I myself have made a few brass reeds individually by hand, but the brass sheet i used was made specially for me by a craftsman friend, using a formula for reed brass from a 19thcentury book. Over the next few years the accordion developed and. This is my seventh prototype reed in brass, following on from about ten prototypes in aluminium. Etsy is the home to thousands of handmade, vintage, and oneofakind products and gifts related to your search. Cg is the standard tuning found in all the books, and is popular in ireland. In the meantime, i might suggest that anyone interested in making brass reeds, if they cant find a modern maker of spring brass, should look in university technical libraries for 19thcentury books on the subject. A first appearance on an early george case of roundended brass reeds in a. Brass reed tongues became standard from about 1848, supplanting the use of.
I purchased these books from star concertina and have taken good care of them. The most important parts of a concertina are the reeds. The reeds generate the sound, determine the sound quality, air consumption, dynamics, etc traditional concertina reeds consist of a reed frame shoe, clamp with two screws, and the reed itself. If your name is not on this list you are not making concertinas in 2018.
Wheatstone, english system concertina, concertina, 1855, london sku. Rochelle anglo concertina, quality italian accordion reeds, sqeeze box. The bellows are reasonably air tight and the bone keys are in great condition. Anglo concertina duet concetina english concertina. The english concertina is a member of the concertina family of freereed musical instruments. Soon after 1850 he published an instruction book for the duet concertina and. An annotated catalogue of historic european freereed lnstrumentsfrom my private collection 1 1. The concertina is in great condition the mahogany ends are in good condition. I have dated it to 1833 on the evidence of an anonymous early concertina tutor book. Lachenal 48key tutor english concertina, light wood ends, bone buttons, brass reeds. Involving woodworking, metal working, and bookbinding skills concertina.
An annotated catalogue of historic european freereed. Besides the different materials used for the reeds, the fit of the. Lachenal 48key tutor model english concertinalight wood ends, bone buttons, brass reeds and 6. The f was sound a bit flat on the draw and also a bit weak. Wheatstone raised ebony ends 48 key english concertina thereedlounge. Oct 18, 2011 brass, reeds, and percussion is wlrhs longest running program, started in 1976 by musician darryl adams, and as the name suggestsis a program about music for the wind band as opposed to the orchestra. There are literally hundreds of reeds to consider, from great brands like vandoren, daddario, giardinelli, legere, and more. Underneath the palletkeyboard face, there is a rectangular, wooden board, reed pan, with reed chambers, made with airtight, leather covered, thin wooden. Our mid range instruments use the best professional italian reeds and because of the maple reed pans they produce a very bright sound. Thepopular concertina hits andconcertina american volumes 110 are very thick books.
These studies on the very earliest wheatstone concertinas indicate that the. Aug 19, 2017 a little information is a dangerous thing. All reeds used in wakker concertinas are designed and made in our own studio. How it works when activated by an air column, the steel or brass reed mounted in the brass frame will cut the airflow in small sections. Lachenal 48key tutor english concertina, light wood ends. Free reed instruments specialists hobgoblin music, established 1976. Would you please be kind enough to comment on the durability and playability of the above type reeds. Lachenal 48 key english concertina, brass reeds regular price. This video doesnt cover a reed that needs gapping ill add that if requested. In order to activate a reed, an air flow is needed.
It is not exhaustive and i would welcome further information for this list. It doesnt help that that the owners other one is an aeola. They require less air to oscillate, and hold their tuning better it seems. The vintage type concertina are the real concertinas using brass singular reeds. Lachenal 20 key anglo concertina, mahogany ends, bb, brass reeds, 5 fold bellows. Wheatstone designed this instrument between 1850 and 1855 to play duets and accompany melodies. I have heard so many differing opinions from harmonica players regarding them, but will greatly value a skilled craftsmans knowledge in this arena. The program, hosted by john hightower, features music composed for the instruments of the typical american high school band or the typical american military band.
Lachenal new model extended 60 key english concertina regular price. Allan atlas, in his book the wheatstone concertina in victorian england identifies six. Stainless steel versus brass or phosphourbronze reeds. Brass chromeplated face plate reeds fastened with screws. It was claimed, in an anonymous 1830 instruction book, the german. These concertinas have the origional sound of the vintage. Both tones where produced with bb harps 2draw, f 349hz 3. Anglo concertinas secondhand instruments hobgoblin music. Jan 19, 2011 its fourfold bellows, brass reeds, coloured buttons. This concertina has the standard 46 button hayden layout with. Jan 17, 2018 opening up a vintage english concertina to ping a reed that is not sounding.
