The English Concertina evolved and changed from its invention in the early 19th century. These pages will help you identify the concertinas you meet in your everyday life.
| |
The English Concertina. Note the four vertical rows of buttons, the small thumb loops and the metal pinky plate. This is your basic English concertina. You play with three fingers on each hand (the thumb and pinky are holding the concertina) and the scale is interleaved between the left and right hands. This means that you can play fast melodies. This is an old Wheatstone, very similar in pattern to the earliest concertinas built by Wheatstone, the inventor. |
|
A later and more luxurious example of the English concertina. This pretty little thing has gold plated buttons and raised amboyna wood ends. It also has a lovely sonorous muted voice. This is also a Wheatstone. |
| |
Another English concertina,larger than the two previous ones although it has no more buttons. This means that the reeds inside are larger so its voice is deeper. It is a baritone. This example is actually a modern instrument made by Colin and Rosalie Dipper. They made it to match the treble Wheatstone above. |