Chiff and Fipple Forums

I am a former whistle player sidelined by arthritis and neuropathy of my right hand, now play mountain dulcimer and bowed psaltery. Both are feasible but not ideal for the Irtrad music I like to play.

I have been thinking recently of trying to pick up the concertina to cover this "gap". I don't want junk, but also don't want to break the bank on an instrument I might not be able to play.

What should I look for in a playable but not too expensive instrument? Any advice welcome. Thanks

Maybe a chromatic harmonica would be a better choice of instrument for you.

You might want to see if you can rent one. The Button Box has rentals. I play the concertina as well as flute and other things and I do think the concertina is very finger intensive as well as forearm. If you want to play at any speed it is very intensive. If you want to pick out tunes slowly you may be fine. It can be fun for that as well. Playing tunes requires finger tapping like movements, and at session speeds these can be repetitively percussive.

As for the harmonica suggestion... I tried the harmonica one year when I broke two fingers, and truly disliked it, but I know many people who really enjoy playing Irish Trad. on harmonica. There is a specific type of harmonica recommended with something called Paddy Richter tuning. Check the web for more info on that one.