# ConcertinaXL-Anglo Concertina — C/G Anglo Concertina

> Virtual Anglo Concertina app for practicing and experiencing the instrument. (iPhone/iPad app by Michael Eskin.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/concertinaxl-anglo-concertina/id366616314 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Michael Eskin](https://appshunter.io/developer/342739369)
- Category: Music, Education
- Price: $2.99
- Rating: 3.00/5 from 3 App Store ratings · 13 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 10.0 · 57 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2010-04-12
- Data updated: 2026-09-03
- Monetization: paid
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/concertinaxl-anglo-concertina/id366616314/reviews.md

## What is ConcertinaXL?

ConcertinaXL is an easy to play, authentic sounding virtual Anglo Concertina in the most popular key of C/G and may be transposed +/- one octave in semitone increments.

It is played using the exact same fingerings as the real instrument.  

The layout is based on a common modern variant of the standard Jeffries layout, with three C# notes on the first two buttons of the right side top row.

The Anglo Concertina is commonly used for playing traditional Irish dance tunes, and is a much-favored instrument in County Clare, Ireland.

The instrument is bisonoric, meaning the instrument plays a different note for each button depending on whether you are pushing or pulling on the bellows.

A C/G tuned instrument has the middle row in the key of C on the press, and the bottom row in the key of G on the press. The top row consists of the accidentals missing from the other two rows and alternate direction notes for notes on the other rows.

ConcertinaXL is the perfect app for someone interested in the Anglo Concertina to have an experience of playing the instrument and become familiar with the button layout without the expense of purchasing a real concertina. 

For experienced players, it can serve as a practice aid when it might be impractical to play the real instrument.

In the app, to play, place your iPhone or iPad on your leg and simply tip the device to the left for a bellows push note, or to the right for a bellows pull note, and press a button.

Since you may want to play chords with more than 3 or 4 fingers, you'll need to turn off "Multitasking Gestures" in your iPad's Settings, under General/Multitasking Gestures.

When the app first runs it will ask you to set the tilt center. Place your iPhone or iPad in the position you will be playing it and touch OK.

The Blue/Red display on the top of the screen shows which direction the bellows is moving. Blue on the left represents PUSH, Blue on the right represents PULL.

You may reverse the bellows while pushing a button simply by tipping in the opposite direction.

On the iPad, touch the diamond area at the center bottom of the screen for tremolo effects. The higher up on the diamond, the greater the effect.

Multiple buttons may be pressed at the same time to play chords.

Touch the "?" on the upper left corner to show/hide the button note names. The note names track the push/pull tilt.

Touch the "i" on the upper right corner to show/hide the tilt sensitivity, transposition, and calibration controls.

You may transpose the pitch up or down up to one octave in semitone increments. 

Touch the number to the right of the transpose slider to reset the transpose to zero.

For a Bb/F concertina, set the transpose to -2, for an A/E, set the transpose to -3.  

For a Bass Baritone concertina, one octave lower than a standard C/G instrument, set the transpose to -12.

When transposed, the note labels do not change, just the pitch produced.

Touch "Calibrate" to reset the home position for tilting.  

All settings are saved when the app exits.

The button layout and spacing on the iPad screen exactly matches a real 30-button instrument.

Uses extremely high-quality per-button audio samples recorded from my personal concertina collection.

Please visit the app website for more information about playing the Anglo Concertina.

## Key features

- Authentic sound and fingering
- C/G Anglo Concertina in popular tuning
- Transpose +/- one octave
- Bisonoric play (push/pull bellows)
- Tilt controls for bellows
- Chord playing
- Note name display

## Recent user reviews (10 of 13)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/concertinaxl-anglo-concertina/id366616314/reviews.md

### 3/5 — Great idea, wrong layout

*2026-08-08*

I appreciate this app for a proof of concept for Anglo compositions, BUT

it is only in a Jeffries layout so if you're trying to find things on a wheatstone configuration, you're out of luck here. 

I'd happily give 5 stars if a proper wheatstone layout were added as an option

### 1/5 — Doesn’t work. A rip off!

*2025-12-22*

No push draw ability and no instructions

### 4/5 — Note assignment for the 3rd row

*2018-08-25*

I am new to this instrument and got stuck with the note assignment of the third row of the right hand side (push)of this app. 

The actual assignment is

c# c# g# c# a

But standard Jefferies note assignment should be

d# c# g# c# a

There is not much use having the same c#s on the consecutive buttons and I hope this would be fixed sometime.

Furthermore, if the notes are configurable or can be switched to Wheatstone/Lachenal, this app could be more popular. 

Anyway, even as it is, it can be used perfectly as a 20 button Anglo and I enjoy this. Thank you for making this app.

Thanks for your feedback. If it is possible, it would be nice if I could choose the key layouts, as I am getting familiar with Wheatstone/Lachenal layout rather than Jeffries. I am looking forward to the future update. You could release it as a new app, so that I can pay for it. Please consider.

**Developer response:** The layout is based on a modern variation of the standard Jeffries layout that has three C# notes on the right side chromatic row. This configuration make the instrument more friendly to both Jeffries and Wheatstone layout players.

