides in cross-section. Where they vary is in the layout and function of the keys or buttons. 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.
English Concertina
A keyboard chart for a 48-button English concertina is here.
The standard English concertina (referred to as a treble concertina in a concertina band context) has a range similar to a violin, from G below the treble clef to two octaves or more above the clef. It is fully chromatic – it has all the sharp and flat notes that are within its range (like the black and white notes of a piano).
This is the concertina system that was invented by Charles Wheatstone in the early 1830’s. You can recognise one by the 4 parallel rows of buttons and by the supports for thumb and little finger on each end.. 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, with the accidentals distributed between the outside rows. Playing a scale involves alternating between the left and right hands, unlike other concertinas and unlike most musical instruments. The layout of buttons is logical and fully chromatic, and permits very high speeds to be achieved when playing melody, but is more challenging if you want to play chordally or play melody along with low accompaniment.
The English concertina usually has 48 keys, but some have 56 or even 64. A few student models have less than 48. The extra 8 keys on an “extended treble” concertina are at the high end of the scale and are thus not so useful, but extra keys can be helpful in tenor-trebles and baritone-tenors.
Each button plays one note – the same whether pulling or pushing the button. Therefore it is well suited to expressive melody playing of all types of music, and band or ensemble playing, as well as song accompaniment. Variations of the treble concertina are the baritone (one octave lower), bass (two octaves lower), and the piccolo (one octave higher than the treble).
Well known exponents of the English Concertina include Rob Harbron, Dave Townsend, and Alistair Anderson.
Anglo (formerly Anglo-German) Concertina
A keyboard chart for a 30-key Anglo is here.
The Anglo concertina is related to the melodeon (aka diatonic button accordion) to which the arrangement of notes bears a resemblance, as well as to the harmonica. The higher notes are generally on the right-hand end of the instrument, and the lower notes on the left. Anglos are bisonoric: each button sounds two different notes, depending on whether the bellows are compressed (pushed) or opened (pulled). This makes them different from most other concertinas but similar to the much larger Chemnitzer concertinas and bandonions. Anglos, Chemnitzers, Bandonions and the less common Carlsfelder concertinas are all descendants of the 20-button German concertina designed by Carl Friedrich Uhlig in 1834.
A basic Anglo of about 20 keys is has two rows pitched a fifth apart, each in its own home key (most commonly C and G, sometimes G and D or other combinations). These are known as C/G or G/D Anglos. An Anglo with more buttons will have more accidentals (sharps and flats), and/or alternate notes that provide more flexibility in chord construction. The notes of a 20-button Anglo are generally standard, but for Anglos with more than 20 buttons can have either the Wheatstone layout (most common) or the Jeffries layout (preferred by some players of Irish music).
Because of the push-pull action necessary to make the tune, the Anglo is well suited to rhythmic dance music, and is popular for Irish traditional music and for Morris and other traditional dance forms. It is also widely used in song accompaniment.
Making chords for accompaniment of a melody is reasonably easy in the home keys. However, for all but the most proficient players with a fairly large instrument, it’s probably fair to say that the Anglo is not as versatile as the English or Duet systems. It is not fully chromatic, so there may well be notes that are unavailable (especially at the low end of the range) and there may be chord or note combinations that also are unavailable.
Well-known exponents of the Anglo Concertina include John Kirkpatrick, Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne, Caitlín Nic Gabhann and Noel Hill.
Duet Concertinas
Crane, Hayden and Maccann duet keyboard charts are here on the Concertina FAQ.
Lots of info on the Crane duet system from the revived Crane Duet Concertina website is here.
Chris Timson writes about duet systems, on his Concertina FAQ:
“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 and have some overlap between the two sides. 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 it was apparently designed for speed rather than logic and there are certainly some very fine players around! Fairly easy to get one. 57 or more buttons, but 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. A pretty straightforward, logical system. Supposedly doesn’t lend itself to fast playing, but I’ve only ever heard MacCann players say that, and the Crane players I’ve asked do not agree. Again some very good players around. 35, 48 and 55 button models exist. 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, mostly due to the very regrettable practice of converting them into Anglos.
Hayden: a modern system. Another logical and straightforward duet system, with some ingenious characteristics that make key transposition easy. As a modern system it used to be quite hard to find but the situation has improved massively recently.”
Duet concertinas are fully chromatic, and can be found in sizes from about 35 to about 80 keys. Like the English concertina, the same note is produced by any key regardless of the direction of bellows travel. Like the Anglo, duets are arranged with higher notes on the right hand side, and lower notes on the left. These characteristics make the duets flexible and useful for almost all types of music, including piano arrangements. An important consideration with duets is the “overlap” between the two sides – that is to say notes that appear on both sides around the middle of the instrument’s range. Small instruments may have very little overlap, larger ones may have an octave or more. Overlap provides flexibility in melody and chord construction.
Duets (of all kinds) have a reputation for being difficult to learn, but in practice it is probably fair to say that as a beginner starting from scratch, they are no harder than any other system. If a player has prior experience of learning piano, a duet might well be as suitable as any other system. Some say that the Crane system is easier to pick up quickly to a moderate degree of proficiency, whereas the Maccann may be harder to start with but be more rewarding to the most advanced players. Because of market supply and demand, a restored duet instrument may well cost less than a comparable Anglo.
Exponents of the duets include Iris Bishop (Maccann), Jon Boden (Maccann), Tim Laycock (Crane), Geoff Lakeman (Crane), David Barnert (Hayden), Didie Sendra (Hayden), and Michael Hebbert (Jeffries).
Chemnitzer concertina
The Chemnitzer (pronounced kem-nitzer) is related to the other concertina systems, and looks essentially like a large square-section concertina, but it has a number of different characteristics, including usually the use of multiple reeds for each note. Its closest concertina relative is the Anglo, as it has two notes per button, according to the direction of bellows travel. Chemnitzers are usually larger and heavier than other types, and usually played seated. They are most popular in the USA, where there is an active association, the USCA.
Read more about the Chemnitzer and the USCA here. The ICA also welcomes members with Chemnitzer instruments!
Bandoneon
One step further away from the English, Anglo and Duet concertinas is the Bandonion or Bandoneon. In appearance it somewhat resembles the Chemnitzer, and it is popular in Argentina, where it is used for the distinctive tango dance music, and to a lesser extent in other Latin American countries and in Italy. Bandoneon music was brought to a wider global audience through the compositions and performances of Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992) and others.