Piano accordion can be an enjoyable and educational experience for children of any age. Musical skills help build self-esteem while acting as an outlet for emotional stress relief. Furthermore, it teaches children the value of continuous step-by-step progress as well as rhythm and timekeeping.
Accordions come in many different sizes; typically the main distinction lies in their number of bass buttons.
Keyboard
Erich von Hornbostel and Curt Sachs classify accordions as bellows-driven free reed aerophone musical instruments classified by Erich von Hornbostel and Curt Sachs as chordophones or melody instruments with basso continuo functionality, such as an accordion. It features both melodic (usually on right hand keyboard, also called manual) and accompaniment sections consisting of pre-set chord buttons on a left-hand keyboard which musicians operate through various button combinations to produce various melodic lines and basso continuo functionality.
A piano accordion offers similar playing capabilities to that of a piano with two to four octaves of keys offering ample range. Furthermore, register switches allow different note combinations.
Piano accordions can also be equipped with free-bass systems that enable their left hands to play basslines and chords for power chording, as used by musicians like Sam Pirt. A more rare type of accordion known as the piccolo has one right-hand keyboard dedicated solely for playing basslines.
Bass
The accordion’s bass buttons are arranged similarly to a piano keyboard and diatonic, so when bellows are pushed or pulled they play a distinct note. There are various sizes of accordions with 12, 48, 72 and 120 basses being the most commonly found models.
Alternately, there are also piano accordions known as melodeons which feature only one or two rows of keys with a bass button pattern that differs from that found on standard diatonic piano accordions – these instruments can be used to perform traditional English and Irish music.
Advantages of this accordion for beginners include its standard piano-layout left-hand keyboard that makes learning it simpler. Furthermore, this instrument is smaller and lighter than comparable button accordions of equal bass size; however, large leaps or stretches remain harder than with button instruments.
Strings
Piano accordions are more than just an accompaniment instrument – as a fully chromatic instrument they add depth and beauty to any musical performance. One look at Karen Tweed, Sam Pirt or Chris Parkinson will demonstrate just how adaptable these instruments are.
Piano accordions differ from button accordions by being capable of producing chords by pushing buttons on the bass side of the keyboard. Most full-sized piano accordions feature an array of bass switches on their interior bass boards which work in an orderly fashion to allow players to create full background accompaniment with only few button presses!
Chromatic piano accordions utilize a system of single notes arranged diagonally chromatically that allow melodies to be performed at true pitch. There are two major systems, known as B and C systems with regional variants; respectively. B-system features 37 treble keys (three octaves plus one note) while C system only contains two rows of treble keyboards.
Accessories
The accordion is a bellows driven, free-reed aerophone instrument that makes sound when air passes over a reed in its frame. It combines melody on its right-hand keyboard or treble keyboard and basso continuo functionality on its left in one instrument known as its distant section (known as discant).
Accordions come in different sizes, from lightweight piano accordions that are suitable for adult beginners (though their repertoire is somewhat limited) to fully featured 120 bass accordions that provide maximum scope and flexibility. Their treble keyboards may feature either piano keys or chromatic button key systems for playing chords and melodies.
The bass sections typically use bass switches (often known as ‘couplers’) that activate additional sets of reeds; one an octave below the main set for tremulant effect and another untuned from it for counter bass sound; they cover seven or eight octaves altogether. Some full-sized instruments also include quint switches that add a perfect fifth note across all notes for pipe organ-esque sounds that complement certain Russian or choral music genres.