The Piano Accordion

Image
Anything to do with Music Theory. Nothing too serious! Let's keep it light-hearted, although we may get serious too. Post your observations in here.
Viewable by Members and non-Members.

The Piano Accordion

Postby Hugh-AR » 17 Jan 2018 22:02

A Piano Accordion is very like a Keyboard in that it has black and white notes for you to play the melody, but has 'buttons' to play the chords with the left hand.

    Image

It is the layout of these 'chord buttons' that is so interesting as they are not placed next to each other according to any 'scale', but are set up according to the Circle of Fifths. For those of you who play from chords, any group of three adjacent chords in this Circle of Fifths are the 'basic' chords for the key in the middle. Eg. F, C and G are the basic chords for playing in the key of C.

Image

So to arrange the chord buttons on a piano accordion in this fashion would mean that you wouldn't have to 'jump' too far to play the chords you need.

    Image
    Image

DonW has played a piece with 'piano accordion' on his AR 100 organ, Under Paris Skies.

Do a right-click to open this up an a New Tab
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=5959

This is what it would sound like played on a 'real' Piano Accordion:



Don tells me that there is one tune that was specifically composed with the arrangement of piano accordion buttons in mind.



Hugh
It's all about the music ♫ ♪ ♫ Organ: Yamaha AR80 & Keyboard: Tyros 4
Image .. Image
Challenge Winner
2021 May (Joint Winner); July; September
2022 July; August
2023 April; June; September
User avatar
Hugh-AR
Prolific Poster
 
Posts: 7336
Joined: 07 Feb 2015 14:34
Location: Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, UK

Re: The Piano Accordion

Postby Hugh-AR » 18 Jan 2018 09:18

I used to have a piano accordion when I was younger, but I took it to pieces and couldn't put it back together again! If any of you have one, and have a recording of you playing (or could do a recording for us) we'd love to hear it! Please post in this Board, and not the Performance Board. Just click on POSTREPLY. You'd have to put it into Box first (unless it's a YouTube video).

There is another similar instrument to the Piano Accordion which doesn't have 'black and white keys' for you to play the melody on. This is the 'button accordion'. Google doesn't seem to know what a 'button accordion' is, as it comes up with pictures of the 'piano accordion'. At least Wikipedia knows what it is:
A button accordion is a type of accordion on which the melody-side keyboard consists of a series of buttons rather than piano-style keys of a piano accordion. The first button accordion is credited to Franz Walther in 1850. It is an instrument very common in the south of Brazil.

The button arrangement that replaces the piano-style keys is called the Chromatic "B-griff" keyboard. There is a topic on this here:

Do a right-click to open it up in a New Tab
viewtopic.php?f=314&t=5920

Hugh
It's all about the music ♫ ♪ ♫ Organ: Yamaha AR80 & Keyboard: Tyros 4
Image .. Image
Challenge Winner
2021 May (Joint Winner); July; September
2022 July; August
2023 April; June; September
User avatar
Hugh-AR
Prolific Poster
 
Posts: 7336
Joined: 07 Feb 2015 14:34
Location: Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, UK

Re: The Piano Accordion

Postby Rev Tony Newnham » 18 Jan 2018 10:28

Hi
I have a 48 bass piano accordion (passed on by my late father). I used it at church a couple of years ago - the minister asked if I could get an accordion sound out of the GEM keyboard we had at the time - I told him I could do better than that! You can hear the results at https://www.facebook.com/tony.newnham.1 ... 127880308/

I used to have a Musette-tuned 120 bass job - it weighed a ton! Had to sell it when the kids were young & we needed some extra money. To be fair, it wasn't in very good condition either! Maybe one day I'll get another one - but I'm not rushing.

I aslo, many years ago, used to play a Hohner chord organ - in effect a 96(?) bass accordion laid out horizontally with an electric blower. Great fun.
Every Blessing

Tony
Image .. Image
Challenge Winner
2020 July (Joint Winner)
User avatar
Rev Tony Newnham
Super Poster
 
Posts: 736
Joined: 16 Dec 2012 16:08
Location: Rugby

Re: The Piano Accordion

Postby Hugh-AR » 18 Jan 2018 15:41

Thanks for posting that Tony. I presume one must have a Facebook account to view it? I do have one, so I wouldn't know what would happen if you didn't have one.
It's all about the music ♫ ♪ ♫ Organ: Yamaha AR80 & Keyboard: Tyros 4
Image .. Image
Challenge Winner
2021 May (Joint Winner); July; September
2022 July; August
2023 April; June; September
User avatar
Hugh-AR
Prolific Poster
 
Posts: 7336
Joined: 07 Feb 2015 14:34
Location: Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, UK

Re: The Piano Accordion

Postby Rev Tony Newnham » 19 Jan 2018 09:59

Hi

I don't know what happens if you don't have a Facebook a/c & try to follow the link - maybe someone could try it. I put a few videos from that service only on Facebook because the quality left a bit to be desired, so I decided not to use my You Tube account for them. I think there may be another track there with my accordion on it.

Every Blessing

Tony
Image .. Image
Challenge Winner
2020 July (Joint Winner)
User avatar
Rev Tony Newnham
Super Poster
 
Posts: 736
Joined: 16 Dec 2012 16:08
Location: Rugby

Re: The Piano Accordion

Postby kens » 19 Jan 2018 19:49

Very interesting topic. I bet one of our members will eventually admit to playing the bagpipes. There was a myth some years ago where it was said a local man at Watchet in Somerset used to stand on the harborside practicing bagpipes. Takes all sorts Ken
Organ: Yamaha EL700
Image .. Image
Challenge Winner
2023 August (Joint Winner)
User avatar
kens
Prolific Poster
 
Posts: 1333
Joined: 05 Sep 2015 07:45
Location: Downend, S Glos.


Return to Music Theory

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 5 guests