Any diatonic players here ?

[Corsaire]

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[TomBR]

Very funny, I like it!

One-row melodeon players can sound too much like that, particularly if they put in a lot of chord notes!
They know the tune is in there somewhere, but other people just hear rhythmic alternation between two chords!


I've only ever met one fluent music reader on diatonic - on the other hand he's such a good all-round musician he probably hears the music in his head as he reads and just plays it, I'm sure he doesn't have to think about mechanics.

 

[jozz]

these are mine

I can play The Drunken Sailor and the Irish Washerwoman :mrgreen:

I haven't had enough time for much else.

 

[Tom]

Very good! I play a 1.5 row organetto (melodeon) in G when I find the time. I like it, it's a whole different feel to my pianos and a nice change for the mind. I can read, but not sight read at speed. I generally write in the tab when I want to learn a diatonic tune.

 

[theneweric]

Yep. I play saltarelle con 3 for english ceildhs www. Also-known-as.org.uk and cba saltatelle arcadia as an improver.

It seemed the logical thing to move to for european and other music

 

[maugein96]

Depending on where you are in the world the diatonic accordion is number one.

Heres what they can do with them in Colombia.

Just takes a bit of pushing to get into the South American charts, and if you can play like Chelito de Castro you might just pull it off.



It helps when the government actively promotes the local Vallenato music



The Hohner Vallenato boxes are three voice.

 

[Tom]

Viva Columbia!

 

[Morne]

Though not the bisonoric kind, I did recently get this Russian garmon (which is unisonoric and diatonic):

 

[cat]

Club diatonic is my first free-reed instrument (actually, anglo concertina). The reason: it was completely by chance that my first good box happened to be a club - bought online with little knowledge of anything about.. Turns out it enabled me to develop a diverse repertoire, so I stayed with clubs.

Of course bisonoric system affords advantages too - particularly rhythmic impetus and articulation...ergo its efficacy in so many dance idioms cross-culturally.

I really enjoy what can be done with a small, lightweight box.

 

[Corsaire]

I'm hoping a friend will sell (or lend) me his little Hohner, very lightweight with a sweet tone even if limited in range (C, Am, G and D if I remember rightly). There's no shortage of teachers and good players here so fingers crossed. I think getting used to the pull-push on a small box might be easier to start with. My friend has learnt a lot with it and is buying a Castagniari Handry 18 which is quite a jump.

 

[jozz]

I tend to disagree on that one.

My opinion: the smaller the box, the more difficulty you will have to pull of all the direction changes as you will need to use your air button more.

This is an extra thing to worry about and steepens the learning curve for me as a beginner. I mostly want to worry about getting to know where all the notes are.

 

[Corsaire]

You could be right there, Jazz. I once played a 48 bass after being used to a 96 bass - it was hard work.
Still, it will be interesting to give it a go, even if it's just to learn where the notes are !

 

[Tom]

One thing I do is to try to play the simple folk songs of the (diatonic) tradition because they go naturally on the in and out of the accordion. This way you get to have fun while gradually getting a feel for where the notes are. Good luck!!!!

 

[Corsaire]

Tom - that the sort of thing I have in mind. Simple shanties and tunes used for Breton dancing should be ideal, bearing in mind the limitations of the small box.

 

[Tom]

Good luck to you Sally! The small diatonic does have limitations compared to a large cromatic accordion but think of the advantages. It's light, portable and more easily accessible for someone to just pick up and play. I really enjoy seing videos of my friends gathered around the house or yard playing together, some (seemingly) simple folk tunes. I think you will really like it, let us know!

 

[Corsaire]

Thanks Tom ! Having seen how much our friend has come on with the little box, well enough to progress to a far better one, I live in hope. It should be a lot of fun !

 

[Tom]

Good luck! And they're much cheaper too!

 

[TomBR]

Good luck! And theyre much cheaper too!

Diatonics much cheaper than unisonorics? I dont think Id agree. In the UK a decently playable second hand diatonic will cost more than an equivalent PA. A new Castagnari Tommy, a popular workhorse three-voice two-row melodeon costs about £2900.

Leaving all that aside I agree that diatonics have immense appeal, Ive had loads of fun playing them, and I think its great the way they have enabled so many people who came to music for the first time as adults to enjoy playing to a decent standard, with other people and in public.

They can be nicely little and light, though a lot of diatonic players I know turn up at a session with several boxes, so sometimes thats a bit of an illusion!

Ill happily admit that high on my wish list is a three-row CBA with 31 notes on the treble in a case about the size of a largish diatonic. Im willing to compromise on the number of basses. Best of both worlds!
Tom
Guess I should say TomBR

 

[Tom]

Hi Tom,

Good points. I guess I was comparing a new 1 or two row, say 4 or 8 bass diatonic to a new (at least) 72 bass chromatic or piano accordion. But everything has it's top of the line!

 

[george garside]

while small 1 and 2 row 'diatonics' have a sort of built in bounce they can be played smoothly when desired .

larger so called 'diatonics' eg BCC# are in fact Chomatic needing only 5 scales to play in 12 keys. They have a sort of built in 'random bounce' due to the need for bellows reversals that occur differently according to the tune being played. eg the only G and A note in one octave are in opposite directions. Most other notes are available in both bellows directions. HOwever the 'random bounce' can be smoothed if required.

Possibly the only box player to receive a Knighthood, and as well as playing in the Albert Hall, Carnegie hall and Sidney opera house to have a prolific recording career of more than 50 years was excluisvely a 'diatonic' player, most of his recordings being on the famous Shand Morino BCC# with either 105 or 117 bass. His early 30's recordings were made on a 2 row box and some of his later tracks were on a simple little 2 row 8 bass 'melodeon'

So while the diatonics are not suited to the 'classical' school , because you can't come and go at the same time, they are not only a major part of the ''accordion world' but were the daddy ofall accordions being invested c1829

george (Various 1 and 2 rows and hohner trichord and gaelic 96 bass.)