How about convincing me by sending me your analyisis of an actual brass concertina reed, first. As before, i cut the frames and clamps from 2mm brass sheet on my cnc milling machine. Our reed designs are unique and only used in wakker concertinas. In the meantime, i might suggest that anyone interested in making brass reeds, if they cant find a modern maker of spring brass, should look in university technical libraries for. Folk musicians have favored concertinas since the mid1800s for their low cost, portability, and superior sound. They generally have brass reeds, but there are some with steel. Compared with other concertinas, the hohner d40 concertina has a brighter sound and smoother tone. The evangelical salvation army adopted all systems of the concertina as a more portable and flexible alternative to brass instruments, and. A fully restored concertina that is just right for a beginner to get off and started. An account of nineteen instruments which illustrate key points in the development of european freereed instruments, with large color photographs. Its a great time to upgrade your home music studio gear with the largest selection at. This is the first time ive worked on brass reeds and compared with steel i found the results disappointing, theyre slow to speak and take quite a lot of bellows pressure. Lachenal 30 key anglo concertina, mahogany ends, steel reed, 5f bb cp.
Wheatstone raised ebony ends 48 key english concertina. Anglo concertinas lachenal 30 key anglo, cg, metal ends, metal buttons, steel reeds, plays well. The wheatstone concertina from 1850 onwards free reed records. This paper was presented at the 20th musikinstrumentenbausymposium at stiftung kloster michaelstein, held1921 november 1999, to. Both hands nominally play the same twelve notes, but those played with the right hand sound an octave higher. Elise hayden duet concertina, accordion reeds squeeze box. Lachenal 20 key anglo concertina, mahogany ends, bb, brass reeds, 5 fold. Button concertina, accordion,professional 20 buttons accordion concertina musical instrument accessory keyboard accordion instrument for wren 2 anglo 30buttons cg concertina accordion with hard case.
I have been told that longer scale reeds have better pitch stability and responsiveness, particularly on the low end. As far as i know, even replacement reeds in old brassreeded instruments are either made of steel or taken whole from another old instrument. Instead of a brass rivet for the lever to turn on there is an axle and bearing made of. Here is a list of tutors and other books that have been published for the concertina. Kensington reeds kensington concertinas dana johnson. Cg is the standard tuning found in all the books, and is popular in ireland where the key. My next concertina will have the same number of buttons in a larger instrument, so i plan to use longer scale reeds in it. The internal construction of the flutina resembles the english wheatstone concertina more than the reed banks used in regular accordion construction. Just as with a regular english concertina, pressure and suction give the same note on two different reeds. Reeds can require some maintenance read every day reed maintenance for help. An english system one will always have 48, colored white, black for half notes, and red for c. I have heard it said in other concertina faqs that dealers dont let you check inside their instruments. These reeds are mounted in a small chamber over an opening which is connected to the bellows. I make my reeds starting with large sheets of brass for the reed shoes and reed clamps, and wide strips of reed steel i shear and grind into the individual reed.
Small free reed instrument from england, usually hexagonal in shape. They generally have brass reeds, but there are some with steel, especially those with rosewood rather than mahogany ends, so check. Accordions, melodeons, concertinas, shruti boxes, melodicas and harmonicas. Thomas concertina opened reed bellows mechanism case reedpan 1 buttons. These are better than thet reeds, and sound nice and sweet. A more detailed over view of the process of tuning a reed from an antique english concertina. Lachenal 48key tutor model english concertina light wood ends, bone buttons, brass reeds and 6 fold bellows. Ive performed with it in a large guitar jam setting a couple of times, and it stood up to the test admirably. Lachenal 20 key anglo concertina, mahogany ends, bb, brass.
But heres a start, if you are interested in pipe organ reeds. Lachenal 48key tutor model english concertinalight wood ends, bone buttons, brass reeds and 6 fold b. The newest addition to the concertina connection line of anglo concertinas. The instrument was first known simply as the concertina.