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All About Accordions

When you hear those first notes squeezed from the old accordion, you know the party's getting started! For generations, those lively notes have provided the soundtracks to celebrations around the world.

Call it a squeezebox, an accordion or any other name, and it sounds just as sweet, right? Maybe not. The accordion is a member of the handheld bellows-driven free reed aerophone family. When played, the compression and expansion of the bellows generates airflow across the reed. This movement of air causes the reed to vibrate, and a musical tone is created. The many forms of the accordion also feature keyboards to control the flow of air to the reeds and produce a greater variety of tones.

Physical Features of the Accordion

Today's modern accordions consist of a two-part body. Bellows separates these two rectangular halves. On each half of the body there is a keyboard with piano style keys, buttons or levers. When pressed, these buttons travel in a direction perpendicular to the movement of the bellows, or toward the performer. Most modern accordions have buttons that are capable of producing entire chords, while traditional concertinas have buttons that only produce single notes.

Types of Accordions

There are a number of different styles and key notes systems that differentiate the types of accordions. These include the Chromatic, Concertina, Diatonic and Piano accordions.

Chromatic: When played, this instrument can produce a full 46-note chromatic scale. It has the greatest treble range of today's accordion styles, because the buttons are not diatonic. Chromatic accordions can range in size from the humble 20 treble key, 12 bass button version, to the modern chromatic model with rows of treble buttons and 160 bass buttons. This type of accordion is quite popular in Russia.

Concertina: Known for its unique shape, the concertina can be made with four to twelve sides. There is a keyboard at each end of the instrument, with bellows in between. Each button produces an individual note, and the concertina provides no fixed chords. In fact, there is such a wide variety of systems and notes that it can be almost impossible for the performer of one concertina to successfully play another. The second instrument will be unique, and must be relearned.

Other unique characteristics set this particular instrument apart from the rest. Unlike modern accordions, the concertina's buttons never produce chords. Further, they travel parallel to the motion of the bellows, or toward the opposite end of the instrument. The internal materials, mechanics, construction and tone color are all unique from other styles of accordions. The basic standards of sound production, however, are identical.

Diatonic: Many folk and dance troup performers use diatonic accordions. This style produces great sound output. It's also light weight, affordable and easy to play. With a note pattern on the keyboard similar to that of the mouth harmonica, it is simple to play and a favorite choice around the world.

Piano: The piano accordion has become the first truly standardized style, ever since the development of the Stradella bass system. On this style of accordion, the performer can play a number of different styles without changing the system.

Unlike most other types of musical instruments, there is more than the "basic" style of accordion. If you're interested in learning to play the accordion, try a few different types to find the one that suits you best.