Finding the right accordion

[andrewjohnsson40]

Howdy folks!
How do you know when you've find the right accordion for you?
Is a fancier one good or is a simple one which a sharecropper would have?
From what I know an instrument doesn't have to be too fancy. Judging from how Willie Nelson plays on his guitar.

 

[JerryPH]

That is a question that has no answer... wait, it does have one, and that is... it depends on the user and what they want.

What do you want? When you can define not just your wants but needs, then you can start to make a choice, but thats just a start. Define future goals and needs and you "future-proof" your investment, as it will last you and interest you longer.

Not easy to do, but it is possible.

 

[xocd]

Q: "How long does it take and how many accordions until you find the right one?"

A: "Nobody knows."

 

[wout]

I guess you know it when you found it you play it and you feel like yes this is it! But to get a feeling in which direction your searching I did this: I went to every store on my path to try as many instruments as I could, get information from the internet and go look at tons of used instruments through second hand sites. Also I bought some that in the end wasnt what I wanted (mostly I knew that already before I bought it actually, but I didn't have the budget for what I wanted).

 

[debra]

I guess you know it when you found it ....

Thats certainly the best answer: you will know when you found the right accordion.
I would add that like building your own house it probably takes three tries. (Thats a local saying here.)
Its like with buying shoes: you will know when you have the right shoes, but you may not know it directly. And thats the problem: by the time you know you dont have the right one(s) its too late to return them, just like with accordions.

 

[landro]

Your first one will rarely be the keeper. It takes a lot of time and experience to understand and know exactly what your wants and needs are and they will certainly change at different times during your musical career . Add to this the available budget , funds available, and knowing the many different nuances of each brand and model.
I`ve bought,sold, repaired, played and owned some of the best high end Giulietti , Excelsior, and Pancordion models but for the past few years I find the Roland FR3X my "go to" favorite. Needs and wants change with time and circumstances.

 

[andrewjohnsson40]

My accordion is actually a lady model which doesnt sound too good if youre trying to become a cool due who plays the accordion.
An accordion teacher told me it meant that the keys are a bit smaller than they use to be. He said that they could have been a bit bigger (although they dont have to be much bigger).
I also think the bass could have been a bit deeper in its sound.
Heres a picture of the accordion: https://cdn.blocket.com/static/1/images_full/01/0166616779.jpg
What are you comments on this?
Would this then just be a beginners accordion rather than a professional one?
How does one determine what is a beginners and a professional accordion?
Should I change it to something better? I dont really trust people who sell stuff (even if theyre nice people and play the accordion).

As a Swede I just have to mention Calle Jularbo. He played on various accordion. Here is one example:
Might not be the most fancy accordion if you know what I mean.
A magdenburg accordion (from 1890):
This is probably a bit more fancy:
It seems that you can play all the accordion if youre a master. You just play on whatever you have, right? Even a magdenburg can be used in a professional setting if you play acertain kinda music?
I recently bought a piano and I just wanted a good piano since only masters need to care about anything else than that. The poblem is that accordions seem to come in different kinds whereas the piano is just grand vs upright. What do you think about this?

So what do I wanna play? Mostly country, cajun, swedish tradional music, polka and blues. I guess playing Bach on the accordion would be weird.

 

[Howie]

I guess playing Bach on the accordion would be weird.

Actually, no its not weird, in fact its downright wonderful:

 

[JerryPH]

Nothing is wierd, it all depends on the person.

In the photography world there are countless arguments about what will give you better photos, a beginner with a high end camera or a super photographer with a lower end camera.

This has been proven thousands of times over.

Of course the answer is a super photographer with a lower end camera, however, put that high end camera in the hands of the super photographer, and photo quality jumps up exponentially over what that expert could do before.

Same can be said of the accordion, a good player can make any instrument sound good, but place a quality instrument in those hands and you have the recipe for musical magic.

... and playing Bach on the accordion is no more wierd than playing Jazz or a polka... or a Swede playing Cajun music.

"should I change to something better?"
Maybe you should be asking yourself if your current instrument is limiting you, that is a better question to be asking.

 

[Howie]

I recently bought a piano and I just wanted a good piano since only masters need to care about anything else than that. The poblem is that accordions seem to come in different kinds whereas the piano is just grand vs upright. What do you think about this?

So what do I wanna play? Mostly country, cajun, swedish tradional music, polka and blues.

