Accordions Buying Guide

An accordion is a box shaped musical instrument (some types have keys as well) and is commonly used in European folk music, popular music of several cultures, and has also found a place in jazz and classical music. Its peculiar sound and portability makes it a favorite instrument for enthusiasts of all ages to learn and play.

Accordions Are Popular Instruments

Music composers use accordion music in a wide range of genres. Experienced accordionists are in demand for stage shows and for recording work. It definitely suggests that the classic accordion is making a strong resurgence in popularity.

European immigrants had introduced the instrument (colloquially known as squeezebox) to Americans in the 1800s, but its popularity started to take off shortly before World War I. The accordion was considered very cool at that time.

However, after being popular for several decades, the accordion’s heyday ended in the ‘1960s. With ‘The Beatles’, the guitar-drums-vocals setup started becoming more popular and remained the pop-culture standard for several decades to come. Ironically, both Elvis Presley and John Lennon played the accordion, before moving on to the guitar.

The good thing about today’s music is that anything goes as long as it sounds good (and at times different). And that has probably brought back the accordion in the limelight. With audiences willing to listen to various kinds of tones/music, musicians have also become braver and have started experimenting, with many willing to step outside of the realm of what pop or rock music is supposed to sound like.

Accordion is also perhaps the only instruments that’s basically used in almost every style of music around the world.

Experienced accordionists are more than happy with this new development as they’re becoming increasingly valuable. Besides playing at music festival, they are also being approached for studio work and even to play with a band (besides music lessons of course). And as of now, there are not enough young accordionists who can do these things.

Related: Best Accordions for Children

How Does it Produce Sound?

Accordion is basically a wind instrument that uses pleated bellows and banks of metal reeds to create sound. The most popular accordion designs feature two keyboards with buttons or keys located on either side of the bellows.

You produce a sound by expanding and compressing the bellows while playing the melody on the right keyboard and chords/bass on the left to provide the accompaniment. This movement opens valves that allow air to pass over the metal reeds and produce sound.

Accordions are capable of sustaining notes for a longer time than most music instruments.

Types of Accordions

Here are the more common types of Accordions:

• Piano Accordions: This type is more popular in the US. It has keyboard like keys for the right hand, while the left hand plays buttons to provide the bass accompaniment.
  
  
• Diatonic Accordions: These accordions have buttons for the left hand and for the right hand. On a diatonic accordion, for a single key the pitch of the note changes as the bellows is pushed or pulled. A diatonic accordion uses only notes from some scale.On a diatonic button accordion, instead of piano-like keys, there are one or more vertical rows of buttons – that explains the name “button box”.
  
  
• Chromatic Accordions: This type is more popular in Europe (compared to United States). These accordions have buttons for both the right hand (treble side) and the left hand (bass side). Unlike diatonic accordions, chromatic accordions includes all the sharps and flats, as well as all the naturals.
  
• Concertinas: While the other accordions have straps that is worn around the shoulders of the accordion player, the concertina is held and played with two hands. The concertina has buttons for both the right and left hands.
  

• 37/96 (refers to size for a piano type) means 37 keys (3 octaves plus one note) on the treble side and 96 bass keys.
• 2/4 reeds means that, at most, 2 treble reeds can play simultaneously for each treble key and 4 bass reeds can play for each bass note.
• 3/5 reeds means that 3 treble reeds can be played for each treble key and 5 bass reeds can be made to play for each bass button.

Different Types of Piano Accordions

Needs to be Tuned/Serviced

Even accordions need to be tuned and serviced, but not as frequently as a piano. Depending on how much its played, an accordion will need to tuned and serviced (once in a decade or so). The reeds in most accordions are glued in place with a mixture of beeswax and rosin (wax makes it easy to replace a broken reed), which deteriorates over time.

Dry & Wet Tuning
You also need to remember that the way an accordion is tuned influences its style of sound (useful when buying used accordions, so make sure you find out more about its tuning/maintenance history).

