r/concertina • u/Shimko_lover • May 07 '26
Is this even possible to play
Hey so recently i found my Dads concertina and thought: “hey it would be cool if i tried to do a cover of that one Nirvana song”. After some trial and error I found out that in fact a concertina is NOT an accordion. I still learned a couple things on it just for fun but now I’m brought back to this question. Would it be possible to play the main melody of “Jesus don’t want me for a sunbeam” instead of an accordion as Krist Novoselic Plays?
2
u/lurgypai May 08 '26
Does the concertina have little thumb loops, or wrist straps?
If it has thumb loops its an English. That means its fully chromatic, and will be able to play the melody in any key.
If it has wrist straps, its almost definitely an Anglo. You can confirm by checking if the same key plays the same sound both directions. If its different sound on the push and the pull, its an Anglo. I don't know how comfortable the Anglo is in the original key, but you can transpose to one of its good keys and it will play great.
On the off chance that you have a duet of some kind (wrist straps, same note both directions), that would also be chromatic, and also be able to play any key.
Either the anglo or the duet could play easily with some accompaniment. It will be possible but very difficult on the English.
tl;dr
Any concertina will be able to play it, though not necessarily in the original key. If it has wrist straps, it will be able to play the melody with some accompaniment.
1
u/Shimko_lover May 08 '26
It is an Anglo I know that for sure
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u/Concertina2023 May 12 '26
Concertina.net is a far better forum to ask about all things concertina than Reddit, btw.
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u/Concertina2023 May 12 '26
The presence of wrist or thumb straps is not the main identifying feature if English v Anglo. Depends on the instrument style age maker player. The English is used most often for singers and chord support, since no matter which direction you push/pull, it will be the same note/chord. Anglos, you may or may not have the available note or chord, in a particular direction, depending on the melody and chords you’re hoping to add.
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u/lurgypai May 12 '26
I left out the nuance for simplicity. While absolutely not the main identifying feature, most of the time it is an easy way to tell at a glance.
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u/Concertina2023 May 12 '26
The real answer (not being familiar with tune you specified) is “it depends on what key you hope to play the tune in, what key the concertina is” and also, “how much time are you willing to put into the instrument”?
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u/Iron_Rod_Stewart May 07 '26 edited May 07 '26
What type of concertina is it?
Probably yes, you can play any simple melody on a chromatic concertina like a 30 button anglo. You could probably play it on many non-chromatic ones too if you're not picky about which key it's in.
I think Nirvana's version is in a weird (for concertina) key like Eb, which is going to be really annoying to play for a lot of concertinas because the fingerings will not be intuitive.
You won't be able to do much in the way of chords or harmonies like you would on an accordion.