Folkopedia - User contributions [en]

Concertina

2007-05-08T08:21:06Z

ChrisTimson: Add the ICA

To get this section started, I'm going to borrow a chunk of text from my site [http://www.concertina.info/ the Concertina FAQ].

The concertina belongs to a class of instruments known as Free Reed instruments, which also includes accordions and harmonicas. It was developed in 1829 and 1830 by Sir Charles Wheatstone of Wheatstone
bridge fame after several years of building prototypes, a few of which still exist (in 1829 he patented its direct predecessor, the Symphonium, in a document which also described a very concertina-like instrument, but he did not actually patent the concertina itself until 1844). The
already-existing family musical instrument firm of Wheatstone & Co switched over to manufacturing 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 (and commemorated to this day by the Concertina Brewery, who brew in the cellar of the old Mexborough Concertina Band Club in South Yorkshire). 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.

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 concertina]], the [[Anglo concertina]] and the various systems of [[Duet concertina]].

Concertina players have their own organisation, the [http://www.concertina.org International Concertina Association]. Other sites worth investigating are the aforementioned [http://www.concertina.info/ Concertina FAQ], [http://www.concertina.net/ Concertina.net], which has a superb and very active [http://www.concertina.net/forums/ forum], and [http://www.concertina.com/ the Concertina Library], a ''huge'' and lovingly compiled and organised resource of historical and other documents of relevance to the concertina. All three of these sites have many links to other sites of interest to concertina players.

User:ChrisTimson

2007-05-07T20:58:00Z

ChrisTimson: New page: [http://www.concertina.info/cnahome.html Info]

[http://www.concertina.info/cnahome.html Info]

Duet concertina

2007-05-07T20:38:37Z

ChrisTimson: An initial entry for the duet concertina

''"In the same way as the Maccann is related to the English system, the Jeffries is related to the Anglo system. The Crane is a rethink, and mine is a discovery rather than an invention. That's the way I see it".'' - Brian Hayden

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 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 find 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. Much 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, 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". However this situation is changing markedly for the better, as Stagi have started making accordion-reeded Haydens, a Russian bayan maker has made prototypes and intends to go into production with a potentially excellent instrument (the fabled Haydenovskaya), and now that The
Button Box have started making anglos and Englishes they intend to return to their long-held plan to make Haydens. Otherwise the only option is to get one built to order by C & R Dipper or Steve Dickinson. ''Late news: significant delays on the Haydenovskaya, but Marcus Music have started serious development.''

Anglo concertina

2007-05-07T20:29:31Z

ChrisTimson: An initial entry for the 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 duet systems 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 major 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 (thus giving rise to the full name of the instrument, the anglo-chromatic concertina). The low notes on all anglos are on the left hand side, and the high notes on the right.

Anglos are referred to by the keys of the middle and inner rows. 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 G/D instruments, commonly used for English dance music. Normally the two rows are a fifth apart, so that you can have other tunings such as Bb/F and Ab/Eb. ''Very'' occasionally you find C/C#, which is 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 buttons they have:- a 20-button is a two-row, a 30-button is a three row, a 40-button 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 also find anglos with 26, 38, 45 or more buttons. You can play good music on a 20-button instrument, but it is limiting - you have to fudge any accidentals you encounter. 30-button concertinas are fine for all normal use. When you get into the expert bracket look for a 40-button.

If you're getting the picture that there is a lot of variation amongst different anglos you'd be right!

English concertina

2007-05-07T20:10:16Z

ChrisTimson: An initial entry for the 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, a classic Victorian party piece on the instrument), but is more restrictive if you want to play melody with chordal 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.

Concertina

2007-05-07T20:06:47Z

ChrisTimson: An introductory section for the concertina

To get this section started, I'm going to borrow a chunk of text from my site [http://www.concertina.info/ the Concertina FAQ].

The concertina belongs to a class of instruments known as Free Reed instruments, which also includes accordions and harmonicas. It was developed in 1829 and 1830 by Sir Charles Wheatstone of Wheatstone
bridge fame after several years of building prototypes, a few of which still exist (in 1829 he patented its direct predecessor, the Symphonium, in a document which also described a very concertina-like instrument, but he did not actually patent the concertina itself until 1844). The
already-existing family musical instrument firm of Wheatstone & Co switched over to manufacturing 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 (and commemorated to this day by the Concertina Brewery, who brew in the cellar of the old Mexborough Concertina Band Club in South Yorkshire). 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.

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 concertina]], the [[Anglo concertina]] and the various systems of [[Duet concertina]].

Other sites worth investigating are the aforementioned [http://www.concertina.info/ Concertina FAQ], [http://www.concertina.net/ Concertina.net], which has a superb and very active [http://www.concertina.net/forums/ forum], and [http://www.concertina.com/ the Concertina Library], a ''huge'' and lovingly compiled and organised resource of historical and other documents of relevance to the concertina. All three of these sites have many links to other sites of interest to concertina players.