Accordion

What it means

The accordion is a hand-pulled instrument: between two casing halves sits a folding bellows, which the player draws and presses. The moving air sets free-swinging metal reeds vibrating, set into reed plates. Depending on the build, the right hand operates a keyboard with keys or a button system, the left a row of basses and chord buttons, in the standard bass layout arranged in a succession of fifths; instruments with free bass also allow single notes on the left across several octaves. Registers switch several reed choirs together and thereby change the range and the tone colour.

Musical use

The accordion arose in the nineteenth century and spread quickly, because it unites melody, bass and chords in a single, portable instrument. It is at home in numerous folk-music traditions of Europe and the Americas, serves as a dance and entertainment instrument, and since the twentieth century also has an art-music repertoire of its own, which draws above all on the free bass and the sound possibilities of the bellows. Related but distinct instruments are the bandoneon and the concertina, which differ in keyboard arrangement and construction.

Performance practice

The bellows is the organ of expression: from its handling arise loudness, swelling, accents and phrasing, while the keys only determine the pitch. Plan bellows changes therefore as a wind player plans breathing points — as far as possible at phrase boundaries and never in the middle of a melodic arc. Watch for even draw, so that the tone does not jump at the start. Sit upright, with a stable strap position, and hold the left hand so that the thumb stays free and the fingers can feel out the button rows; orientation there is entirely by the sense of touch. Practise register changes separately, since they briefly take a hand from the keyboard. Store the instrument standing and dry, because moisture puts the reeds out of tune.

For the sound the choice of register is also decisive: several reed choirs switched on at once give fullness but cost transparency and use more air, so that bellows changes become necessary more often. In chamber music and in playing together with strings a lean registration is worthwhile, so that the partners stay audible. Watch the noises of the mechanism and the bellows; they can be largely avoided by calm movements and timely preparation. With works using free bass, check beforehand whether your instrument really offers the required range.