Button accordions feature two sides; a keyboard (treble) side that can be played using fingers from your right hand and a bass button side with rows of buttons arranged chromatically according to pitch; both can be operated using just one hand.
Basics
When used appropriately, accordions offer children a rewarding activity to help develop personality, coordination, self-confidence and responsibility. One of only a handful of instruments which simultaneously teaches melody, harmony and rhythm simultaneously for optimal musical structure and theory learning.
On the left side of most button accordions are rows of buttons arranged in a circle of fifths. The two outermost rows contain bass notes while the counter bass row provides minor thirds above primary bass notes. Finally, four additional rows contain preset major, minor, seventh, and diminished chords.
Each button on a chromatic button accordion produces notes in its home key when its bellows is pushed, pairing up with another key across an octave (E and D for instance). This system of button layout makes playing chords much simpler on this type of instrument than it would on pianos or piano/chord accordions.
Bass
A button accordion bass is an integral component of its overall sound and provides a firm foundation for chords. As one of few instruments to teach melody, harmony, and rhythm simultaneously; pressing two buttons produces an entire chord – an invaluable lesson in musical structure!
On most accordions, bass buttons are typically arranged similarly to their treble counterparts (the instrument’s ‘keyboard’). However, many bass models feature switches next to the inner row that let users change reeds on the left hand manual for chord playing with different timbres and to produce chord variations. Furthermore, many accordions feature non-note producing buttons that simply allow air in and out; these may help adjust bellow pressure for optimal playing experience and fitment of bellow pressure accordingly.
Treble
Beginners may find playing a button accordion more challenging as its keyboard buttons (treble keyboard keys and bass/chord buttons) are closer together than on a piano accordion, making large leaps more challenging to execute.
Treble keys of an accordion tend to be diatonic, meaning that its playing range is limited to one key at any one time. A button accordion may also feature a chromatic layout where its buttons correspond with notes in different musical keys.
Melodeons, for instance, are small diatonic button accordions with up to three treble rows and eight bass/chord buttons that provide beginners with an easy entrypoint into accordion music without needing to learn many scales or scaled notes. Larger chromatic accordions featuring 41 treble notes and 120 bass notes may require more practice to master and can become quite heavy; hence melodeons make an excellent introduction.
Switches
Button accordions utilize a system of switches known as voices to open and shut banks of metal reeds with register slides. By pressing a button on the right hand side, air passes through these valves and produces its unique sound by expanding and contracting.
On the left side of the keyboard, an effective way to get acquainted with chords is to locate and press C, followed by other buttons along this same line of keys. This will produce a C major chord; pressing more buttons may produce other tones or chords altogether.
Accordions are typically set up in rows representing diatonic scale, so an experienced melodeon player can use each row’s notes chromatically for solo playing in any key they desire – just like pianists do!