Before purchasing a diatonic accordion, there are a few essential details you should keep in mind. These squeeze button boxes feature one to ten rows of keys with newer models usually having more rounded and sleek appearance.
Each key on an accordion produces its own distinct note depending on which direction its bellows are pulled or pushed, creating its distinctive sound.
It’s a Bisonoric Instrument
Diatonic instruments are limited to notes within a certain scale. For instance, single-row diatonic accordions are often employed for Irish/Celtic music while three-row versions can be seen playing Norteno, Conjunto and Tex-Mex styles of music.
Button box players like Ze are widely respected for their fluid technique and unique arrangements of old dance tunes and choros. At a recent gathering of folistas in Paraiba, it was evident that Ze’s playing style had had an influence over many local players’ playing styles.
Most members of the free reed accordion family are bisonoric instruments, producing different notes when buttons are pushed or pulled depending on which way you push/pull bellows. There are, however, exceptions; such as two-rows chromatic garmon and some bisonoric and unisonoric accordions like the melodeon with up to three treble rows and eight bass buttons – although such exceptions do exist!
It’s a Unisonoric Instrument
Unisonoric instruments produce the same note regardless of whether their bellows are open or closed, making it easier for musicians who wish to play a variety of tunes and chords without spending years learning how to navigate their complex button layouts of bisonoric accordions.
Melodeons are small diatonic accordions featuring one to three treble rows and eight basses, typically used to play English and Irish music. Some models feature an optional 120-button Stradella bass system on its left hand keyboard which enables players to switch among various keys while playing.
The garmon accordion is a bi-sonoric accordion popular in northeastern Brazil among descendants of Italian and German immigrants, in particular among descendants. Featuring two bass buttons arranged zig-zag style it has earned itself the name “pe-de-bode” or goat foot accordion due to outstretched fingers from left hand manipulating bass buttons resembling an ungulate’s cloven hoof.
It’s a Chromatic Instrument
At one time, accordions were seen as party instruments only suitable for weddings and parties, not worthy of serious study. But Peter Pot, shown here as an accordion player in this photograph, proves how diatonic button accordions can sound truly breathtakingly beautiful indeed.
Chromatic refers to any use of all pitches that do not fall within any single scale. It can also refer to Ancient Greek music theory and mensural music of 14th-16th centuries that use pentatonic scales for notating rhythm, respectively.
Hohner Chromatic Accordion is one of many single action accordions which is chromatic; its three row semitone diatonic on its right hand keyboard and its 96 bass standard system make this possible; when changing directions of bellows change direction, only right hand rows change notes but bass buttons don’t. This enables players to access all sharps and flats.
It’s a Traditional Instrument
Diatonic Button Accordions come with one or more rows of buttons. Being bisonoric (playing two notes depending on bellows direction), these accordions make an excellent accompaniment to folk music, becoming especially beloved in Irish folk tunes and folk traditions. Melodeons, also commonly referred to as diatonic button accordions, are the most frequently played form in Ireland.
The right keyboard plays the melody while the left keyboard produces bass notes or harmonies to accompany it. An accordionist presses a button on their keyboard which activates valves that open or close and produce sound.
Diatonic accordions, also referred to as the’mouth harmonica,’ have long been popular musical instruments due to their similar note pattern and versatility. Similar in style to pianos and organs in terms of repertoire and versatility; dance instruments that incorporate it can often be found across various folk and contemporary musical genres – making this instrument one of the world’s most widely used accordions!