Diatonic accordions can be an ideal choice for anyone wishing to learn a limited bandoneon repertoire or simply looking for an easier instrument. Their one ten button row and use of only one set of reeds on both bellows are advantageous features of diatonic accordions.
Diatonic accordions come in various varieties, such as the Russian garmon accordion known as melodeons and accordions designed for Texas or Alpine environments as well as Irish concertinas.
Definition
Diatonic accordions are free-reed instruments with closer-spaced buttons than piano-type or chromatic button accordions, enabling players to produce more rapid rhythms than their larger keyboard counterparts.
Many different varieties of diatonic accordions exist today. These range from single-action instruments such as the Basque trikitixa and Swiss Schwyzerorgeli that combine bisonoric and unisonoric features; to double-action instruments like Russian garmons and Txikias – which each serve a specific function.
These instruments include two rows: melody with ten buttons and bass with two to five. One-row melos have twenty notes total: melody buttons produce diatonic scale notes while bass buttons produce chords when pressed or released.
Origins
Diatonic accordions consist of one to three treble rows and, typically, eight bass buttons. They are used in genres such as melodeon (American and Irish folk music), French country, Cajun music, Zydeco music, Tex-Mex and Alpine styles.
Demian invented the accordion in 1829. His invention differed significantly from Wheatstone’s concertina in terms of internal construction and tone color, featuring bass reeds with long and wide basses that produced low pitched tones reminiscent of those produced by tubas rather than being standard accordion reeds.
Later on, two row diatonic button accordions were invented; these instruments are commonly known as Italian organetto or fisarmonica diatonica and can be played in all keys for playing melodies in fast keys – often for fast melodies! Concertinas have become an integral part of numerous ethnic musics around the world and may be found referred to as such; Limburgish speakers refer to these instruments as concertinas; Norwegians refer to them as trekzak / kwetsjbuul or acordeon de botones.
Functions
The one-row diatonic accordion (melodeon) features ten melody buttons which create notes in a diatonic scale and two bass buttons with chord roots for its bellows in and out movements.
On more modern melodeons with four voices, each row of buttons produces different sounds when pushed or pulled by the bellows, since each button activates a set of reeds known as voices when pressed or released by pressing it or pulling on it.
One variant, commonly the Russian bayan accordion, has a three-row keyboard with the third row either semitoned or fourth above the first, providing full chromatic range but not full diatonic one; these instruments may sometimes be called bisonoric although this term should not be applied because they do not play single keys of scales as diatonic and chromatic accordions do.
Variations
Accordions come with different key numbers and layouts, as well as being tailored specifically for different musical genres and forms of music. One popular variety is the piano accordion; this versatile instrument has both diatonic and chromatic scales to play, making it suitable for classical as well as folk genres of music.
Melodeons are small diatonic accordions typically used in Celtic music. One and two row versions generally feature a “bisonoric” bass that plays different notes depending on how you open and close the bellows – usually two in size for smaller models and up to 18 on larger diatonic accordions.
Reedless models of small diatonic instruments are used in accordion lessons and traditional Scottish dance music performances, and are widely popular in France where there exists an extensive library of music and tuition books dedicated to this model.