Button accordion

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Diatonic button accordion (German make, early 20th century) German button accordion.jpg
Diatonic button accordion (German make, early 20th century)

A button accordion is a type of accordion on which the melody-side keyboard consists of a series of buttons. This differs from the piano accordion, which has piano-style keys. Erich von Hornbostel and Curt Sachs categorize it as a free reed aerophone in their classification of instruments, published in 1914. [1] The sound from the instrument is produced by the vibration of air in reeds. [1] Button accordions of various types are particularly common in European countries and countries where European people settled. The button accordion is often confused with the concertina; [2] the button accordion's buttons are on the front of the instrument, where as the concertina's are on the sides and pushed in parallel with the bellows.

Contents

Main components

All accordions and concertinas have three main components: the reeds, bellows, and buttons or keys. Pushing or pulling the bellows slower or faster makes the sound softer or louder, respectively. [1] The accordion has free reeds [3] on both the treble and bass sides. In modern accordions, the free reeds are generally made of tempered steel. [3] The press of a button or key opens a valve to allow air to pass through the reed or reeds to make a sound when the bellows are pumped in or out. In the diatonic button accordion, reeds are fixed in pairs so that one note sounds when air moves in, and a different one when air moves out. [1] The button accordion has melodic notes on one side of the bellows (usually the right side), and bass accompaniment notes on the other side (generally the left). [2]

Some button accordions have 'stops', which change the tone and are called things like "Organ" or "Trumpet" or "Tremolo". [4] [3] These allow the instrument to produce different tones for a variety of situations. [4] Some popular examples are the three-stop accordion, with two sets of tenor reeds and one bass set, and the classic German four-stop. [2] The three-stop accordion has two sets of tenor and one set of bass reeds. [2] The German four-stop is preferred by Cajun musicians and has one bass, one piccolo, and two tenor stops. [2] This gives the instrument a denser sound. [2] Most diatonic instruments lack switches, though there are some made by companies such as Hohner, as well as the one-row 'Cajun'-type boxes which have usually 3 or 4 stops on top of the box as switches (making it even more akin to a pipe organ), but it is generally more common to find switches on a chromatic or piano accordion. [5]

Variations

Button accordions are found with a wide variety of keyboard systems, tuning, action, and construction.

The diatonic button accordion is bisonoric, meaning when a button is pressed, the note sounded changes depending on whether the bellows are being expanded or contracted. [2] This is similar to the harmonica, where the note changes depending on whether the player is breathing in or out. [2] In most diatonic button accordions, each row of melody buttons produces a different major scale, with accidentals on 'helper buttons' at the ends of the rows. [6] The diatonic button accordion is the most popular type of button accordion, and appears in many cultures, especially in folk music. [3]

One popular type of diatonic button accordion is the standard, one-row button accordion. This is tuned to a diatonic, 2.5 octave scale. The accompaniment side (bass/chordal side) buttons play a tonic chord when pushed, and dominant chord when pulled. This works well and is popular in basic Anglo-American fiddle tunes. [2] The German melodeon was a popular, later version of a diatonic button accordion, especially in Scotland until around the 1920s. [4]

The chromatic button accordion is very similar to piano accordion, but can have 3, 4, or 5 rows of buttons on the right hand side. [3] It is unisonoric, meaning the same note is sounded whether the bellows are pushed or pulled. The chromatic button accordion is traditionally used in a concert setting, [3] and is more popular in jazz and classical music because it can be freely played in any key, usually with identical fingering patterns.

