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The accordion can be a tricky instrument to learn, but it’s a lot of excitement to play. Here are a few fundamental tips and tricks to learning to play the accordion:
Fundamentals First
The first step to learning to play the accordion is having a plain understanding of the instrument itself. Your position as a beginner is very crucial. Sit down on a chair and place the accordion on your left knee. Now, your right hand will operate the keyboard, while your left hand pumps the bellows. When you’ve placed the accordion in the correct position, put the straps over your shoulders and adjust them if needed. Then, slip your left hand below the strap on the button side, and adjust the strap until it feels just right.
Basses
There are a number of bass buttons on your accordion, but don’t panic; you’ll only be using several of them when you first begin to play. An average accordion can essentially have up to 120 bass buttons, arranged in as many as 20 columns and 6 rows. You’ll come to learn that there are four chord rows and two bass rows in an accordion. Generally, the first row (closest to the bellows) is the counter bass row, denoted by underlined capitals. The second row is the fundamental row, and is marked with all capital letters.
Keyboard
The keyboard is the area of the accordion that resembles a piano. The white keys on the accordion keyboard provide the notes “A” through “G”, while the black keys are labeled after the white keys, depending on whether they are a half step higher (sharp) or lower (flat) than the adjacent white key. When learning to play the accordion, you’ll first focus on playing the C-major scale. Start on a “C” near the low side of the keyboard, toward your chin, and lay adjacent white keys until you get the next C an octave higher, toward the base of the keyboard.
Reading Music
Part of learning to play the accordion lies in understanding how to read the music. The melody is positioned on the upper staff of the printed accordion music, and the bass line is on the lower staff. In general, the melody will be shown in treble clef, while the bass part is shown in the Bass clef. While this system may seem confusing initially, you’ll later find that it really makes sense to read accordion music in this manner. Locate “C”, the first note on your keyboard, and start to follow the music. You’ll realize that the melody is comparatively straightforward and easy to play.
Accordions can seem like a puzzle of notes, buttons and squeezie things. But you may be surprised to know just how easy they can be to play. If you’ve ever envied those who can make sense of an accordion, go ahead and give it a try. You’ll soon be creating beautiful music of your own.
Tagged with: antique accordion
Filed under: Accordion