50p No. 88 Winter 2008/2009 - Devon Folk

My Grandfather had one of those
A guide to those old squeezeboxes found in the
attic and for people considering purchasing one
for the rst time.
I’ve heard this – or something similar, like
an uncle – on a number of occasions from a
member of the audience when I’ve been playing
a squeezebox for dancing or in a pub session. It’s
still not unusual to nd a family who have an old
squeezebox languishing unplayed in their attic,
unaware of its musical characteristics or potential
value. Some of them nd their way into junk
shops from house clearances and some appear on
Ebay, where a quality instrument will usually be
recognised despite an uncertain description .
Most people would probably recognise a piano
accordion from its keyboard layout on the right
hand but if the squeezebox is all buttons then it
may be described by anyone unfamiliar with
the instruments as an accordion, melodeon or
concertina regardless of its true identity. This
article will, I hope, aid recognition.
If the squeezebox is small with hexagonal or, less
commonly, octagonal ends then you are looking
at a concertina. These particular instruments have
become particularly popular in recent years, and a
good quality model even in need of some attention
can command a four gure price at auction. But
you need to know what you’re looking at, in
order to assess its value if you are selling, and
its suitability for your purpose if you’re in the
market for buying one for the rst time, for there
are three very different types of concertina – the
Anglo, the English, and the Duet.
The Anglo will usually have two or three rows
of buttons on each side, and buttons will give
a different note depending on whether you push
or pull on the bellows with the button depressed.
These instruments are set in two denite keys,
C/G, or G/D being the most common, but other
combinations (such as Bb, F) are not unusual.
The two row models are denitely not fully
chromatic, and while the three row models may
have all the other notes not in the major scale of
the two given keys, it is much more difcult to
play in another key. To determine the keys of the
instrument, on the right hand side (there’s a small
4
air button on its own near the thumb) push the
rst button (nearest index nger) of the rst row
(nearest one’s palm), and match it to a known note
on a pitch pipe, piano. or other instrument. Repeat
with the rst button of the 2nd (or middle row, if
3 rows). Older instruments may not be in concert
pitch, especially if they have lain idle for several
years, but one should be able to get a pretty good
approximation. The scale, for the most part, is
obtained by working along the row, pushing
and pulling with each button in turn, much like
blowing and sucking on a mouth organ.
A basic Anglo can be purchased very reasonably
for around £100, but don’t expect much in the
way of quality. Generally the more garish the
colour, the poorer the quality. Paradoxically, the
best quality Anglos fetch the highest prices on
Ebay - £4000 plus is not unheard of.
Like the Anglo, the straps on a duet concertina rest
on the back of the hand, allowing all four ngers
to access the buttons. Duet concertinas, however,
are fully chromatic, and play the same note on
push and pull, with bass notes on the left side and
treble notes played by the right hand. This allows
chords or counter-melody to be played easily with
the tune. To add to the confusion, there’s more
than one kind of arrangement of the notes, but the
most common are the McCann system and the
Crane system. Both have the ‘black’ notes – the
sharps and ats – on the two outside columns (the
lines of buttons going from palm to ngertip), and
the ‘white’ notes in four columns in the McCann,
and three columns in the Crane (a far more logical
system, in my opinion). Cranes tend to be more
harder to come by on the second-hand market,
and thus are likely to be more expensive; think
four gures instead of three for a Crane, although
the make and model naturally affects the cost.
English concertinas have four columns of buttons,
again with the sharps and ats on the outside.
Usually there is no broad strap for the hand,
however, but on each side a thumb strap and a
small metal plate on which the little nger rests.
The notes are the same on push and pull, and a
scale is obtained by playing alternately right
hand and left hand. Limited range instruments