The diatonic accordion is a single-action (sometimes known as bisonoric) free reed instrument. When its bellows are pushed or pulled, its buttons produce an array of notes on a diatonic accordion.
This accordion style is widely utilized in Irish and Celtic music as well as Zydeco styles like Norteno and Conjunto music.
The History of the Accordion
The history of accordions is long and fascinating. One of the earliest free-reed instruments known is Chinese Cheng, consisting of 13-24 bamboo pipes connected by wire, resonator box, and mouthpiece, depicted as a Phoenix in many cultures around the world.
Early accordions were diatonic instruments, playing music in only a certain key by pressing or pulling rows that produced certain notes when pressed or pulled. This proved an easy and efficient method of creating melodies and chords.
Today’s accordions come in either diatonic or chromatic varieties.
Diatonic accordions feature one to three treble rows with eight bass buttons and are frequently known as Melodeons, making them popular instruments in Irish/Celtic music as well as Norteno, Conjunto and Tex-Mex music as well as Zydeco music genres.
The Keyboard
Diatonic button accordions typically feature a melody side keyboard with one or more rows, each producing notes of its diatonic scale. Some models such as two-row Irish melodeons or Russian garmons produce bisonoric notes depending on whether bellows compression is expanded; other accordions, like Steirische Harmonika or Slovenian style accordion as well as Swiss Schwyzerorgeli/Basque trikitixa are unisonoric; yet some accordions (such as Italian organettos).
Not only can accordions feature treble and bass buttons, but some feature additional short rows of accidentals to extend the range of notes beyond what a four-apart system allows. Furthermore, certain accordions can also be tuned wet or dry – dry tuning produces crisp, clear sounds while wet tuning yields fuller, heavier tones – both systems can be found at Sweetwater; you simply have to choose which system suits you.
The Reeds
Accordions feature one to four sets of reeds that produce unique sounds and timbres, called voices. Each voice contains switches (also known as couplers, registers or stops) which, when activated by pressing, activate a particular set of reeds producing specific notes and octaves.
A Bass accordion typically features Helikon bass reeds which produce low pitched tones similar to Tubas, giving it its distinctive Tuba sound.
Other reed ranks include the basic middle 8′ (pronounced “eight-foot”) reference stop which should provide an excellent starting point to tune all other reeds. There may also be an octave higher tremolo rank used to add color and depth to heavier reeds.
Some accordions offer other reed ranks such as an octave clarinet or diatonic, as well as basses that are tuned one octave lower than the middle to produce richer, meatier sounds suited for jazz styles.
The Bellows
The bellows or lungs of an accordion serve as its source of sound, operated with one’s left hand to generate music. By compressing or expanding them to alter volume levels.
Diatonic accordions feature one or two rows of buttons tuned to a specific key, each playing its own note depending on whether or not the bellows compress and expand. Bass buttons often play chords that match those played by melody buttons; some (such as steirische harmonicika and melodeon) have both features.
Structured bellows movements are essential in producing pleasing sounds on an accordion, as any abrupt movements will cause notes to play out of tune or too loudly. A general guideline would be: pull prior and press post. This ensures a much smoother flow to playing an accordion and helps achieve pleasant tones; mastering this method takes both practice and effort, but is an indispensable skill for accordionists alike.