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The accordion is a musical instrument of the hand-held bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist. It is played by compressing or expanding its bellows, while pressing buttons or keys, allowing air to flow across reeds inside the body - strips of material that will repeatedly vibrate to produce sound.
The accordion is often used in folk music in Europe, North America, Russia, and South America. It is commonly associated with busking. Some rock bands make use of the instrument in their unique sound. Additionally, the free bass accordion is sometimes used in both solo and orchestra performances of classical music.
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Construction
Body
The accordion's body consists of two wood boxes joined together by a bellows, respectively housing reed chambers for the bass and melody tones. Each side has grilles in order to take in air and let out clear sound. The melody-side grille is usually larger and is often shaped for decorative purposes. The melody keyboard is on the right-hand side. Neighboring the melody keyboard are switches to change the melody tone. On the left-hand side is the bass keyboard, and neighboring that are switches to change the bass register.
Between the two keyboard sides is the bellows, which is made from layers of cloth and cardboard, with added leather and metal[1]. These are characteristically pleated and extend out far enough to guarantee an arm's length. Their function is to propel air through the accordion, applied pressure increasing the volume.
The size and weight of an accordion varies depending on its type, layout and playing range, which can be as small as to have only two rows of basses and a single octave on the melody side, for children, to the standard 41 key/120 bass accordion and through to large and heavy 160 bass button free-bass convertor models.
Straps
Accordions are equipped with shoulder straps in order to make it easier to balance its weight and avoid dropping the sometimes very heavy and quite expensive instrument. There is also leather strap on the left of the bass keyboard side to keep ones arm in position while playing - on the top side is a wheel to fasten or loosen it. Additionally, there are removable straps above and below the bellows to keep it in place when the instrument is not being used.
Melody-side keys
Button layouts
On button accordions the melody-side keyboard consists of a series of buttons (rather than piano-style keys.) There exists a wide variation in keyboard systems, tuning, action and construction of these instruments.
Chromatic button accordions
A chromatic button accordion, sometimes simply called a chromatic accordion, is a type of button accordion where the melody-side keyboard consists of uniform rows of buttons arranged so that the pitch increases chromatically along diagonals. Included among chromatic button accordions is the Russian bayan.
There can be 3 to 5 rows of treble buttons. In a 5 row chromatic, two additional rows repeat the first 2 rows to facilitate options in fingering. Chromatic button accordions are preferred by many classical music performerscitation needed, since the treble keyboard with diagonally arranged buttons allows a greater range, and often far greater speed, than a piano keyboard configuration.
In Serbia and throughout former Yugoslavia is used a 6-row chromatic button layout based on the B system. It is referred to as dugmetara.
Diatonic button accordions
Diatonic button accordions have a melody-side keyboard that is limited to the notes of diatonic scales in a small number of keys (sometimes only one). The bass side usually contains the principal chords of the instrument's key and the root notes of those chords.
Almost all diatonic button accordions (like the melodeon) are bisonoric, meaning each button produces two notes: one when the bellows is compressed, another while it is expanded; a few instruments (like the garmon) are unisonoric, with each button producing the same note regardless of bellows direction; still others have a combination of the two types of action: see Hybrids below.
Piano key layout
Many accordions use a key layout similar to that of the piano. In comparison the keys are more rounded, smaller and lighter to the touch. These go vertically down the side pointing inward, toward the bellows, making them accessible to only one hand while handling the accordion.
Underneath each key is placed some rubber to fend off pressure when keys are pressed. After a long time of playing this may get worn out, resulting in a clacking noise, in which case new rubber has to be put in place to ensure a more quiet mechanism.
The keyboard produces sound in a manner different to that of the piano. Layout aside, accordions are closer in familiarity to reed organs and organs in general than the striking motion that produces sound in a piano. Sound produced by an accordion is constant for as long as the reeds are affected into motion.
Bass-side keys
Stradella bass system
The Stradella Bass System uses rows of buttons arranged in a circle of fifths; this places the principal major chords of a key in three adjacent rows. Each row contains, in order: A major third (the "counter-bass" note), the root note, the major chord, the minor chord, the (dominant) seventh chord, and the diminished seventh chord.
All chord buttons sound 3 note chords. Early attempts to create 4 note seventh and diminished chords were hampered by mechanical difficulties. Consequently, modern Stradella systems drop the 5th from these two chords. This has the side benefit of making the preformed chords more versatile. For example, an augmented chord can be created by using the dominant seventh button and adding an augmented 5th from the piano keyboard or from one of the bass or counterbass buttons.
Depending on the price, size or origin of the instrument, some rows may be missing completely or in different positions. In most Russian layouts the diminished seventh chord row is moved by one button, so that the C diminished seventh chord is where the F diminished seventh chord would be in a standard Stradella layout; this is done in order to achieve a better reachability with the forefinger.
