The Diatonic Button Accordion
Many of you wonder why I chose to play my button accordion rather than the piano keyboard. Answer: I have a Tyros with piano keys. My main button accordion is a chromatic accordion with 61 treble keys and 80 bass. The notes sound the same whether you push or pull the bellows.
This is my chromatic button accordion
The diatonic button accordion is made so that you get a different sound when you push or pull the bellows. There are just about as many varieties of diatonic accordions as there are people who play them. So, what do they do and how do you play them.
First of all, the diatonic accordion is distinguishable by the fact that it has only 8 or 12 bass buttons. These are arranged in pairs with a bass note and a chord notes, both in a bass register. That sums up the left side of the instrument.
The right side has either one, two or three rows of buttons. These buttons make a sound when you close the bellows and another sound when you open the bellows. That sounds fine as you then have all the notes of the octave (white notes of the key only) on four buttons. The problem for beginners is the fact that they change when you go to the upper octave.
On the one row, first row away from the bellows, when you push the required button you get the ‘C’ sound. Pull the bellows but still holding the same button you get the ‘D’ sound. Next button you get push=E then pull=F. OK up to now? Next button push=G and pull=A. Now comes the confusing part. The next button up when you push the bellows is top ‘C’. When you pull the bellows on that button you get ‘B’. So the upper octave is reversed. Fun eh!
Now consider the other ones with two or three rows. The makers decide to tune each row as – wait for it ---- row 1 in ‘C, row 2 in ‘F’ and maybe row 3 in ‘G’. Each row follows the earlier push - pull arrangement.
As you know there are no accidentals in the key of ‘C’. In the key of F there is the Bb and in the key of G there is the F#. There are no other accidentals. Sad! This means to play songs where you have G# as per E chord is not quite possible.
But that is not the end of it. Some accordions are tuned in Bb, D and F. There are many other tunings to say the least.
In order to overcome the accidental problem some have an extra small row of accidentals on a few buttons. This is not common.
So how do you overcome the situation when you are pulling and many notes together are all pull notes? You run out of “Pull”. This brings in the ‘change’ notes. Considering the ‘C’ and ‘F’ rows. On the ‘C’ row when you want to play an F note it is a pull but on the ‘F’ row the F note is a push. So you have what is called “Change” notes.
Now on the Steirische Harmonika the buttons are again arranged in odd orders. To me I found it difficult to get to grips with the settings of the one I was holding.
Two great examples of good playing, below.
My Honher Erica that I had (and the old Viscount I have now) are tuned in C and C# which allows you to play in any key.
So this is basically the setting and arrangements of the diatonic accordions. They are light and easy to carry but need concentration.