Children thrive off a sense of achievement, and learning an instrument like the accordion can be immensely satisfying for children. Not only will it build their sense of competence and teach them collaboration skills but it’ll also build bonds between partners as they work on this feat together.
Piano accordions (and chromatic button accordions such as the bayan) feature keyboards with notes arranged chromatically, and beginners may begin by exploring chords on the bass side of their accordion.
The bellows
Accordions utilize bellows – a system for drawing and pushing air in and out to supply wind to free reeds inside the treble and bass casings – for wind access. Movement of the bellows controls articulation of the instrument closely correlated to keying of keyboard or button arrangements.
An accomplished accordionist balances both aspects of playing in an unified way. Altering bellows direction should be used for effective phrasing; however, any sudden movements should be executed in a controlled fashion rather than abruptly shaking the instrument.
Not moving the bellows during rests can result in weak or abruptly starting notes that follow, degrading your accordion’s quality sound. To maintain movement even during rests, practice rhythmically banging the right side against your leg or another hard surface, this will create push/pull articulations for excellent push/pull articulation.
The reeds
Reeds are what give an accordion its unique sound, with higher-end instruments typically having superior reeds that respond quicker, requiring less effort to play; additionally they tend to be lighter weight than lower quality instruments.
Piano accordions can be thought of as large concertinas with the same reed system as melodeons, coming in various sizes with or without bass notes. A master coupler on the right-hand side opens all reeds simultaneously when depressed while others can be closed to produce various combinations of notes.
These reeds can be opened and closed by using the register switch located on the front of the keyboard or, on larger instruments, with a chin button operated by the performer chin. Sometimes double sided reeds can even be removed from their block with bee’s wax for repair – something an accordion repair person is adept at.
The keyboard
A piano accordion contains a full set of keys similar to those on a piano, making the keyboard side the primary instrument used by accordionists for melodies.
Contrasting with its counterpart, melodeon, which only provides chord buttons on one side of its right hand, piano accordion offers both melody and bass accompaniment in one squeezebox – making it particularly suitable for folk and traditional music styles.
Accordions come in various sizes and configurations, with between 12 and 120 bass buttons typically found on an accordion. Each vertical row usually contains six buttons with numbers representing their tone: major, minor, dominant seventh or diminished chords are all represented.
The Stradella bass system represented an innovative step forward for accordion players. By standardising bass button layout, this allowed an accordionist to play any type of accordion without needing to learn new bass arrangements for every new type.
The pedals
The piano accordion is an increasingly popular folk and traditional musical instrument, with full chromatic functionality that’s especially well suited to those already playing another instrument like piano or violin, thanks to its familiar keyboard.
An accordion’s reeds are organized into groups called registers. Each register produces its own distinctive sound timbre depending on how the bellows is directed, while its treble buttons can be controlled via switches that open or close different combinations of reed banks.
On larger acoustic models, switches also open and close bass reeds for an array of bass sounds. Bass switches can be found arranged vertically along the interior of the accordion.
Large acoustic accordions can be quite weighty, so large models often feature shoulder straps attached to their back for easier playing without straining backs and shoulders. This feature also enables musicians to stand and play rather than sitting, without undue strain on both areas of their body.