Newbie Question

[hammerhead]

Hi guys

Have been thinking of learning to play the accordion. Just another mad notion I've had!!! I have never played one before!

Anyway, I have been trying to read as much as I can about it before I make any decisions on buying.

The main question I have is, do all button accordions play 2 notes on one button depending on whether you push or pull? And what is the difference between chromatic and diatonic accordions?

I have been looking at both button and piano accordions. Is there one you would say is easier to learn on?

Any other beginners buying advice gratefully accepted!

[StevieJ]

Anyway, I have been trying to read as much as I can about it before I make any decisions on buying.

Reading is good, but for someone as unsure of everything as you seem to be, I think you should do everything you can to try one or more different types of box before you buy one. Or be sure exactly what type of music you want to play, and be guided by what most people playing that type of music use.

The main question I have is, do all button accordions play 2 notes on one button depending on whether you push or pull?

For most button accordions used in folk music, yes. The correct term for this is a "single-action" accordion. But there are also chromatic button accordions - generally much bigger instruments, similar to piano accordions, which are "double-action" - play the same note on push and pull. These are often called continental chromatic button accordions.

And what is the difference between chromatic and diatonic accordions?

Strictly speaking, a diatonic accordion can play only the notes of a single major scale. For example, a one-row accordion in the key of C can play only the white notes on the piano and nothing else. Instruments like this are always single-action (different note on push and pull). They are like a basic harmonica, but with bellows.

A chromatic accordion can play every note in the Western music system - all the white and the black notes on a piano. Generally that means a piano accordion or a continental chromatic button accordion.

That's the simple version. Things get a little more complicated, because common diatonic accordion systems have two or three rows of buttons, giving more possibilities. And systems commonly used by Irish musicians have two rows a semitone apart, which allows all of the notes of the scale to be played - meaning that they are chromatic as well as diatonic. (But less versatile than the true chromatic types mentioned above.)

I have been looking at both button and piano accordions. Is there one you would say is easier to learn on?

Hard to say. Piano accordion might be easier initially if you already play piano. Some people take to diatonic systems like ducks to water, and some just can't get their heads around them.

Try both. And as I said, decide what music you want to be able to play. If you want to be able to play anything, including jazz and classical, for instance, better go for a piano accordion or even better IMO one of the continental chromatic systems.

If you want to play folk music only, a diatonic system has some big advantages - smaller, cheaper, lighter, and allow you to play with great punch more easily. I and others can probably give more detailed suggestions if you tell us what you are aiming to play.

Steve

[hammerhead]

Thank you very much for all that information. This is what I was looking for.

This has been a lot of help.

I mainly intend playing irish and scottish music. I had thought maybe a piano accordion might be easier as I have a basic knowledge of the keyboard layout.

But all help is really appreciated!!!

Thanks again

[StevieJ]

I mainly intend playing irish and scottish music. I had thought maybe a piano accordion might be easier as I have a basic knowledge of the keyboard layout.

In that case, unless you are a pianist already, my advice would be to go for a diatonic button box. Or at least try both systems. The piano keyboard isn't really ideally suited to something strapped to your chest. (The continental chromatic system is much more logical and flexible.)

The B/C system is very prevalent in Irish music and widely used in Scotland too. I play the similar C#/D system, which I consider easier to get your head around and quicker to get going on. You can find lots of discussion of the relative merits of these two systems here and elsewhere. Whatever I may say about the advantages of C#/D, there is a total absence of tutor books and DVDs for this system, but quite a lot available for B/C.

One big difference between piano accordions/continental chromatics and diatonic systems is the number of bass chords and combinations available for your left hand. Diatonic boxes have much more limited bass capabilities - rudimentary, really.

If you want to combine both worlds - the weird but punchy in-and-out right-hand system of diatonic boxes with all the bass possibilities of the piano box - there is another possibility: the hybrid system popularized by Jimmy Shand in Scotland. This is a three row-diatonic B/C/C# with a piano-accordion style bass system. Still quite widespread in Scotland, now almost completely vanished from the Irish music scene. But with these, you're getting into heavy and expensive and (IMO) seriously quirky territory, and a big learning curve.

You can find lots of video clips of all these systems in Irish and Scottish music on YouTube. That might be your next stop.

[hammerhead]

This is probably gonna sound like a silly question, but..........

Is there any easy way to get your head round learning the 2 notes on one button? That is what i find really daunting about it!

I suppose its just a case of learning and (a lot!!!) practice!

[StevieJ]

Is there any easy way to get your head round learning the 2 notes on one button?

Yes. Go to an accordion shop and ask to have a piano accordion and a diatonic accordion placed in front of you. Now pick each one up and compare the weight. That should do it for you!

Seriously, it's not that hard. I mean, Newfies can do it.

Advice that is commonly given is to buy a cheap harmonica and let that be your introduction to the concept. Better, I think, is to borrow a box for a few days.

[mutepointe]

I think the advice to get a harmonica is a great idea. And once you see how a harmonica is set up, a concertina makes so much more sense.

[buttonbox]

Is there any easy way to get your head round learning the 2 notes on one button?

Advice that is commonly given is to buy a cheap harmonica and let that be your introduction to the concept. Better, I think, is to borrow a box for a few days.

I realize that this is a month after the fact but I might as well throw in my US$0.02.

I'm self-taught on harmonica. Have played adequately since I was 13. I didn't even know about playing Irish music, let alone C#/D box, until I was 28. On the morning I went to pick up the box I was to borrow, I was sat down in his kitchen and given a couple pointers. Knowing how a harmonica was set up was truly helpful in getting Egan's Polka in the first five minutes! I've been playing for ten years now and wouldn't consider the PA for similar reasons as stated by others.

However . . . the problem that I discovered not long after picking up the box is that when I play the box my breathing is regulated by the direction I am moving the bellows! I have not been able to overcome this in ten years of playing. I haven't tried very hard to get over this, but I have learned how to phrase my playing and how to use the breather button to give me room to work with the bellows while on the longer one-direction runs.

Ultimately, I would suggest not picking up a harmonica to test the waters and that's obviously based on my own inability to overcome what has become a deeply ingrained habit. (Perhaps I should start a new thread about THAT!)

There are inexpensive toy accordions that can be had to be used to test whether you can wrap your mind around the diatonic system. However, I agree with the others: the best bet is if you can find someone to lend you a box.