Diatonic accordions feature one or more rows of buttons in the right hand, each producing two distinct notes depending on which way the bellows is pulled. Other accordions called single action chromatic or bisonoric can provide similar keyboard layout as its diatonic counterpart but produce different notes when pulling different directions on their bellows.
Origins
The accordion, an early 1800’s musical invention, features a free-reed bellows-driven instrument with one or more rows of buttons that play different notes depending on how they’re pressed. It is popularly used for folk or ethnic music and boasts numerous popular genres including rock, folk-rock, jazz, country and western, tango and dance music styles.
Early accordions were diatonic, with one row of buttons without chordal keys; this marked a distinct departure from concertina’s construction that featured melody buttons on either side of its bellows. Over time, however, diatonic accordions eventually evolved into chromatic accordions featuring multiple rows of treble buttons and 12 unisonoric bass buttons for sound production.
Gilberto Silva and Flaco Jimenez have helped elevate accordion popularity. Huddie Leadbetter was well known for playing diatonic accordions in his rural African-American folk style; Luizinho Calixto from northeast Brazil is another accomplished accordion virtuoso.
Construction
Accordions are composed of multiple parts made of plastic, metal and wood that typically come together into an instrument with multiple rows of treble buttons and four to eight bass buttons on their upper sides, plus they often feature more than one voice – defined as a set of metal reeds installed to produce sound when each key is pressed on their treble side of the instrument.
Diatonic button accordions typically feature a single-action (also referred to as bisonoric or harmonica) keyboard; however, some varieties combine this feature with a chromatic bandoneon keyboard such as Garmons, Steirische Harmonikas, and Swiss Schwyzerorgelis.
Melting is used to create the various metal parts for an accordion using raw material transformed into liquid form and placed into preformed molds for cooling and hardening before being unmoulded and opened again for completion of each part. Wet tuning produces crisper and cleaner sounding instruments; dry tuning can produce muffled and unpleasant sounds.
Keyboard layout
Beginning around 1850, diatonic accordions first made their debut. Although similar to modern two row models, these early diatonic instruments featured one extra row of buttons designed to provide greater note and chord options for players.
In this instance, the companion row featured both press and draw keys that allowed for some nice chromatic action. Press key was located near its flat seventh of home row for easy fingering of C7 chord while draw button being near natural also provided an effortless D major chord voicing.
These additional rows, known as accidentals, were intended to increase the flexibility of fourth-apart systems by providing notes beyond diatonic scales of each row. This feature can be particularly helpful when playing certain styles like Irish reels, polkas and waltzes that would otherwise be difficult to play on standard two-row keyboards without extra buttons being available for those needing the extra buttons.
Sounds
A diatonic accordion is a type of button accordion featuring one or more rows of treble buttons and two sets of bass buttons. Each treble button produces two notes when its bellows is closed or opened, enabling melodies, chords and accompaniments to be played through it. Bass buttons are keyed at intervals a fifth apart or semitone apart to complete this soundscape.
Diatonic button accordions are popularly found in folk and traditional music styles; they also can be found incorporating contemporary influences with classic elements (Indie, World Music and New Wave). Their appeal lies in being easier to learn than piano or bandoneon accordions with more diverse sounds available to create beautiful musical melodies.
Peter Pot has created his own style by mixing Basque, French and Italian folk music with rock or jazz influences, while other musicians create new genres based on tradition. Henry Doktorski has written an outstanding method book to make learning this instrument easy for beginners.