Introduction – What is an accordion?
Accordion is a musical instrument that has piano-looking keys but it is small enough for a person to hold and play. You probably didn’t know that the accordion is also referred to as a squeezebox and The person who plays the accordion is referred to as an accordionist.What Does an Accordion Look Like?Accordions come in different shapes and sizes. Some can be huge and heavy, while some can be small and lightweight! There are different parts of an accordion that enables it to create beautiful sounds. Here are the different parts of an accordion:Keys or buttons: The accordion has keys like a piano that are pressed to play various notes. Bellows: This is the panel that you see in the middle of the accordion. These plates expand and collapse as the accordionist pushes and pulls to create airflow (which the instrument is powered through).Reeds: These are the small metal plates of the accordion that vibrate to create sound, as air passes over them. Grille: This is the part which covers the reeds and it can be in metal or plastic. This part also boosts the sound of the accordion. These parts come together and create the musical instrument, which looks like a mix of a piano or an organ (the instrument not part of the body)
How Does an Accordion Work?An accordion works in a simple manner. The bellows are the panels which are pushed and pulled to create airflow in the instrumentWhile the panels are pushed and pulled, the accordionist presses the keys or buttons and this causes various notes to be produced. When the air passes through it causes the reeds in the accordion to vibrate and create sounds.
Types of Accordions
There are various types of accordions:
- Piano accordion gets its name from having a right hand keyboard that looks similar to a piano! It functions the same way an accordion does but has a keyboard for more complex sounds. Here’s an interesting video to show you the contrasting sounds that this type of accordion can create.
- The Button accordion consists of a series of buttons instead of keys. The accordion can be played faster and it’s easier to learn tricks on this type of accordion.
- Concertina is smaller in size and it creates more gentle, soft sounds. It has keys on its sides the same way regular accordions do. Here’s an interestingvideo to show you the contrasting sounds that this type of accordion can create.
- Bandoneon creates different sounds on the push and pull action. The major differentiating factor is the sound. The keyboard has two layouts, for opening and closing notes which enables the sound difference. Here’s an interesting video to show you the contrasting sounds that this type of accordion can create.
- Livenka creates sounds that have the same tone despite the direction of the bellows. The bellows are very long in this type of accordion as well.
History of Accordions
According to historians this musical instrument was invented in Germany by Christian Friedrich Ludwig Buschmann in 1822 and it was called a “Handäoline” in German.In 1829, Cyrill Demian, from Romania, patented and coined the name “accordion” for the instrument. It was a modification of the Handäoline.
Where Are Accordions Used?
Accordions are used in:
- Folk music
- Classical music
- Orchestras
- Video games
- Movie tracks
- Cultural events
- Jazz music