This should give you years of pleasure and enjoyment, but, as with all new craftsman made instruments, a bit of extra tlc in the early days will pay dividends, and help both you and your instrument.  The reeds on a brand new instrument take some time to develop their own tone and full dynamic range.   It’s always a good idea to help them develop and play them in by not pushing them too hard in the early stages – I always suggest a wide range of tunes, in a choice of keys. 

Aim to play in as many keys as possible (perhaps easier for an English than Anglo player!), and incorporate a full range of dynamics, and changes in speed etc.  In other words – don’t go for the max all the time!   Your concertina is a craftsman made instrument, and will repay you by developing a fine tone but you in turn need to be gentle at first – get used to each other, kindly but steadily.  

Store your instrument with the bellows closed, and on its side (as if in playing position) - this prevents the leather valves from dropping and thus presenting problems.  Try to avoid leaving your concertina in strong sunlight or exposed to other heat sources.  In fact, avoid extremes of both hot and cold – remember – the concertina is essentially a Victorian instrument – and their homes were neither centrally heated nor draught proofed…

 I always recommend keeping concertinas in a suitable hard case – but you will probably need to add additional blocking or packing to ensure the bellows remain closed and the concertina doesn’t roll around in transit.  Additionally, many people find a padded gig bag useful for ease of carrying – especially for taking to sessions. 

Don’t squeeze the bellows without having a button depressed – the air will make its way out somewhere – and it should really only be going out through the reeds or the air valve.

Beware:  concertinas are addictive – you’ll probably find yourself wanting to buy another one  to keep your first concertina company.  As with many other orchestral type instruments, concertinas come in a full range of sizes from piccolo, (rarely found – and really only used in a Concertina Band setting!) through to baritone and bass.  Most people start with a treble instrument, and perhaps add a baritone later on – although many are happy to add another treble or two – perhaps with metal ends instead of wooden, or vice versa.

The International Concertina Association (ICA) is long established worldwide group of friendly helpful people and offers many benefits of membership, including a lively newsletter and the world’s largest written concertina music archive.

The ICA can also help you find other concertina players in your area, and give details of people wiling to act as mentors.   Most mainland UK players will be within easy driving distance of one or more of the local and regional concertina groups.

Are you a “speed freak”, wanting fast flowing melody lines – if so, the key arrangement on an English means you can achieve this easily!  However, for fast driving dance tunes, the Anglo is fantastic.

For budding composers or people preferring to play from music, the English or Duet fits the bill perhaps better than the Anglo.  BUT - If playing by ear is your skill, or choice, then an Anglo is probably the system for you – many people find it easier to get started on this system.

BUT – these are just suggestions – there is no hard and fast rule – you may be influenced by the playing style of someone you admire e.g. Alistair Anderson, Rob Harbron, Sandra Kerr, Simon Thoumire, Dave Townsend,  (English), John Kirkpatrick, Mary McNamara, Harry Scurfield, or Chris Sherburn (Anglo), Chris Coe, Tim Laycock (Duet).   Many Morris dance musicians opt for the Anglo as it’s ideal for building up the punchy rhythms and beat - however, I use English for dance. Those wanting to play a lot of Irish music tend to opt for the Anglo – although you can play Irish style on an English.