Playing The Button Accordion
The button accordion is a traditional instrument, but its popularity is as strong as ever.
Accordions come in a variety of styles and forms. Chromatic, diatonic and piano accordions are just a few of the most popular types. Another family of accordions, used since it was first developed in the late nineteenth century, is the button accordion.
The button accordion is an adaptation of the melodeon, an older and more basic instrument. The button accordion is physically unique in that it has an extra row of buttons that have been pitched a semi-tone above or below those of the melodeon. The musician can actually manipulate the bellows to create two notes from one single button. This is what gives the button accordion greater articulation, and greater fingering economy.
There are variations within the family of button accordions. The widest variations can be seen on the basic construction, keyboard systems, action and tuning of the individual instruments.
One of the most notable styles of button accordion is the diatonic. On a diatonic accordion, there is a melody-sized keyboard that is limited to the notes of diatonic scales. These notes are provided through a small number of keys, or even just one key. It is worth noting that the bass side of the diatonic usually contains the principal chords of the instrument’s key, including the root notes of those chords.
Diatonic button accordions are generally bisonoric, meaning that every button produces a couple of notes. One note is produced when the bellows are compressed, and the other is produced when the bellows are expanded.
Some diatonic button accordions, however, are unisonoric. In other words, each button on the garmon produces the same note, regardless of the direction of the bellows. Others offer a combination of the two styles.
Another well-known variation of the button accordion is the chromatic. This instrument has a melody-sized keyboard composed of uniform rows of buttons. These buttons are arranged to provide a chromatic pitch increase along the diagonals. The bass side keyboard of this instrument typically uses a Stradella system, which is one of many converter or free-bass systems.
Some instruments in this class are simply called “chromatic” accordions, even though the other types, including the piano accordion, are also fully chromatic. Since the introduction of chromatic buttons, this type of accordion has become the preference of many classical music performers. The treble keyboard of this instrument is now denser than that of a piano accordion, allowing a much greater musical range.
The accordion is popular around the world, and various cultures have developed their own versions of modern button accordions. These unique inventions have been adapted to suit their unique traditional styles of music. Russia alone has many styles, including the Garmon, Saratovskaya Garmonica, Livenka and the very popular Bayan accordion.
The accordion lends a unique sound to traditional and popular music. Regardless of your musical tastes, pick up a button accordion and try your hand at making music with this age-old and ever-popular instrument.
