Contrasting with piano accordions which play the same note regardless of bellows direction changes, diatonic instruments like the melodeon play different notes with each bellows movement – making the instrument lighter and less bulky.
Diatonic accordions feature one or more rows of treble buttons tuned to different keys, and bass buttons on their left sides of the instrument.
Button accordion
Button accordions can be found across many genres of music including folk and polka. Their design features multiple rows of buttons which produce sound when their bellows are depressed; each button depressed opens or closes a valve that allows airflow into and out of the bellows, producing notes. Players can manipulate this instrument with both hands simultaneously.
Left-hand buttons are organized in three standard arrangements. This includes free bass keys that produce one note or pitch; chord keys which provide three separate pitches to form major, minor or diminished chords; as well as two diagonal rows providing semitone runs up or down.
Instead of pianos’ large keys that require multiple fingers to press at once, button accordions have smaller keys with closer spacing, making them simpler for beginners to learn. Still, acquiring the skill takes patience and practice – once mastered you’ll be playing tunes quickly!
Bandoneon
Bandoneons are frequently employed in Argentina and Uruguay for Tango music performances, featuring prominently among Astor Piazzolla’s revolutionary Nuevo Tango style of Tango dancing.
The Bandoneon is a bi-sonoric free reed instrument derived from German concertina. Invented by Heinrich Band, an educator looking for more affordable church organ alternatives in small rural communities.
The instrument features a complex keyboard layout that requires mastery of four distinct patterns to operate successfully. The right hand (treble) keyboard extends from A six notes below middle C to C three octaves higher, with two different arrangements for opening and closing, while its left-hand counterpart contains six bass notes over five octaves, plus chords formed by adjacent buttons that sound triads when opened or closed, creating chords formed from six bass notes over five octaves when opening or closing; some double-action instruments feature couplers to activate additional sets of reeds that add variety in sound production – giving more variety in sound variation overall sound output than expected from this instrument!
Peter Peije
Peter Peije accordions are single row diatonic button accordion instruments with 10 button keyboards; each button plays different notes similar to harmonicas. On its bass side keyboards, two keys are arranged in pairs – with one button sounding chord fundamentals while the other sounds corresponding major or minor triads.
This instrument can be found in folk and traditional music traditions as well as modern offshoots such as Cajun and Canadian traditional music, making it one of the more widely used instruments today. Furthermore, Irish musicians frequently employ it. Most commonly tuned C/F, some prefer B/C tuning.
Button accordions use switches (also called couplers, registers or stops) that activate sets of reeds to produce various sounds and timbres. A four voice accordion, for instance, typically features H reeds tuned one octave higher than M reeds to produce brighter tones – making this instrument especially popular among polka musicians in German-speaking countries such as Switzerland.
Peter Pot
Peter Pot is an adept diatonic button accordionist, an instrument commonly associated with folk music. Additionally, his skills on this instrument enable him to perform jazz and other genres of music as well. His signature style blends European influences with touches from different cultures; Italian, French and Basque folk influence his compositions while rock and jazz elements also sneak their way in.
The accordion features two sides with sets of reeds on either one, tuned to different pitches so the player can produce different notes. Air is filled into its bellows by right hand pushing upward, while left hand pull downward create chords.
The chromatic button accordion can be used for jazz, classical or Eastern European and Balkan folk music. Featuring three to five rows of treble buttons with a Stradella bass similar to that found on piano accordions, it offers easy key changes and can be played in different keys than its Irish diatonic counterpart. Both wet and dry tuning options are available.