Common configurations
| Name | Columns | Rows |
|---|---|---|
| 12-bass | 6 - Root notes: B♭ to A | Root note, major |
| 24-bass | 8 - Root notes: E♭ to E | Root note, major, minor |
| 32-bass | 8 - Root notes: E♭ to E | Root note, major, minor, 7th |
| 40-bass | 8 - Root notes: E♭ to E | Root note, counter-bass note, major, minor, 7th |
| 48-bass | 8 - Root notes: E♭ to E | Root note, counter-bass note, major, minor, 7th, diminished |
| 12 - Root notes: D♭ to F♯ | Root note, counter-bass note, major, minor | |
| 60-bass | 12 - Root notes: D♭ to F♯ | Root note, counter-bass note, major, minor, 7th |
| 72-bass | 12 - Root notes: D♭ to F♯ | Root note, counter-bass note, major, minor, 7th, diminished |
| 80-bass | 16 - Root notes: C♭ to G♯ | Root note, counter-bass note, major, minor, 7th |
| 96-bass | 16 - Root notes: C♭ to G♯ | Root note, counter-bass note, major, minor, 7th, diminished |
| 120-bass | 20 - Root notes: Low A to A♯ | Root note, counter-bass note, major, minor, 7th, diminished |
| 140-bass | 20 - Root notes: Low A to A♯ | Root note, counter-bass note, major, minor, 7th, diminished, augmented (or extra counter-bass note) |
| 160-bass | 20 - Root notes: Low A to A♯ | Root note, three counter-bass notes, major, minor, 7th, diminished |
Free bass systems
Free bass systems allow the player to construct their own chords as well as to play bass melodies in several octaves. There are various free bass systems in use; most consist of a rotated version or mirror image of one of the melody layouts used in chromatic button accordions. One notable exception is the Titano line of converter or "quint" bass, which repeats the first two bass rows of the Stradella system one and two octaves higher moving outward from the bellows. In the United States, Julio Giulietti was the chief manufacturer and promoter of the free bass accordion that he called a "bassetti" accordion which was mass produced from the late 1950s onward. Giulietti accordions with free bass capability often had a "transformer" switch to go from standard pre-set chords to individual free bass notes.
Skillful use of the free bass system enabled the performance of classical piano music, rather than music arranged specifically for the accordion's standard Stradella bass system. Beginning in the 1960s, competitive performance on the accordion of classical piano compositions, by the great masters of music, occurred. Although never mainstreamed in the larger musical scene, this convergence with traditional classical music propelled young accordionists to an ultimate involvement with classical music heretofore not experienced.citation needed
Within the United States, several noted instrumentalists demonstrated the unique orchestral capabilities of the free bass accordion while performing at the nation's premier concert venues and encouraged contemporary composers to write for the instrument. Included among the leading orchestral artists was John Serry, Sr. A noted concert accordionist, soloist, composer, and arranger, Serry performed extensively in both symphonic orchestras and jazz ensembles as well as on live radio and television broadcasts. His refined poetic artistry gained respect for the free bass accordion as a serious concert instrument among prominent classical musicians and conductors of the early twentieth century.
Recently Guy Klucevsek has built a reputation on combining folk styles with classical forms and makes extensive use of the free bass. New York's William Schimmel, who composes and performs in many genres, is a leading exponent of the "quint" style free bass system and uses it extensively in tandem with the standard stradella system.
In Europe, free bass accordion performance has reached a very high level and the instrument is considered worthy of serious study in music conservatoriescitation needed. Modern and avant-garde composers such as Sofia Gubaidulina, Edison Denisov, Luciano Berio, Per Norgard, Arne Nordheim, Jindrich Feld, Franco Donatoni, Toshio Hosokawa, Mauricio Kagel, and Magnus Lindberg have written for the free bass accordion and the instrument is becoming more frequently integrated into new music chamber and improvisation groups.
Bellows
The accordion bellows is used in order to create an air pressure tight enough that the internal reeds will be forced into their sound-producing vibrating motion. The player handles the bellows while playing, constantly making sure sufficient air is supplied to play music. Similar to a violin's bow, the production of sound on an accordion then is in direct proportion to the motion of the player. This makes the bellows the primary means of articulation.
Although the way the bellows produce sound basically depends on if there's pressure or not (implicating no resonance), it is possible to create very short resonance by stopping or reversing the bellows while still holding down a button as there are leftover air whirls still in motion [2].
The bellows is meant to be air tight for better handling by the player [3], but is not rendered fully useless with minor leaks. However, that means one has to move them faster in order to create the desired level of air pressure.
