Button accordions are free-reed instruments which may be either diatonic or chromatic in their tuning.
Button accordions feature rows of buttons on their left-hand side that produce chords, requiring extensive practice and memorization in order to play them accurately. It may help to remember diagonal rows that provide semitone shifts from minor 3rd upwards as this will facilitate playing them correctly.
Basics
A button accordion requires practice and professional guidance in order to master, but with patience and the help of an instructor it can be learned fairly easily. This instrument uses bellows to pump air into reeds that create sounds when they are pushed; additionally there is also a keyboard and rows of buttons on its body.
Left hand buttons, known as base buttons, impact the low end of the scale produced by an accordion. Right-hand side is an adjustable chromatic keyboard which can be played three ways.
To play bass notes on an accordion, press the C bass button near its off-center upward position with your index finger to produce a C major chord and its related root, minor, 7th and diminished chords in diagonal rows up and down the accordion’s body – this standard layout often used on most accordions whereas free bass systems which mimic base rows or even chromatic systems which allow multiple keys can also be utilized for creating sounds.
Keyboard layout
The button accordion’s keyboard is structured so as to be easier for beginners to memorize. For instance, bass buttons are grouped together according to specific layout, while melody buttons are organized based on sound – making it simple and instinctive for you to press or pull buttons when reading sheet music.
Accordions that utilize this design are known as bayans in Eastern Europe and Russia. Each row contains between four and five buttons arranged diagonally chromatically for easier fingering.
On the left-hand keyboard, single notes can be found on its top row while chords such as major, minor, seventh and diminished are scattered around on both rows. On the bass keyboard columns are organized according to the Circle of Fifths with each successive row rising by five fifths; thus each column offers different tones, enabling you to play numerous songs without needing to switch keys!
Bass buttons
Button accordions feature a series of buttons on their left sides that impact the lower end of the scale, commonly referred to as bass buttons, that play either individual notes or chords. One common type is Stradella bass system, in which columns arranged according to Circle of Fifths provide columns sounding one note more or less and allow players to create major, minor, seventh, and diminished chords easily.
There are other bass button arrangements, including the C and chromatic systems. Both feature bass buttons paired and ordered in specific ways to make memorizing easier, and allow players to change which reeds are used depending on what genre is being played to produce different timbres and thus make accordions an excellent choice for many forms of music. Nevertheless, button accordions require practice before becoming adept enough for use as an instrument of music.
Memorization
Memorization is key when beginning any musical instrument; without it, progress beyond basic levels will be more challenging. This is particularly true of accordions which feature numerous keys and buttons which must be memorized.
Button accordions feature bass buttons arranged in an easy to remember pattern, while their treble counterpart contains 10 buttons capable of producing two octaves of C major scale music. Both sets of treble buttons can also be easily remembered by their sound production – making memorizing this instrument easy!
Henry Doktorski’s method book comes complete with CD, and provides an efficient means for learning accordion songs. It teaches the fundamentals of playing one-row Italian button accordions suitable for most popular and folk melodies – an ideal option for beginner accordionists without access to two or three row models.