How to Play the Concertina

The Concertina is a free reed instrument with a bellows similar to an accordion. It is smaller, lighter, and a little more difficult to play.

Decide what kind of concertina to play. Anglo-German or English are the two most available.
Procure a concertina. Buy, rent, or borrow one.
Learn about the fingerings for your particular concertina. The website www.concertina.com is a good place to start.
Get a book of simple songs, or even a specific book for your concertina. "Del Rey's Deluxe Concertina Book" is older, widely available, and good for the Anglo concertina. "The Concertina: A Handbook and Tutor for Beginners on the English Concertina" can be found on the concertina.com webpage.
Learn how to use the bellows. Gently pull the bellows or push the bellows while holding down individual buttons. Don't worry about playing specific chords when you start. Concentrate on first making a scale from "C to C". If you aren't able to get the basic 8 note scale, or octave ("oct"=8) you will have a difficult time learning songs.
Learn a few simple songs with melodies that you know in your head. If you can't read music you can learn how to play by ear as well.
Practice. Practice. Practice!
Get a friend who plays the guitar to play chords for you while you play melodies. If you can download sheet music on the internet you can find notes and chords to match. Most songbooks or "fakebooks" have simple melodies with chords.
Study the history of the concertina so that you can be a proud concertina player!
Search YouTube for "concertina". There are quite a few good tutorials there, as well as talented performers to help give you an idea of what can be played.

Search YouTube for "concertina". There are quite a few good tutorials there, as well as talented performers to help give you an idea of what can be played.

There are several types of concertinas, but you'll likely only run across the two major ones: Anglo-German and English. The Anglo concertina plays different notes on push and pull (diatonic, much like a harmonica) whereas an English concertina plays the same notes on push and pull (chromatic, like a piano accordion). The easiest way to tell the two apart from pictures is that the Anglo has a wrist-strap while the English has a thumb strap with a metal "J" at the bottom for the pinky finger.
An Anglo is good for Irish music or folk music, with push/pull on the bellows quickly changing the notes. An English is more versatile having additional buttons for the accidentals (sharps and flats). If you are used to playing accordion or want more choices in the music you play choose an English.
Look through eBay for one on sale, ask your local musicians where you could rent one, or ask if anyone happens to have one from their grandpa in an attic that you might borrow. There are a lot of expensive or antique concertinas out there (1800's-1900's) so don't be dismayed to see concertinas selling in the multiple-thousands of dollars. A good starter instrument should run from $80-$200.
An Anglo will typically have a particular chord associated with it "C/G" or "G/D" for example, and have rows of chords. An English will have columns of buttons, the middle 2 columns are the natural or "white notes", and the outer two columns of buttons are the accidentals. A 30 button English will have some missing places for sharps/flats, whereas a 48 button English should have all 4 columns filled with buttons.
The number one producer of accordions and concertinas in the 21st century is China and you may see die hard concertina players grumbling about the quality of Chinese instruments. Don't get the cheapest one available, but you don't need to spend more than $200 on a starter instrument.
There are some producers of concertinas in the United States and Europe. If you eventually get to the the point where you wish a high quality instrument, seek out one of these manufacturers. These tend to be private individuals making them rather than mass produced, so the quality can be high but also more expensive.
A concertina has about the same range as a violin. Sheet music for the violin is playable on the concertina.
Chords are playable on concertinas, but start with simple melodies first. On an English or Duet concertina just about any major or minor chord can be made, if you are dexterous enough. An Anglo is more limited in that regard.
English concertinas tend to be a little more expensive than Anglos: More reeds and buttons!
Because it is diatonic (different note on push/pull) an Anglo can be more difficult to play for experienced musicians with other instruments. A lot depends on the type of music or sound desired. For more questions ask on a Concertina forum such as at www.concertina.net. Some players prefer one over the other than many players do have strong opinions about their chosen style.

Beware paying high dollar values for "antique" or "vintage" instruments that need repair. Older instruments can have problems with bellows, leaky wax around the reeds, buttons that stick, or other issues that a starting player shouldn't have to deal with it. If you are purchasing a used instrument as a starter be sure you can hold it, play all the notes, that no keys stick, and that the bellows are solid, tight, and leak free. Most newer instruments that are sold on eBay are okay, but likely to be made in China. The older ones sold on eBay for thousands of dollars, and made in 1890, are much like the electric guitars made by Gibson in the 1950's, a 1960's hotrod, or a grand piano. You're wanting to learn how to play, not get the highest quality instrument you can get.
A soft case gig bag is good for taking your concertina around, but when you remove it from the case don't pull it out! Always "pour" your concertina out of any box it is in otherwise you may stress the bellows and could damage your instrument. A hard case for your concertina is a good investment.
Never push or pull the bellows without holding down a button. All concertinas have an air button that allow you to close or open the instrument without making noise.