There are various kinds of accordions, each distinguished by its key-note system. For instance, the one-row diatonic melodeon features only a single row of 10 buttons as its keyboard.
These lightweight instruments are commonly used in folk music as they produce bass notes and chords that vary according to bellows direction, making it an affordable and accessible form of accompaniment.
Accordion history
Recently, accordions were mostly seen as wedding and party instruments until one-row button models became widely available. Just two days wages was enough for workers to afford these affordable models (Maurer 1983: 80-81).
This new type of accordion quickly spread throughout Europe and America, becoming particularly popular with genres such as Norteno and banda. Furthermore, its influence quickly extended beyond these genres and became part of traditional musical practices such as Basque trikitixa or Russian garmon traditions.
At the turn of the 19th century, many laboratories opened in Italy for accordion production. Castelfidardo in particular thrived under this rapid expansion – nineteen factories were opened within just a few years.
Bandoneon
As its name implies, Heinrich Band developed the bandoneon in mid-19th-century Germany as a free-reed instrument powered by bellows. Based on a German concertina design but featuring wider keyboard system and different layout of buttons.
Reeds are placed on both sides of the instrument while keyboards may be played with either hand – making the bandoneon an extremely versatile instrument with many styles to draw from. Particularly popular in Argentina, Uruguay and Lithuania as well as associated with tango music and dance – Astor Piazzolla was an enthusiastic supporter of its use during his lifetime.
Its structure is extremely intricate, making learning it difficult. Additionally, each button generates its own tone when being pushed or pulled on by the bellows; as a result of this unique characteristic of its keys bisonoric, people were slow in creating a standard keyboard layout resulting in what many refer to as chaotic appearance of this instrument.
Keyboards
Diatonic accordions feature keyboards with one to multiple rows. Their reeds are bisonoric, meaning pressing any single key generates two different notes depending on bellows motion direction; this creates an unparalleled sound adored by Vallenato, Tex-Mex and Norteno artists alike.
Other types of accordions use the same button layout as diatonic accordions but utilize chromatic reeds that allow them to produce any note in any key, making them popular choices such as the German style accordion melodeon or melodeon.
Single row diatonic and chromatic bandoneons offer an easier learning experience for musicians looking to develop limited bandoneon solo repertoire without spending years memorizing Bisonoric keyboards. Furthermore, these accordions allow musicians to access an extensive library of sounds and effects built-in.
Accessories
The accordion is an immensely versatile instrument that can be used across many musical genres. From folk to choral music and Vallenato Vallenato Vallenato Vallenato Vallenato Vallenato it provides a platform for creative musical expression. Hohner offers both single row diatonic models as well as multi-row piano/chromatic models so there will always be the ideal instrument to meet your musical needs.
Diatonic button accordions feature bisonoric reeds that produce various notes depending on whether they are pushed or pulled; typically there will be two rows of treble keys and one to five rows of bass buttons on a diatonic instrument.
Most diatonic accordions consist of three to four treble keys and 12 bass buttons; others can have up to five. There are some accordions with both bisonoric and unisonoric features, including the Russian garmon or Steirische Harmonika found in Alpine regions like Germany, Austria, Slovenia South Tyrol Italy or Switzerland or Basque Trikitixa accordions.