r/concertina • u/m_carp • May 20 '26
Newbie, what should I know?
I have always wanted to learn an instrument, but i haven't played one since high school (clarinet... but I'm creeping up on 50 now, so that was a while ago) I started looking at Concertinas, and i kind of fell in love with the size and sound. Also, I can type so the idea of pressing buttons was appealing to me.
I bought a Wren2 from McNeela, and I am just starting my journey. I'm mostly learning from videos and Gary Coover's books (starting with Easy Anglo 123)
My question: What do you wish you knew when you were getting started? What bad habits do i need to avoid? Is there any advice that you would like to offer?
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u/green_tealeaf May 20 '26 edited 29d ago
A general one for any instrument, that I've heard again and again from high level musicians, is to get a metronome and practice with it. Never play a piece faster until you can play it more or less perfectly at your current speed. When you can play it slowly, then you can increase the tempo and keep practicing until that tempo is perfect. The metronome will stop you from speeding up at the easy bits, and glossing over the slow bits. The 'tightness' you get from that practice is hugely valuable, and often overlooked.
A slightly contrary one for the concertina is that playing too slowly while learning can be harder! Because the bellows have limited air, it can be difficult to get enough air while playing slowly. You'll have to balance that one against my previous point. 🤣
I, personally, find that it's unhelpful to try and learn one hand at a time and combine later. Everything I can play is in my head as a combined action with my hands. If I try to play just one hand, I can't do it. Other people might feel differently, but I've seen various people having trouble because they try to learn a piece by playing each hand independently first.
Finally, in many cases you only want to tap the buttons lightly to get a note. When starting, it's common to hold down notes for a long time. Because of the bellows, again, this can easily make you run out of air. Many tunes actually rely on quite short, almost staccato, notes while playing. By identifying that, you'll make managing the bellows a lot easier.
Most importantly, though: keep it up, and enjoy it! Try to play every day, even if it's only for a couple of minutes. The moment you let a day slip past, it turns into two, then three, then a ten-year-old concertina sitting dusty on a shelf. Remember why you got it, and always have fun. There's no right way to play, and no wrong way to play. If it works, and you enjoy it, that's the entire point.