History

The first diatonic button accordion was patented under the name 'Accordion' in 1829 by Cyril Demian. [2] [1] The same year, Charles Wheatstone made the first concertina. [2] The first chromatic button accordion was made by Franz Walther in 1850. [3] The name 'Accordion' is thought to originate from Akkord, the German word for chord. The accordion may have originated with traditional reed instruments from southeast Asia. [2] The button accordion was first mass-produced in Europe in 1835, with the piano accordion coming later. [2] It was the first mass-produced, loud, durable, portable instrument – though it was not cheap. [2] At first, the button accordion was too expensive to be very common among the lower and middle classes, but as it lost its novelty (around the 1860s [4] ), it became more widespread among these groups, too. [4] [2] Surviving early instruments show that at first they only played chords, and were to be played left-handed, unlike now. [1] The first accordions only had 5 buttons (10 chords), so they were mostly used for accompaniment. [4]

Early minstrel troupes toured America as early as 1843, spreading the accordion sound. [2] The button accordion was ideal for dance music of many cultures, because one could play both the melody and accompaniment at once, and still be able to sing or tap his or her feet. The many reeds produce a louder sound, ideal for a crowded dance hall. [2]

Cultures

Brazil

Northeast

The diatonic 2-row button accordion with eight bass buttons is still very common in northeast Brazil. [6] It is known as the fole to distinguish it from the piano accordion. [6] It first appeared there in the late nineteenth century. [6] Previously, one-row diatonic button accordions with two bass buttons were used. [6] Later, chromatic accordions grew in popularity, increasing the possible styles that could be played on them. [6]

Ireland

The concertina, button accordion, and piano accordion are all popular in Irish traditional music. The button accordion was first available for sale in Ireland in 1831. [1]

North America

Mexico & Texas, US

The button accordion is very common in Tejano (Texas-Mexican) music. The two-row button accordion is very common, with some variation. [7] Mexican norteño musicians prefer accordions with more vibrato, and Texan musicians favor less vibrato. [7] The vibrato comes from tuning the reeds ever so slightly different from one another. [7]

Louisiana, US

The button accordion arrived in Louisiana in the 1800s. [8] It was a popular instrument with the Cajuns and the French-speaking creoles. [8] Later, a new, higher quality version of the button accordion was made in Louisiana, which became and remained popular with Cajun and Zydeco players. [8] The Acadian tradition of southern Louisiana influenced some, such as Huddie "Leadbelly" Leadbetter. [2] The button accordion was especially popular among African-Americans in Louisiana from 1880 to 1910. [2] In some regions and groups, the diatonic button accordion is known as a 'windjammer'. [2]

Sub-Saharan Africa

Starting in the 19th century, the button accordion has played a part in sub-Saharan Africa n music. [3] It was brought there by sailors, merchants, and settlers, [3] and is used solo and in dance bands. [3]

Notable players

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Accordion</span> Bellows-driven free-reed aerophone musical instrument

Accordions are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free reed aerophone type. The essential characteristic of the accordion is to combine in one instrument a melody section, also called the diskant, usually on the right-hand keyboard, with an accompaniment or Basso continuo functionality on the left-hand. The musician normally plays the melody on buttons or keys on the right-hand side, and the accompaniment on bass or pre-set chord buttons on the left-hand side. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harmonica</span> Free reed wind musical instrument

The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica include diatonic, chromatic, tremolo, octave, orchestral, and bass versions. A harmonica is played by using the mouth to direct air into or out of one holes along a mouthpiece. Behind each hole is a chamber containing at least one reed. The most common is the diatonic Richter-tuned with ten air passages and twenty reeds, often called the blues harp. A harmonica reed is a flat, elongated spring typically made of brass, stainless steel, or bronze, which is secured at one end over a slot that serves as an airway. When the free end is made to vibrate by the player's air, it alternately blocks and unblocks the airway to produce sound.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Concertina</span> Free-reed musical instrument

A concertina is a free-reed musical instrument, like the various accordions and the harmonica. It consists of expanding and contracting bellows, with buttons usually on both ends, unlike accordion buttons, which are on the front.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bandoneon</span> Musical instrument

The bandoneon or bandonion is a type of concertina particularly popular in Argentina and Uruguay. It is a typical instrument in most tango ensembles. As with other members of the concertina family, it is held between the hands, and played by pulling and pushing air through bellows, routing it through sets of tuned metal reeds by pressing the instrument's buttons. Unlike most accordions, bandoneons always employ the same sets of reeds to produce their sound, and do not usually have the register switches common on accordions. Nevertheless, the bandoneon can be played very expressively, using various bellows pressures and other techniques. The left and right hand have different timbres due to the wooden box on the left side which gives the left hand a nasal and muted timbre, in contrast with the right hand which is usually bright and sharp.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">English concertina</span> Type of concertina

