Hi: I'm not new to Chiff and Fipple; however, I'm new to the Free Reed Forum. I play Irish Flutes and Bagpipes, but I'm intersted in learning how to play the concertina and would welcome any suggestions. I know very, very little. My interest is mainly Irish Trad. music. About all I know, at this point in time, is that there are two types of concertina's, so you see, my lack of knowledge runs deep. I don't even know what type would be best for ITM? I do read music fairly well. Feel free to make suggestions as to various makes, number of buttons, etc... So, there it is. Thanking all in advance for any ideas, opinions, and suggestions. Don.

You might have better luck looking over at concertina.net:

http://www.concertina.net

and specifically, their forums:

http://www.concertina.net/forums/

I haven't a clue about concertinas, but I do play mandolin and just started with flute. One of the standby shops in the mandolin world is Fiddler's Green in Austin, Texas. They do ITM classes on mandolin, and literally just started offering a starter package for concertina. http://www.fiddlersgreenmusicshop.com/c ... anglo.html
No idea about the instrument, but I can recommend the store.

Well, thank you for the suggestions. Eskin, I took your advice and you're right, I did have better luck. In fact, I'm giving some strong thought to ordering a new Rochelle Anglo based upon the information found on concertina.net. and some other places. Frankly, I don't think I can go too far wrong, especially after reading some reviews and the price is right. Thanks again to the two brave souls who provided some thought to my question.