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Complete beginner query re. button accordians

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sebwin

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Hi,

I am/was a non musician but picked up a tin whistle a year ago and really got into Irish traditional music which I now play in various sessions.

I’d like to learn a second instrument and love the sound of button accordians.

A person I’ve been introduced to has offered to hire me his and take the money off if I choose to purchase it, which seems a sensible way to try the instrument out, however I’m still really new to music theory and don’t quite understand if it’s suitable.

I’d want to play traditional Irish music on it in particular and favour bouncy hornpipes slightly.
I know with a tin whistle it’s important to start with a D whistle as the majority of Irish music (and hence importantly beginner YouTube tutorials etc) use a D whistle.

Do you know if there’s something similar for a button accordian and, if so, whether the below sounds like it would fit/transpose easily with standard beginner tutorials?

Thanks so much for your time reading.

[font=Calibri, sans-serif]It has been professionally modified to bring it up to present requirements. It now enables to play lower notes compatible with those obtained by fiddlers i.e. ‘G’ below middle C. and also ‘D’ below middle C. with their full octaves.[/font]
 
this all sounds like you are going to play the instrument generally referred to as melodeon

fewer buttons and different notes on push and pull

if that is the case, a better place to get into this is ---> http://forum.melodeon.net/
 
certainly loads of info on melodeon . net. the small 2 row 21 or 23 button (melodeons/ button accordions) come in 2 distinct verieties

1. 4th apart boxes I,e with the rows tunes a 4th aprt eg DG,CF,etc DG being the most common in England. The advantage is that the bass are eminently usable when playing in the home keys eg D or G. They can be played in A minus G# but the bass will not entirely match.

2, Semitone boxes I,e with the rows tuned a semitone apart eg BC, C#D, CC# . These are most favoured by players of Irish trad and are popular in Scotland. Treble is chromatic and eg a BC can easily be played in FCGDAE BUT the bass are of very limited use and cannot be used to 'drive' a rhythm as it can on a 4th aprt box.

The first thing you need to find out from the seller is what keys the 2 rows are tuned in and also the number of buttons eg 19, 21 or 23 ( assuming it is a 2 row box.

Also make sure you like the sound it makes as this can vary from very dry to very wet and changing it involves the major job of retuning all the reeds.

I would also advise against buying an expensive melodeon initially rather than a cheaper / second hand one just in case you don't take to playing it

hope this is of some help

george
 
Thats really helpful thank you George.
I’ll ask those questions to him directly and arrange to meet-up with him to check the sound.

Thanks a lot for your help,

Seb
 
Have a look at the session.org for all things Irish music. Regarding a beginning instrument, beginners will nearly always be better off with a very good instrument. A very good instrument is easier to resell in case the beginner changes his/her mind.
 
A brand new instrument might be easier to sell but will inevitably sell at a loss. My recommendation would be for a hohner double ray pokerwork or erica, from a reputable fettler of which there are several with extremely good reputations on melodeon.net including Theo Gibbs who runs the forum,

They hold their value very well and can be had at reasonable cost. I have amongst much more expensive boxes a hohner trichord ( which is the BC version of the Erica) which I very much enjoy playing.

In my view an expensive box will not help a beginner to play better but it can help a good /experienced player to play with more 'polish' . But certainly in the DG world there are a number of professional players who stick to the old hohners ( refurbished old hohners are much better than new ones which are now made in china!

george


george
 
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