Left Handed boxes?

wolvy · Post by **wolvy** » Mon Jan 15, 2007 10:44 am

My 20 year old daughter wants to learn IRTRAD button accordian, but she is strongly left-handed. Do any of the makers make left handed boxes? We think it would help for the keys to be under the left hand fingers. Are we mistaken?

lixnaw · Post by **lixnaw** » Mon Jan 15, 2007 10:58 am

I think there shouldn't be any problem in ordering a left handed box. The maker just needs to put the reeds in the other way 'round. I don't think there is extra charge for this.

StevieJ · Post by **StevieJ** » Mon Jan 15, 2007 12:34 pm

Actually making a dedicated l/h box would require moving the air lever as well, plus any stops/registers on the top of the accordion.

Stops notwithstanding, I know an excellent left-handed box player who plays standard boxes upside down. He says it's an advantage because your strong fingers are used on the buttons at the top of the scale, which generally see more action than those at the lowest end.

OTOH you'd be pretty much on your own in terms of figuring out how to play this way.

But even when you flip a box like this, you still have the problem of moving the air lever. However any good repair person could do this for you.

My upside-down friend's boxes have two air levers - one at either end of the bass cabinet. I think he orders them that way so that he can sell them to a right-hander without the box needing surgery.

Steve

StevieJ · Post by **StevieJ** » Mon Jan 15, 2007 1:24 pm

BTW based on my l/handed friend's experience it _would_ be a good idea for your daughter to learn l/handed, whether by flipping or getting a l/h "mirror-image" box. He apparently played r/handed for a few years as a youngster but reached a plateau that he couldn't get past. Then he flipped the box over and never looked back - now one of Quebec's best players.

For your interest here's a <a href = "http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Melodeon-Oakwood- ... dZViewItem" target="_blank">dedicated left-handed box that recently failed to sell on eBay</a>. It's a good instrument but the price is a bit high IMO - but maybe the seller would be prepared to consider a lower offer since it didn't go. OTOH it's in D/G so you'd be looking at another few hundred dollars to get it retuned to an Irish system. So probably cheaper to get one made to your specs.

Caj · Post by **Caj** » Mon Jan 15, 2007 3:13 pm

I tried both ways (or all three ways, righty, lefty, then reversing the reeds on a cheap starter box.) I had an some excellent beginning lessons, but never really caught on.

Whether to flip or convert, that's the question. I'd recommend just flipping the box over. Unlike string instruments, which are arranged in a way that gives a lefty a disadvantage if flipped over, the accordion keyboard is just two left-to-right scales. Beyond the air switch there doesn't seem to be any implicit righty bias.

The other reason to flip is that you can use existing instruments with minimal surgery, and resell them. It's cheaper and less of a commitment. This is another way accordions are unlike guitars: you can buy left-handed guitars right out of a catalog. If you want a lefty accordion, you will have to contact a maker.

The one argument for converting is that you can get instruction; flipping the box over you are on your own developing a fingering system.

Caj · Post by **Caj** » Mon Jan 15, 2007 3:31 pm

By the way, you might be told that it's just fine to play the box right-handed. I couldn't say: with a C#/D, I still used my left hand quite a bit when trying it righty.

If I recall correctly, I think Patty Furlong is left-handed, and of course plays normally.

Another option is to look for an ambidextrous instrument, like a concertina. But money-wise, an accordion is hella cheaper, and frankly the accordion is more bearable to listen to for extended periods of time.

Caj

wolvy · Post by **wolvy** » Mon Jan 15, 2007 6:54 pm

Thanks to all for the advice. Perhaps the flipping option would work. I recall trying it once with a Cajun style box and the pull-up stop controls kept getting pushed in, so it didn't work that well.

Silvio Zapparoli · Post by **Silvio Zapparoli** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 6:16 am

StevieJ wrote:BTW based on my l/handed friend's experience it _would_ be a good idea for your daughter to learn l/handed, whether by flipping or getting a l/h "mirror-image" box. He apparently played r/handed for a few years as a youngster but reached a plateau that he couldn't get past. Then he flipped the box over and never looked back - now one of Quebec's best players.

For your interest here's a <a href = "http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Melodeon-Oakwood- ... dZViewItem" target="_blank">dedicated left-handed box that recently failed to sell on eBay</a>. It's a good instrument but the price is a bit high IMO - but maybe the seller would be prepared to consider a lower offer since it didn't go. OTOH it's in D/G so you'd be looking at another few hundred dollars to get it retuned to an Irish system. So probably cheaper to get one made to your specs.

Beautiful model this Oakwood!
There is a website where to see other models? In the Oakwood website there isn't accordions.
Thanks

Silvio Zapparoli · Post by **Silvio Zapparoli** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 6:16 am

StevieJ wrote:BTW based on my l/handed friend's experience it _would_ be a good idea for your daughter to learn l/handed, whether by flipping or getting a l/h "mirror-image" box. He apparently played r/handed for a few years as a youngster but reached a plateau that he couldn't get past. Then he flipped the box over and never looked back - now one of Quebec's best players.

For your interest here's a <a href = "http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Melodeon-Oakwood- ... dZViewItem" target="_blank">dedicated left-handed box that recently failed to sell on eBay</a>. It's a good instrument but the price is a bit high IMO - but maybe the seller would be prepared to consider a lower offer since it didn't go. OTOH it's in D/G so you'd be looking at another few hundred dollars to get it retuned to an Irish system. So probably cheaper to get one made to your specs.

Beautiful model this Oakwood!
There is a website where to see other models? In the Oakwood website there isn't accordions.
Thanks

Martin Milner · Post by **Martin Milner** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 6:56 am

The £1,000 reserve seems like a very fair deal for this box, assuming you wanted a left-handed model. I suspect that's why it didn't sell. I wouldn't have thought it was worth buying to convert to a right-handed model though.

Silvio, they're not in production anymore apparently, so you'd only get one second hand.

StevieJ · Post by **StevieJ** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 7:39 am

Martin Milner wrote:The £1,000 reserve seems like a very fair deal for this box, assuming you wanted a left-handed model. I suspect that's why it didn't sell. I wouldn't have thought it was worth buying to convert to a right-handed model though.

£1000 was the "starting bid". We don't know what the reserve was, but since the "buy it now" price was £1500, I expect the reserve was not far below that. Putting a reserve, a high starting bid and a highish buy it now price was a pretty good way of discouraging anyone from bidding at all I'd think. The reserve alone would have served the purpose - that way he would have got get an idea of whether anybody was prepared to pay anything for it.

Martin Milner · Post by **Martin Milner** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 7:52 am

StevieJ wrote:
Martin Milner wrote:The £1,000 reserve seems like a very fair deal for this box, assuming you wanted a left-handed model. I suspect that's why it didn't sell. I wouldn't have thought it was worth buying to convert to a right-handed model though.
£1000 was the "starting bid". We don't know what the reserve was, but since the "buy it now" price was £1500, I expect the reserve was not far below that. Putting a reserve, a high starting bid and a highish buy it now price was a pretty good way of discouraging anyone from bidding at all I'd think. The reserve alone would have served the purpose - that way he would have got get an idea of whether anybody was prepared to pay anything for it.

Quite right, I misread the auction. I think £1,500 isn't out of this world for a Melodeon of that quality (with four stops), but he did set his sights high to start with.