A button accordion is a free-reed instrument similar to a harmonica; most varieties are diatonic, meaning each button produces different notes when pushed or pulled.
This guide is intended to assist in your understanding of a diatonic button accordion’s layout and features. We’ll also discuss basic tips and techniques on playing style and technique.
Keyboard layout
Diatonic button accordion players can produce single notes across several octaves while rows further away create fixed chords (major, minor, seventh and diminished). This allows melodies to sound with accurate pitch unlike free-reed members such as concertina.
Most accordions feature switches near the innermost row of their left-hand manual that allow you to select which reeds are sounding in order to create various timbres, similar to what can be found on a right-hand keyboard. This feature enables seamless transition from melody to accompaniment within one song without needing to stop or shift hands.
Piano accordions provide beginners with an easier and more intuitive learning experience due to being closely related to standard pianos in terms of layout. Furthermore, Western Europe provides more support in terms of tutor books and teachers available to aid learning.
Bellows
The accordion features bellows which connect its treble and bass sides, and buttons on its treble side can be pushed or pulled to control airflow between these areas – playing single notes when air is being drawn in one direction, and chords when airflow shifts another way.
Each reed plate consists of two metal reeds that are designed to sound differently depending on the direction of bellows-driven airflow. On the treble reed case (see first detail photo for how these buttons are linked with sets of reeds that produce various harmonic combinations), twenty one buttons are arranged in two parallel rows of eleven and ten buttons to connect different sets of reeds that produce unique harmony patterns.
Button accordions can be challenging for newcomers, but they’re easy to learn if you stick to music written specifically for them. The key to playing an accordion successfully lies in creating the sense of unity between your bellows hand and keyboard hand.
Reeds
Button accordions produce sound with valves known as reeds. Players pull and push on their bellows to open and close various valves that correspond with different reeds for optimal sound production, creating an array of sounds.
Reeds for this instrument reside within casings located on both treble and bass sides, holding approximately 200 steel reeds arranged into sets along their walls. When not being played, these steel reeds are covered by small buttons which the player presses down to uncover them; each button corresponds with one note on an octave scale for changing tone control purposes.
An adept player of an accordion can use switches to shift reed blocks into another octave, opening up a vast variety of sounds that would not otherwise be possible on other accordions. This enables him to play anything from European folk music to Brazilian choro and merengue – opening up an expansive musical universe!
Choosing an accordion
Selecting an accordion that suits your musical genre is crucial when learning how to play. Different styles require specific types of instruments – for instance, classical pieces require piano accordions while folk dance tunes might call for something else altogether.
Finding an accordion suitable to both your playing style and budget is essential. A smaller accordion may be easier to learn but lack notes whereas larger models will tend to cost more; however they have more buttons and keys which allows you to access more keys.
Consider whether or not you would prefer diatonic or chromatic accordions when selecting your instrument. Chromatic types have two rows that are tuned a semitone apart, enabling you to play in multiple keys but more challenging to learn than diatonic models which offer more familiar notes that correspond with each key they are tuned.