The term “accordion” is derived from the German word “akkord,” which means musical chord or concord of sounds. Chromatic accordions have buttons for both the right-hand treble side and the left-hand bass side. Numerous variations of the device soon followed. Remember that the button accordion has fewer reeds (4), and is excellent for playing lively and traditional music. In this article, I'll describe... Music is our passion and our life! Also, some of the keys are for cosmetic purposes only. The great thing about the piano accordion is that it is very flexible and can be adapted to play any style of music. The diatonic accordion is also used in Zydeco music. You must know your purpose of wanting to learn how to play the accordion. Some contain piano keys while others come with buttons. For precursors of the free-reed instruments, see sheng; for other types, see concertina; harmonica; harmonium. Some vintage varieties display ornate decorations while newer models depict technology. There are three main styles of accordion: diatonic, chromatic and keyboard. •  Less popular in Western Europe than piano accordions - fewer qualified teachers available. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. The most common full-size piano keyboard has a range from the low “F” to a high “A.”. The elite form of this instrument is generally considered to be the German manufactured Shand Morino, produced by Hohner with the input of Sir Jimmy Shand. The choice of system is one of personal preference often influenced by which layout you find most comfortable and the system your tutor advocates. Next thing you need to focus on is the size of the accordion you want. What do you intend to play on your accordion? Concertinas have several different types of systems including the English, Anglo, German, and Duet concertinas. This is the same for bass notes and chords that are different depending on the direction of the bellows. If none specified, please include a musical genre you wish to use in the descriptions above. All piano accordions are unisonoric and chromatic. A full-size accordion has 41 treble keys and approximately 3+ octaves of notes. This type is the favoured diatonic accordion in Scotland. This is the national musical instrument of the Basque people that has a two-row diatonic, bisonoric treble and a twelve-button diatonic unisonoric bass. In a five-row keyboard the first two rows (from the bellows) are auxiliary, duplicating the notes form the other three rows. There are two distinct styles of accordion - piano key and chromatic button key. •  More expensive to buy than piano accordions and limited resale opportunities due to lower demand. The side keyboard is commonly lined with one or more rows of buttons and is generally used for traditional folk music. As technology advances, accordions have also hopped onto the microchip bandwagon. A button accordion, as the name suggests, is a type of accordion on which the treble side or the melody side of the board consists of buttons rather than piano keys. Furthermore, the keys usually represent two notes. The problem lies in reaching keys that are far apart. In case you want to do that, then the piano accordion is ideal, as you don’t need additional musical instruments to play complex notes. This accordion has an elite type which is considered to be “Shand Morino,” a German-manufactured accordion, produced by the Hohner. All types of music can be played on piano accordions. This is one of the two main types of accordions. On a piano accordion, the fingering is limited. Chromatic button accordions are common in Eastern Europe and Russia, where they are known as “Bayans”. Keep reading to learn more about what type of accordion is easier to play and why; as well as the differences between the button accordion and piano accordion. As the number of bass buttons increases, so does the flexibility of the accordion because repertoire becomes less restricted because there are more notes. This accordion is named after the traditional combination of two violins, clarinet, or accordion and contraguitar known as Schrammelquartet. Chromatic accordions are based on twelve half tones of the tempered scale. Each type of accordion has advantages over the other and your choice is really one of personal preference. The instrument was called “sheng” and looked like a mouth pipe organ. This is the national musical instrument of the Basque Country. It grew in popularity during the 1930’s and remains quite popular among accordion enthusiasts. Generally, accordions with more reeds are more expensive than those with fewer reeds. These days the accordion is not only used to perform ethnic or folk music, but it is also heard in pop music, rock, and pop-rock, and even in sophisticated classical music concerts. Most of the time, a good bass guitar means a pricey one. Today, they are most popularly used in classical music in the accompaniment of free bass or converter, as well, as Balkan and Russian folk music. There are two systems (button layouts) - B and C which mirror one another. This accordion is characterized by its richer bass notes and the presence of a single key per scale row that produces the same pitch regardless of whether the bellows are pulled out or pushed in. The accordion originated from free-reed instruments, the first of which is believed to be created in China sometime in the 2nd millennium BC. Get exclusive access to content from our 1768 First Edition with your subscription. A typical left-hand manual consists of one hundred and twenty buttons. Mini-piano accordions are very affordable and are great for learning the basics before upgrading to a more advanced accordion.