The English concertina is a member of the concertina family of free-reed musical instruments. Invented in England in 1829, it was the first instrument of what would become the concertina family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chemnitzer concertina</span> Musical instrument

A Chemnitzer concertina is a musical instrument of the hand-held bellows-driven free-reed category, sometimes called squeezeboxes. The Chemnitzer concertina is most closely related to the bandoneón, and more distantly, to the other types of concertinas and accordions. It's essentially a bigger version of the Anglo Concertina that sounds more akin to an Accordion due to having Multiple Ranks of Reeds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Squeezebox</span> Aerophone instrument

The term squeezebox is a colloquial expression referring to any musical instrument of the general class of hand-held bellows-driven free reed aerophones such as the accordion and the concertina. The term is so applied because such instruments are generally in the shape of a rectangular prism or box, and the bellows is operated by squeezing in and drawing out.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garmon</span> Musical instrument

The garmon, commonly called garmoshka, is a kind of Russian button accordion, a free-reed wind instrument. A garmon has two rows of buttons on the right side, which play the notes of a diatonic scale, and at least two rows of buttons on the left side, which play the primary chords in the key of the instrument as well as its relative harmonic minor key. Many instruments have additional right-hand buttons with useful accidental notes, additional left-hand chords for playing in related keys, and a row of free-bass buttons, to facilitate playing of bass melodies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trikiti</span> Basque diatonic button accordion

The trikititrikitixa, or eskusoinu txiki ) is a two-row Basque diatonic button accordion with right-hand rows keyed a fifth apart and twelve unisonoric bass buttons. The onomatopoeia trikitixa, apparently stemming from the sound emitted by the tambourine, originally referred to a traditional Basque ensemble, made up of the instrument which now bears the name as well as alboka, txistu and other instruments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flutina</span> Free-reed musical instrument

The Flutina is an early precursor to the diatonic button accordion, having one or two rows of treble buttons, which are configured to have the tonic of the scale, on the "draw" of the bellows. There is usually no bass keyboard: the left hand operates an air valve. A rocker switch, called a "bascule d'harmonie" is in the front of the keyboard. When this switch is thumb activated, it would open up a pallet (a pad that covers a tone hole, at the other end of the key button, for a simple Tonic/Dominant drone: Tonic on the draw and Dominant on the press, e.g. Tonic notes C/g, and Dominant G/d, without any major or minor thirds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chromatic button accordion</span> Musical instrument

A chromatic button accordion is a type of button accordion where the melody-side keyboard consists of rows of buttons arranged chromatically. The bass-side keyboard is usually the Stradella system or one of the various free-bass systems. Included among chromatic button accordions are the Russian bayan and Schrammel accordion. There can be 3 to 5 rows of vertical treble buttons. In a 5 row chromatic, two additional rows repeat the first 2 rows to facilitate options in fingering.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diatonic button accordion</span> Musical instrument of the free-reed aerophone family

A melodeon or diatonic button accordion is a member of the free-reed aerophone family of musical instruments. It is a type of button accordion on which the melody-side keyboard contains one or more rows of buttons, with each row producing the notes of a single diatonic scale. The buttons on the bass-side keyboard are most commonly arranged in pairs, with one button of a pair sounding the fundamental of a chord and the other the corresponding major triad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schrammel accordion</span> Musical instrument

A Schrammel accordion is an accordion with a melody keyboard in the chromatic B-Griff system and a twelve-button diatonic bass keyboard. It is named for a traditional combination of two violins, accordion or clarinet, and contraguitar known as a Schrammelquartet – a group that played Schrammelmusik in the Vienna chamber music tradition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tremolo harmonica</span>

A tremolo harmonica is a type of diatonic harmonica, distinct by having two reeds per note. In a tremolo harmonica, the two reeds are tuned slightly off a reference pitch, one slightly sharp and the other slightly flat. This gives a unique wavering or warbling sound created by the two reeds being not exactly in tune with each other and difference in their subsequent waveforms acting against one another. The degree of beating can be varied depending on the desired effect. Instruments where the beating is faster due to the reeds being farther apart from the reference pitch are called "wet", whereas those where the beating is slower and less noticeable due to the reeds being more closely in tune are called "dry".