Hybrids
Various hybrid accordions have been created between instruments of different keyboards and actions. Many remain curiosities, only a few have remained in use. Some notable examples are:
- The Schrammel accordion, used in Viennese chamber music and Klezmer, which has the treble keyboard of a chromatic button accordion and a bisonoric bass keyboard, similar to an expanded diatonic button accordion.
- The schwyzerörgeli or Swiss organ, which has a (usually) 3-row diatonic treble and 18 unisonoric bass buttons in a bass/chord arrangement (actually a subset of the Stradella system), that travel parallel to the bellows motion.
- The trikitixa of the Basque people has a 2-row diatonic, bisonoric treble and a 12-button diatonic unisonoric bass.
- In Scotland, the favoured diatonic accordion is the instrument known as the British Chromatic Accordion. While the right hand is bisonoric, the left hand follows the Stradella system. The elite form of this instrument is generally considered to be the German manufactured "Shand Morino", produced by Hohner with the input of the late Sir Jimmy Shand.[4]
History
The accordion's basic form was invented in Berlin in 1822 by Friedrich Buschmann. The accordion is one of several European inventions of the early 19th century that used free reeds driven by a bellows; notable among them were:
- The Aeoline, by German Bernhard Eschenbach (and his cousin, Caspar Schlimbach), 1810. It was a piano with an added aeoline register. Similar instruments were the Aeoline Harmonika and Physharmonika. Aeoline and Aura were first without bellows or keyboard.
- The Hand Physhamonika, by Anton Haeckl, a hand type produced 1818 and patented in 1821.
- The flutina, by Pichenot Jeune, ca. 1831.
- The concertina, patented in two forms (perhaps independently): one by Carl Friedrich Uhlig, 1834 and the other by Sir Charles Wheatstone, of which examples were built after 1829, but no patent taken out until 1844.
An instrument called accordion was first patented in 1829 by Cyrill Demian in Vienna. Demian's instrument bore little resemblance to modern instruments; it only had a left hand keyboard, with the right hand simply operating the bellows. One key feature for which Demian sought the patent was the sounding of an entire chord by depressing one key. His instrument also could sound two different chords with the same key: one for each bellows direction (press, draw); this is called a bisonoric action.
At that time in Vienna, mouth harmonicas with "Kanzellen" (chambers) had already been available for many years, along with bigger instruments driven by hand bellows. The diatonic key arrangement was also already in use on mouth-blown instruments. Demian's patent thus covered an accompanying instrument: an accordion played with the left hand, opposite to the way that contemporary chromatic hand harmonicas were played, small and light enough to for travelers to take with them and use to accompany singing. The patent also described instruments with both bass and treble sections, although Demian preferred the bass-only instrument owing to its cost and weight advantages.
The musician Adolph Müller described a great variety of instruments in his 1833 Schule für Accordion. At the time, Vienna and London had a close musical relationship, with musicians often performing in both cities in the same year, so it is possible that Wheatstone was aware of this type of instrument and may have used them to put his key-arrangement ideas into practice.
Jeune's flutina resembles Wheatstone's concertina in internal construction and tone color, but it appears to complement Demian's accordion functionally. The flutina is a one-sided bisonoric melody-only instrument whose keys are operated with the right hand while the bellows is operated with the left. When the two instruments are combined, the result is quite similar to diatonic button accordions still manufactured today.
Further innovations followed and continue to the present. Various keyboard systems have been developed, as well as voicings (the combination of multiple tones at different octaves), with mechanisms to switch between different voices during performance, and different methods of internal construction to improve tone, stability and durability.
Musical genres
In Colombia, the instrument was first introduced by European immigrants and merchants mainly of German origin through the Antilles Islands in the early 20th century, where local troubadours from the Caribbean Region used it as an instrument to accompany their sung messages. This form of music developed into the musical genre called Vallenato, representative of Colombia.
The accordion is an important instrument in the Dominican Republic because it is an instrument used in merengue, the national dance of this country. The accordion is also used in perico ripiao, a typical merengue.
The instrument was popularized in the United States by Count Guido Deiro who was the first piano accordionist to perform in Vaudeville.
Accordion is the main instrument in the musette style of ballroom music in France (a style now largely out of fashion) and in the 1950s chanson singing, which has a revival in the form of neo-realism.
Mexican Norteño music also relies heavily on the accordion. The instrument was introduced into Northern Mexico by German immigrants during the 19th century. Mexican bands like Ramón Ayala y sus Bravos del Norte, Los Tiranos Del Norte, Los Cachorros De Juan Villarreal, Los Huracanes Del Norte, Los Invasores De Nuevo Leon, and Los Cadetes De Linares have made very successful musical careers out of their lively riffs. Chicken scratch (also known as waila music) is a kind of dance music developed by the Tohono O'odham people. The genre is derived from Mexican Norteño and evolved out of acoustic fiddle bands in southern Arizona, in the Sonoran Desert.
