Tuned In A diatonic accordion plays only the notes of a diatonic scale, F. Walter created the rst chromatic accordion in the 1850s with no accidentals. When most people think of a diatonic when he rearranged the reeds of a three-row diatonic. Today, accordion, they are thinking of a single action “push-pull” (or double-action chromatic accordions are the most common. bisonoric) accordion. e pitch of the note changes according All of the keys are a semi-tone apart, covering all the notes, to the direction the bellows are going. For example, hold- Ranging from four to 12 sides, concertinas have distinctive including sharps and ats. Usually, the pitch stays the same ing down one key while the bellows are going out, you may shapes and two keyboards, one on each end of the instru- when the bellows change direction. Chromatic accordions can play a C, and when you bring them in, you play a D. Usually ment’s bellows. ey are smaller than most accordions, allow- range from 20 (right) treble keys and 12 (le ) bass buttons to there are rows of buttons on the right side corresponding to ing players to move around more freely. ere are no xed modern button accordions with six rows of treble buttons and notes of a diatonic scale, and on the le side are bass buttons. chords, and all of the buttons are individual notes. 160 bass buttons. e chromatic button accordion is widely However, within diatonic accordions there are many varia- used in Russia, where it is called the bayan. English: Either hexagonal or octagonal in shape, the English tions. Here are a few: concertina has four parallel rows of buttons and supports One-row: e German melodeon has one 10-button row as for the thumb and nger on each end. It usually has 48 keys, its (right) treble side and has two bass buttons (le ), provid- a range of three-and-one-half octaves, and was originally intended to play violin melodies. ing a total of 20 available notes. German: Square-shaped and bisonoric, German concertinas Organetto: is Italian accordion has up to 24 treble buttons are usually based on the diatonic accordion, with two rows BY CHERIE YURCO and 12 bass buttons, but most have two bass buttons and one on each side, each tuned a h higher. I An accordion is a free reed aerophone instrument row of 10 treble buttons. Anglo-German (or Anglo): Combining the English concer- Two-row: To increase range and compatibility with other with bellows, but there are actually many different tina shape and German concertina note system, the Anglo instruments within the accordion family, with instruments, this accordion has another row of treble but- concertina adds an extra row of buttons for accidentals, diverse sounds for various playing styles and tons, which can either be one half-tone or a perfect fourth making it fully chromatic. above the rst row. ere are also three-, four-, and ve-row genres of music. Major categories include diatonic, accordions, following a similar pattern. Piano accordions are chromatic accordions with a piano Duet: Enables the player to play a melody line in the right chromatic, piano, and concertinas. keyboard. With its standardized Stradella bass system, it be- hand and accompaniment in the le . ere are varied systems Italian: is variation has two rows of treble buttons, with came the rst universal accordion, allowing accordionists to and key layouts. the second row a perfect fourth above the rst. An additional play any type or make of piano accordion without switching Bandoneon: Based on the German concertina, it has 72 or partial third row may have ve or six buttons of accidentals. systems. is is probably why it became the most popular more buttons for a larger range of notes, usually up to four- Helicon: Named a er the helicon tuba, this accordion’s accordion in the US. A full-size piano accordion has 41 treble and-one-half octaves. It can be diatonic or chromatic, and is longer, wider bass reeds have a distinctive “tuba” sound. keys on the right and 120 bass buttons on the le . popular with South American tango orchestras. 1777 1829 The Chinese sheng mouth Cyrillus Demian (Vienna) 1941 2004 organ, believed to have patented the name Anthony Galla-Rini (US) helped found Roland (Japan) introduced 1857 1910 the Accordionists & Teachers Guild. the V-Accordion, the inspired the development “Accordion.” Matthias Hohner (Germany) of the accordion, was Guido Deiro (US) enlarged the piano rst digital accordion Sir Charles Wheatstone began building accordions in 1860s keys and coined the term “piano 1953 equipped with a modeling introduced to Europe. his clockmaker workshop. (England) invented the Accordion manufacture accordion,” and the instrument soon Germany and Italy exported sound generator. concertina. began. gained worldwide prominence. 400,000 accordions to the US. 1800 1850 1900 1950 2000 1822 1852 1903 Christian Friedrich Buschmann (Germany) Philippe Joseph Bouton les rst John Kimmel (US) made the rst 1938 made the rst true accordion, which was patent for an accordion with a recording of a diatonic accordion. Anthony Galla-Rini and others founded the called the “Handaeoline.” piano keyboard (Paris). American Accordionists’ Association (US). 36 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011 www.MakingMusicMag.com 37 36-37 4/13/12 8:40 AM.