The two popular methods of tuning accordions are:

• Dry tuning: Popular in Jazz and American popular music. Dry tuning plays a single note, sounds pure (without any “wobble”)
• Wet tuning: Popular in folk music from several ethnic cultures. Wet tuning plays two notes (slightly different) at the same time to give it a more fuller sound (that “wobbles” a bit, also called as tremolo.)

While buying used accordions, its better to have the instrument checked by an expert. A better alternative is to save some money and go in for a new one.

Storing Your Accordion

Here are the things to keep in mind for storing accordions.

• They need to be stored in a dry place with medium temperature.
• If the temperature is too hot, the wax that seals the reeds will melt, and if it gets too cold it will crack.
• Most accordions are made of wood, so mold can grow in the dark/protected insides of your accordion if it gets wet.
• Moisture is also bad for the instrument because it can rust the reeds, which can affect their pitch and performance.
• Store your accordion upright (on the bass side) so that the reeds do not warp (which could affect their response.)

Piano Accordion Reviews

The accordion is capable of producing a beautiful sound; however, the diatonic accordion can be a bit too much to handle for a beginner. A piano accordion, on the other hand, looks less intimidating and is a perfect choice if you already play a keyboard instrument. Skip to the best piano accordion on Amazon

Best Piano Accordions (At a Glance)

• Rossetti 5-Switch Accordion: 34 piano keys, 72 bass buttons and five tone switches. Rich sound and top-quality construction. Comes with sturdy hard case. This is a professional grade instrument with great looks and styling, excellent features. Buy on Amazon
• Hohner Accordions BR48R-N Piano Accordion: Better build and sound quality for serious beginners, experienced players and for Travellers. It offers good value for the beginner player as it can be used for years (as your skills progress).26 keys and 48 bass buttons. Range B-C, 2 treble registers, 4 voices, keyboard length 12.75-Inch. Buy on Amazon
• The Roland FR-1x V-Accordion is a piano-style accordion with digital features. 26 Piano Keys and Speakers, for students and pros, play anytime anywhere. Because of its light-weight and compact size, the FR-1x is perfectly suited for the young players, music studios, and schools. The FR-1x is a great instrument for musicians who perform musical styles such as folk, rock, roots-rock, blues, zydeco, and more. Buy on Amazon.
• Ammoon Piano Accordion: 22-Key 8 Bass, Inexpensive piano accordion for beginners. Made of maple wood and plastic keys, the bright color makes it appealing to the younger student. Buy on Amazon
• D’Luca G104 Kids Piano Accordion: 17 Keys 8 Bass, simple piano accordion for kids and adults looking for an inexpensive instrument. Although it’s on the smaller size, it produces a nice sound and has good build quality (it’s not a toy). Buy on Amazon

Also Read: Best Kids Accordions (Reviews)

Accessories for Piano Accordion

You get accessories such as straps, cleaning cloth, and learning method books. A Gig bag is usually sold separately and is a must if you are a regular performer. When buying an accordion make sure you buy one that comes with a strap, or you may upgrade the strap if you want to be more comfortable when playing.

Hohner Piano Accordion Gig Bag

A sturdy gig bag for your accordion with lots of pockets. Foam padded, Side zippers, carrying handle with adjustable shoulder straps. Buy on Amazon

Related: Check out more Accordion Cases

Accordion Straps

Easily hold any accordion comfortably with these straps that are easy on your shoulders.
Great for both diatonic and piano accordions. Buy on Amazon

Playing the Accordion

Depending on the type of the accordion, the right hand will play either a piano keyboard or a chromatic (button) keyboard. You use these to play the treble notes.

The left hand is used to play the bass notes and preset chords. The left hand is also used to change switches, and to operate the air button.

• Palmer-Hughes Accordion Course
• Mel Bay’s You Can Teach Yourself Accordion
• Mel Bay’s Deluxe Accordion Method

50 FREE Lessons on How to Play Piano Accordion