How to read music - Basic

I intend this site to be for people who can already read music to some extent.  However, if you can't, don't despair!  By anecdote, report, and the layout of the instruction books, the concertina was designed so it could be played by people with no musical notation instruction at all.  Just learn the rhythm and push the buttons and you're good to go for as many songs as you can memorize!

However, the various instruction books usually have a beginning section devoted to rudimentary music so that the student can at least get the hang of reading music in short order.

If you care to, check out the German and Anglo concertina manuals on this site.  Bear in mind that these are the 10 and 20 button designs, and the key layout is not the same as our Scheffler layout, so pay no attention to the button instructions - just read about musical notation.  The Jones Chromatic Anglo (1946) and Sedgwick's Improved Complete Instructions for German Concertina (28 key) (1893) I found had useful information.

I will also try to hit the high points here:

Concertina finger numbering

I took the following from Wolf's Concertina Course (for 38 or 52 key) (1957) instruction manual.  I had the same idea, but I wasn't sure whether I should keep the fingers the same numbers, or if I should number both hands from left to right.  In the interest of keeping some kind of standard, I'll just reproduce the hands from Wolf's, although I'll state that I was going to make the Roman numbers lowercase.

Concertina Musical Notation

The following is an excerpt of typical Chemnitzer concertina sheet music:

Thumb Air Valve and reed switches

On any concertina will be some kind of air valve that allows you to draw or press the concertina to fill or expel air from the bellows without making any sound through the reeds.

This is very important: Never force the bellows open or closed without using the air valve (or by playing).  Forcing air out can damage the seal of the bellows.

Use the thumb air valve:

Chemnitzer Concertina Button Layout

The overriding goal, whether you learn to read music or not, is to be able to play without constantly looking at the buttons.  For this, it's necessary to memorize the button layout.

The buttons of a Chemnitzer "104 key" should look like this.  There are a total of 28 on the right, and 24 on the left.  Add them together, you get 52 buttons - so with two tones per button from pushing and pulling: 52 + 52 = 104 "keys".

Tuning a Concertina

Basically - take it to a professional who knows how to tune a concertina.  Accordion repair guys might be able to do it - I don't know how similar it is.

Correct Posture: How to Hold a Concertina

First:  When drawing or pressing the bellows, always have keys or the air valve pressed!  Forcing the air out is how you get leaks in the seal of the bellows (besides regular aging of the bellows).

Now, I'm no expert, but just like there is good posture for holding and playing any instrument, I believe there is a correct way to hold a concertina as well. Gary Breuggen I think shows it very well: standing and playing on one knee:

 

Determine the Key of Your Instrument

After you have determined that you have a Chemnitzer-style concertina (not an English, Irish, Anglo-German, Duet, or Bandoneon), you should determine what "key" the instrument is in.

The Czech Area Concertina Club have a convenient decoding sheet: see How to Determine Your Concertina Key and How to Play with Concertinas in Other Keys.

If you have a 52-button or "104-key" (which really means 104 notes - 2 for each button), you should have a button on the right side that looks like a circle with a crosshairs through it (a "coda" symbol).  The note that sounds while you draw (that means pull the bellows open) while pressing this button is the "key" of the instrument.