The Saratovskaya garmonika, named after the Russian city of Saratov, is a colorful variant on the standard one row push–pull diatonic button accordion. The chief distinguishing characteristic of this little folk accordion is that it plays the tonic scale on the bellows draw and the dominant on the bellows press, the reverse of a standard diatonic box. Another curious feature is the addition of two bells on the top of the instrument which are struck with tiny metal hammers attached to the bass and chord buttons for rhythmic accompaniment. They add a fun accent on dance tunes. It is possible to play the basses very lightly and avoid activating the bells, as they become rather tiresome after a while. The basses also have an additional tonic chord button in the center, lighter in tone than the regular chord, which is not attached to the hammers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schwyzerörgeli</span> Musical instrument

The Schwyzerörgeli is a type of diatonic button accordion used in Swiss folk music. The name derives from the town/canton of Schwyz where it was developed. Örgeli is the diminutive form of the word Orgel (organ). Outside of Switzerland the instrument is not well known and is hard to find.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cajun accordion</span> Diatonic button accordion used for playing Cajun music

A Cajun accordion, also known as a squeezebox, is single-row diatonic button accordion used for playing Cajun and Creole music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steirische Harmonika</span> Musical instrument popular in alpine folk music

The Steirische Harmonika is a type of bisonoric diatonic button accordion important to the alpine folk music of Croatia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Austria, the German state of Bavaria, and the Italian South Tyrol. The Steirische Harmonika is distinguished from other diatonic button accordions by its typically richer bass notes, and by the presence of one key per scale row that has the same tone on both compression and expansion of the bellows, called a Gleichton. The bass notes earn the distinction Helikonbässe because they use bigger reeds with duralumin reed frames and a special chamber construction that amplifies its bass tones to give it a loud sound reminiscent of a Helicon tuba.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khromka</span> Musical instrument

Khromka is a type of Russian garmon. It is the most widespread variant in Russia and in the former USSR. Nearly all Russian garmons made since the mid of the 20th century are khromkas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anglo concertina</span> Musical instrument

The Anglo or Anglo-German concertina is a member of the concertina family of free-reed instruments.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Ní Chaoimh, Máire (2010). "Journey into tradition : a social history of the Irish button accordion".{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Snyder, Jared (1994). "Leadbelly and His Windjammer: Examining the African American Button Accordion Tradition". American Music. 12 (2): 148–166. doi:10.2307/3052520. ISSN   0734-4392. JSTOR   3052520.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Harrington, Helmi Strahl; Kubik, Gerhard (20 January 2001). "Accordion". Grove Music Online. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.46180. ISBN   9781561592630 via Oxford Music Online.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Eydmann, Stuart (1999). "As Common as Blackberries: The First Hundred Years of the Accordion in Scotland, 1830–1930". Folk Music Journal. 7 (5): 595–608. ISSN   0531-9684. JSTOR   4522630.
  5. "Squeezebox stories". The Arhoolie Foundation.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Blogs, AMIS (13 September 2019). "The Bisonoric Button Accordion in Northeast Brazil". AMIS. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Sheehy, Daniel. "The Remarkable Rebirth of the Button Accordion". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  8. 1 2 3 DeWitt, Mark F. (1 October 2017). "Cultural significance of the diatonic single-row button accordion in South Louisiana". The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 142 (4): 2570. Bibcode:2017ASAJ..142.2570D. doi:10.1121/1.5014395. ISSN   0001-4966.