Concertina
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de:Konzertina nl:concertina lt:Koncertina
A concertina, like the various accordions, is a member of the free-reed family of instruments. Concertinas typically have buttons on both ends and are distinguished from an accordion (piano or button) by the direction of their button travel when pushed. Concertina buttons travel 'in the same direction as the bellows' whereas accordion buttons travel 'perpendicular to the direction of the bellows'.
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Types
There are several common kinds. To player familiar with one of these "systems", a concertina of a different system may feel like an entirely new instrument.
Anglo concertina
The Anglo concertina (from "Anglo-German") has buttons in curved rows following the fingertips. Pushing and pulling the bellows give two different notes from the same button. It is the ancestor of the bandoneon. (Ed. Note: Some scholars consider the bandoneon to be a type of concertina although it does not share the name.)
English concertina
The English concertina has buttons in a rectangular arrangement of four staggered rows, with the short side of the rectangle at the wrist. Pushing and pulling give the same note. A scale in most keys alternates between one side and the other.
Duet concertinas
Various duet system concertinas, which are much more rarely seen than Anglo and English concertinas have button layouts that provide low notes in the left hand, high notes in the right, with some overlap (like a piano), and the same notes pushing and pulling.
Chemnitzer concertina and other German concertinas
- In the United States, particularly in the Midwest, the term "Concertina" often refers to the Chemnitzer concertina, a close cousin of the bandoneon. Chemnitzer Concertinas have similar internal construction to bandoneons, but with a different keyboard layout and decorative style, and some mechanical innovations pioneered by German-American instrument builder and inventor Otto Schlicht.
- There are various German concertina systems, which share common construction features and core button layout with Chemnitzer concertinas and bandoneons.