### 5/5 — Good emulation of the real thing

*2018-03-08*

The "tilting" is a good answer to the push/pull problem, but I find I have to frequently re-calibrate as the tilt gradually moves to the left. Is there a solution?

### 2/5 — Wrong key assignment?

*2016-11-23*

I think some key assignments of upper keys of right hand are wrong.
Those are not only inconsistent with the user manual of ConcertinaXL but also different from  key assignments shown on many other concertina lesson books.

### 1/5 — Concertina XL anglo G/C

*2014-10-07*

Unfortunately, this app only gives the notes on the push, not the pull, so it is not much good.  A waste of £1.99.

### 5/5 — My Travel Concertina

*2013-08-01*

I love to play concertina but it's now too expensive to carry my real concertina on business trips -- it would mean checking another bag.  So I use ConcertinaXL on the plane and in hotel rooms.  I love it with headphones and I don't disturb anyone.  The layout is just like my Wheatstone and Edgley concertinas.  It sounds very realistic and I enjoy using the drone occasionally.  

The problem is kinetic memory.  I find songs I know on the real concertina hard to transfer to ConcertinaXL and visa versa.  Apparently the motion of my hands and fingers is part of learning a tune and that part just doesn't transfer well.  I'm hoping that, with more practice on this app, that the transfer will work better.  

I giving ConcertinaXL 5 stars because the app works perfectly and cannot be blamed for the transfer memory issue.

### 4/5 — 不错

*2013-06-28*

针对不同的琴 多换几种琴键排序方式更好 提供琴谱和演奏视频好上加好。

### 1/5 — Doesn't work

*2012-01-11*

I have an iPad2. The app loads to the first screen with instructions on how to use it, but there doesn't seem to be any other screen. Nothing like what is pictured on the app store. Also no buttons or way to exit the informational screen.

**Developer response:** This review is from 2012 and no longer reflects the operation of the app.

### 5/5 — Great tool

*2010-09-14*

This product delivers! The sound is great. The tilting movement allows you to have as close an experience to the real thing as possible on a 2D screen.  I think it is a legitimate practice tool short of hauling your box around all the time. Go for it!!  Remember, as the developer says, read the instructions and the app will be all you can hope for on an iPad.

## Frequently asked questions about ConcertinaXL

### How do I play ConcertinaXL?

Place your iPhone or iPad on your leg. Tip the device left for a bellows push note or right for a bellows pull note, then press a button. You can also press multiple buttons simultaneously to play chords.

### What concertina tuning does ConcertinaXL use?

ConcertinaXL features the C/G Anglo Concertina tuning, which is the most popular. You can transpose the pitch up or down by semitone increments up to one octave to simulate other tunings like Bb/F or A/E.

### Can I play chords with ConcertinaXL?

Yes, you can press multiple buttons at the same time to play chords. For more complex chord playing, it is recommended to turn off 'Multitasking Gestures' in your iPad's Settings.

### How does the tilt control work in ConcertinaXL?

The app uses tilt to control the bellows direction. Tipping the device left simulates a push, and tipping right simulates a pull. The blue display at the top shows the current bellows direction.

### Does ConcertinaXL have ads?

No, ConcertinaXL does not contain advertisements. It is a paid application designed for an uninterrupted musical experience.

### What devices is ConcertinaXL compatible with?

ConcertinaXL is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod devices. It has an age rating of 4+.

### How often is ConcertinaXL updated?

The latest version of ConcertinaXL is 6.0, released on July 31, 2018. While updates may not be frequent, the app has maintained a 5.0-star rating from its users.

### What is the price of ConcertinaXL?

ConcertinaXL is available for a one-time purchase of $2.99. There are no in-app purchases or subscriptions required to use the full functionality of the app.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 6.0 — 2018-07-31

This update from Apple will improve the functionality of this app. No new features are included.

You may now transpose the pitch up or down up to one octave in semitone increments. 

Touch the number to the right of the transpose slider to reset the transpose to zero.

For a Bb/F concertina, set the transpose to -2, for an A/E, set the transpose to -3.  

For a Bass Baritone concertina, one octave lower than a standard C/G instrument, set the transpose to -12.

When transposed, the note labels do not change, just the pitch produced.

### 5.5 — 2018-07-24

Faster playing and audio quality improvements.

### 5.4 — 2017-10-24

Update for iOS 11

### 5.3 — 2016-02-11

Performance improvements and minor bug fixes.

### 5.2.2 — 2016-01-16

Major re-write of the audio engine for much faster playing on iOS 8 and 9.

Restored the reverb that went missing in the last update. 

Now does an initial tilt center calibration on launch.

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## More apps by Michael Eskin

- [Concertina - Anglo Concertina](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/concertina-anglo-concertina/id343270484)
- [Regulators for Uilleann Pipes](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/regulators-for-uilleann-pipes/id348529289)
- [JustDrones - Tunable Just Intonation Drones](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/justdrones-tunable-just-intonation-drones/id348861427)
- [Englitina - English Concertina](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/englitina-english-concertina/id349451473)
- [Uilleann - Pocket Irish Pipes](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/uilleann-pocket-irish-pipes/id353684178)
- [Canntina - MacCann Concertina](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/canntina-maccann-concertina/id360579654)

All apps by Michael Eskin: https://appshunter.io/developer/342739369

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-03.*