The accordion is an important instrument in Dutch folk music, and often the only melodious instrument when clog dancing. It is also significant in Scandinavian folk music, with notable performers including Finnish accordionist Maria Kalaniemi. Scandinavian-influenced British folk music has, in recent years, also featured accordionists such as Karen Tweed.
The accordion is commonly used as part of dance and ceilidh bands in English, Scottish and Irish traditions.
Accordion was used on the Disney song "Whale of a Tale" from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, as well as Donald Duck's song, "Quack Quack Quack". For christmas purposes, it was used in Nuttin' for Christmas.
Accordion is also a central instrument in Zydeco, Cajun music, and Polka, heard in Europe and the Americas.
In the English-speaking pop-music world, it is often seen as the epitome of an "uncool" instrument parents force their children to learn in lieu of a different, "cooler" instrument such as the guitar; however, some popular rock music acts including Beirut, Calexico, Counting Crows, Devotchka, Dropkick Murphys, Flogging Molly, Gogol Bordello, Jason Webley, Stolen Babies, The Arcade Fire, The Decemberists, The Tiger Lillies, The World/Inferno Friendship Society, They Might Be Giants, "Weird Al" Yankovic and The Hooters incorporate the accordion in their distinctive sound.
In northeastern Brazil, the accordion, along with the triangle and the zabumba, is the main instrument used in forró, a traditional style usually played by trios. This genre features accordionists such as Sivuca, Dominguinhos and the "King of Baião", Luiz Gonzaga.
It is also widely used by Gypsy and Jewish bands from Eastern Europe. It is central to much of Southeastern/Eastern European and Russian music.
In Italy, the accordion plays an important role in folk music, being many times the leading sound of the tarantella.
While the accordion is a versatile instrument and is widely played throughout the world, it is not universally respected, largely because of an incorrect assumption that it is only used for polka music. A representative jibe is one from Gary Larson, author of The Far Side, who drew a cartoon with the punchline "Welcome to heaven, here's your harp. / Welcome to hell, here's your accordion."
The accordion (Hangeul: 아코디언) is an integral aspect of "Trot" music (Hangeul: 트로트) from North Korea and South Korea. Trot music was extremely popular in the first half of the twentieth century and it is still enjoyed by many older Koreans to this day. The accordion is often the only the instrument present in a song routine. Trot music and the accordion have gained a very widespread revival in recent years in the wake of the popular singer, Jang Yoon Jeong (Hangeul: 장윤정)and her super-hit song "Oemana!" (Hangeul: 어마나!). [5]
Manufacturing process
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Please help improve this article or section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. (June 2008) |
The manufacture of an accordion is not a completely automated process. In a sense, all accordions could be called handmade, since there is always some hand assembly of the small parts required. The general process involves making the individual parts, assembling the subsections, assembling the entire instrument, and final decorating and packaging.[6]
However, the best accordions are always hand-made, especially in the aspect of reeds; completely hand-made reeds have a far better tonal quality than even the best automatically-manufactured reeds. Some accordions have been modified by individuals striving to bring a more pure sound out of low-end instruments, such as the ones improved by Yutaka Usui, a Japanese-born craftsman.
Other audio samples
Related instruments
Squeezeboxes
Digital accordions
Other free-reeds
Accordion organizations
- Accordion Teacher's Guild (ATG)
- American Accordion Musicological Society
- American Accordionists' Association (AAA)
- Closet Accordion Players of America (CAPA)
- Confédération Internationale des Accordéonistes
References
- ^ How To Repair Bellows
- ^ p.13, Dyremose, Jeanette & Lars (2003) Det Levende Bælgspil Dyremose
- ^ Accordion Bellows Repair
- ^ p.98, Howard, Rob (2003) An A to Z of the Accordion and related instruments Stockport: Robaccord Publications ISBN 0-9546711-0-4
- ^ http://www.trotnews.com/
- ^ How Accordions Are Made
External links
- www.accordionradio.co.uk - Radio station where you can listen to examples of accordion music
- Online Accordion Advice and Shop
- www.accordion-wiki.com The Wiki all about the accordion.
- XenoHarmonica, an button accordion emulator for PC.
- Accordions Worldwide website.
- Homepage of the Confédération Internationale des Accordéonistes, a member of the IMC, sponsored by UNESCO
- Information about accordions with Stradella bass system, table for creation of additional chords with the Stradella bass system
- Squeezebox, an open repository for squeezebox knowledge on Wikia
- Accordions A collection of media and videos of musicians playing the accordion
- Chromatic keyboard
- Accordion and Music Blog
- "Accordionists" Blog
- Accordions in Classical Music
- UK Accordionist
- Piano Accordion
- Diatonic Accordion Academy
- American Accordion Musicological Society
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