Concertina Explained: Features, Types and Tips

The concertina is one of folk music's most evocative instruments—a compact free-reed aerophone that produces its sound through bellows-driven reeds, much like an accordion but engineered for portability and precise control. Whether nestled in the hands of an Irish session musician or a Victorian parlour player, this distinctive instrument carries with it two centuries of history, craftsmanship and deeply rooted musical traditions. Its hexagonal frame and button interface might seem unfamiliar to those accustomed to guitars or keyboards, yet the concertina remains the second most common melodic instrument in Irish traditional music, and for good reason: it allows rapid ornamentation, intimate dynamic control and a warmth of tone that no electronic amplification has managed to replicate.

What Makes It Unique

A concertina's defining feature is its bellows system, which pumps air through precisely tuned metal reeds to produce sound. This fundamental design separates this instrument from its larger cousin, the accordion. When you press a button on either end, you open a passage to a specific reed chamber. As the bellows move, air vibrates the reed at its natural frequency, creating a single clear pitch or, in some configurations, a chord. The beauty of this mechanism lies in how much control the player exercises: subtle bellows pressure shapes tone colour and volume, and the direction of bellows movement—push versus pull—becomes musically significant in certain designs.

The concertina comes in several distinct types, each with its own history and musical application. The Anglo variant, the most common in folk traditions, features 20 buttons per hand and a diatonic system where the same button produces different notes depending on bellows direction. This bi-directional character suits traditional melodic ornamentation perfectly. The English model, by contrast, typically carries 48 or more buttons per hand in a chromatic layout; it produces the same note on push and pull, making it suited to composed classical pieces rather than improvisation. Duet versions, the rarest variety, allow one hand to play melody whilst the other manages harmony—a specialised instrument for the dedicated enthusiast.

A Brief History of This Instrument

The concertina's story begins in early 19th-century Germany. Christian Friedrich Buschmann patented a button-driven bellows instrument around 1829 in Berlin. The design caught the imagination of English innovators, and by 1844, Charles Wheatstone had patented his own refined version, establishing the hexagonal two-end-plate architecture that remains standard today. Matthias Hohner and other German makers subsequently mass-produced affordable models, making the instrument accessible beyond wealthy Victorian households.

This bellows-driven device split into geographical niches. Victorian England and classical circles favoured the English variant, which appeared in chamber music and parlour settings. Ireland and the broader Anglo-Celtic folk traditions embraced the Anglo model, where its diatonic character and rapid-fire note repetition made it ideal for reels, polkas and jigs. By the 20th century, as orchestral music and accordions dominated mainstream popularity, the concertina seemed destined for the museum. Yet it never left Irish hands. From the 1970s folk revival onwards, players like Noel Hill elevated the Anglo version from background accompaniment to virtuosic voice, inspiring new generations to take up the bellows.

How the Concertina Works

Understanding the concertina's mechanics illuminates why players revere this instrument. The bellows are the lungs—air chambers lined with linen or leather, sealed against leaks with wax or modern compounds. When you gently squeeze or pull the bellows open, you generate consistent air pressure. Press a button, and you unlock a valve that channels that air through a specific reed. The reed—a thin brass or phosphor-bronze tongue—vibrates at its tuned frequency, producing a pure, sustained note.

In an Anglo concertina, the same physical button connects to two different reeds: one that sounds on the push stroke and another on the pull. This means a skilled player can repeat a note rapidly by alternating bellows direction, producing the signature Irish ornamentation—rolls, cuts and flicks—that casual listeners may not notice but experienced musicians immediately recognise as the mark of a confident hand. An English model routes each button to reeds that sound identically on both push and pull, eliminating that bellows-direction complexity and favoring linear melodies over ornamental variation.

Building and Materials

A quality concertina from a respected maker is a marvel of construction. The frame typically begins as a wooden hexagon—softwood for the main body and hardwood (often oak, walnut or mahogany) for the endplates. Within this frame sits an intricate arrangement of reed chambers, each precisely dimensioned to hold a reed at the exact gap needed for correct pitch. The buttons themselves are carved from wood or bone, mounted on a complex linkage of levers and springs that transmit finger pressure to the valve mechanism below. Modern makers may incorporate aluminium frames or synthetic components for durability and tuning stability, though traditionalists argue that wood offers superior tone absorption.

The reeds themselves are an art form. A reed maker must hand-craft and hand-tune each tongue to fractional tolerances, ensuring it vibrates at the correct frequency and responds evenly across a range of air pressures. This is why old Wheatstone and Lachenal instruments command premium prices: decades of playing have allowed the wood to settle and the reeds to reach acoustic maturity. A well-maintained 100-year-old example can sound as fresh as a new instrument, whilst a poorly kept one deteriorates rapidly.

The Concertina in Tradition

For Irish musicians, the Anglo concertina holds almost sacred status. It accompanies traditional dance tunes, complements the fiddle's voice and provides the rhythmic anchor that allows guitarists and bodhrán players to lock in their accompaniment. Sessions—informal gatherings where musicians play together—feature this bellows instrument as a standard voice, though not every pub session includes one. A good player shapes a tune's character: they decide the phrasing, the ornamentation, the dynamic arc. This centrality in living tradition means that learning the concertina is not merely learning an instrument; it is becoming part of a centuries-old conversation.

Types and Range

Concertinas of various designs span a wide range of sizes, buttonings and price points. Entry-level instruments, often from Eastern European makers, may cost GBP 400–800 and serve a beginner adequately. Mid-range options—GBP 800–2000—offer improved sound, durability and playability, with makers like Stagi and Suttner producing respected models. Professional-grade new instruments from established makers like Castagnari or contemporary English builders run GBP 2000–5000 or more. Vintage examples—particularly sought-after Wheatstone and Lachenal models—often exceed GBP 5000, and exceptional pieces have sold for GBP 10,000+.

Maintaining Your Concertina

A concertina's longevity depends on storage and gentle use. Keep it upright, away from extremes of temperature and humidity. Have bellows re-sealed by a specialist every 20–30 years, or sooner if you notice air leakage. The most common major repair is reed block restoration—if reeds crack or become sluggish, a skilled technician can replace them, typically costing GBP 200–800. Modern sealants and restoration techniques mean that a 150-year-old instrument can be returned to full voice if you locate a qualified repairer.

Learning to play the concertina requires patience and a willingness to develop bilateral hand control: your left and right hands play different notes, and both must coordinate with conscious bellows direction. Yet thousands of concertina players discover that the investment yields rewards unmeasurable in currency—a voice that is uniquely theirs, access to a living folk tradition, and the quiet satisfaction of coaxing beauty from timber and breath.