A good friend of mine just bought a concertina, a scholer 20 button anglo. Since he is brand new to the instrument he has no idea of which button plays which note (and they're different on the in and out strokes!) Please e-mail a diagram to me for him. Thanks in advance, Jim Wood jimwood@earthling.net

-- jim wood (jimwood@earthling.net), July 15, 1998

Answers

anglo layout for beginners

Hi, Jim

I started out on a garage sale scholer. I now play a wheatstone english.

Does your friend play harmonica? Tell him it's just like a harmonica, two harmonicas in fact, a two- row box is two harmonicas stacked up one on top of the other. Tell him to start playing scales by starting on a lower note on the left hand, and then just moving up do-re-mi. Whatever works out to be "do" is the key the row is in. (Now, I believe that the heros of Anglo play in all keys on a single box, but that's a different story, and impossible on your Scholer anyway.)

Just like a harmonica, the scale goes wierd on the lowest and highest notes, for reasons that are implicit in the system; he doesn't need to worry about it, just stay loose and thank god he doesn't have a bandoneon. Now, try to pick out a simple tune. After a bit, try to pick out a more complicated tune. He doesn't have to listen to concertina records: fiddle, banjo, pipes, flute, all play music that is good on the box.

-- Jennings & Ponder * Sheefra * World Tales & Celtic Music PO Box 1601 Burlington VT 05402 * www.together.net/~folktale

-- tim jennings (folktale@together.net), July 17, 1998.