Congratulations on your new piano! Theres a little more to piano than upright vs grand, but your point is good. And youre headed in the right direction because you know what you want to play. Start looking on youtube, pick out players that play stuff you like - and Im not talking about studio artists here but the average youtube amateur - and take notes on what accordions people are playing. Can you get by with only two reeds on the right and one register in the bass, (lighter and cheaper) or will you want to spice it up with lots of register changes.

Its fairly easy for me because I like (mostly) french folk and musette. So that narrowed the field somewhat, in regards to what to get. But I also accept that it probably wont be my last accordion, and if I change to wanting to play a lot of classical Ill be looking for something different. Like so many things in life, an accordion is going to be a compromise with strengths and weaknesses. I agree with whats been said - when you play it, youll recognise your ideal accordion. The problem is, will you be able to afford it

 

[AccordionUprising]

There are hundreds of different configurations of accordions, and dozens of makers of the different types, so the theoretical options are enormous. But theres ways to narrow it significantly.

The kind of music you want to play can tell you what to look for. Then it can be a matter of what instruments you can actually find.

You can play most styles of music on different kinds of accordion. But theres some limits. If you want to play only Cajun music you could get a small ten button accordion like they use. But if you want to play blues or country styles, the ten-button doesnt have all the notes you need. To play specific types of folk music different button accordions are used, but for generalists, you probably want either a piano or a chromatic button accordion if theyre common in your part of the world. It wont sound just like a Cajun box or whatever, but youll be playing.

The http://www.AccordionRevival.com book and site are quite helpful for the issues around used instruments. Focuses on piano accordions because theyre way more common in North America.

 

[wout]

Bach especially is beautiful on accordion!


And yes yours is a student model
Overall just means you have less reedblocks, lesser quality reeds, lesser quality construction etc. then a professional instrument.
Professional instsruments usually have handtype or handmade reeds and come often with a cassotto (thats a special construction giving mellow tone to the instrument).
They are mostly 120 bass and some have a system that makes it able to play melodies on the leftside as well as ksenija sidorova has in the video that i linked. Thats called a convertor system.

 

[JerryPH]

Systems with a converter system are often called Free Bass or Melodie Bass. Some come with the Free Bass and Stradella separately, this is what I own and have come to prefer:

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I think it is true that your first accordion is rarely your last one, it does take time to develop and find what you like and where your musical passions will take you. In my case they have brought me to two wildly different directions with the Hohner Morino and Roland FR-8X, I dont think that one can find much more divergent and conflicting directions... lol

 

[Corsaire]

I recently bought a piano and I just wanted a good piano since only masters need to care about anything else than that. The problem is that accordions seem to come in different kinds whereas the piano is just grand vs upright. What do you think about this?

Theres much more to finding the right piano than deciding between grand and upright ! Others have already said this - you will know when you have the right one when you play. Some pianos are a joy to play, others purgatory. Sound, touch and feeling are important for any instrument and it doesnt matter what level you are : you must enjoy playing it. If you dont, you will become less motivated ... unless you change it for something you like.

Wout has the right idea : try as many instruments as you can, old, new, big small, and see which gives a pleasing sound, which feels to be the right size and weight, and which has the right touch. Looks arent everything but if you can find one that ticks all the boxes, then go for it !

I particularly liked JerryPHs comparison with choosing a camera - spot on !

As an aside, I once bought a violin for £5 through a local newspaper ad. I bought new strings and asked a pro to play it - she played it very nicely so I was happy ! It certainly gave me a lot of fun though I never quite mastered Mendelsohns Violin concerto :lol: (more like Les Dawson on the fiddle !)

 

[george garside]

to me the most important thing to ask yourself when trying various boxes is '' do I really like the sound it makes'' i.e the way the reeds are tuned and the number of 'voices'. My reason for making this suggestion is that if you buy a box , perhaps because its a bargain or perhaps because it got 13 couplers , free bass or converter bass, etc etc you will never fall in love with it if you are even slightly less than keen on the sound it makes.

I say this having been there more than once until I realised why I was less than keen. My present boxes all have sounds that I really like.

There are of course other factors to take into account such as weight, price, reed quality etc etcc but really liking what it sounds like is the single most important factor

george

 

[Pianoman1]

This thread is very similar to those on guitar forums of all sorts. The ideal guitar - the expensive signature model with the fancy doodads I believe golfers have the same attitudes

The other factor is age 72 in two days time and weight I am fairly big but cannot drive so lumping on public transport or cabs is also an issue I bought a Hohner Verdi 111 in January - love it - because of the sound and ease of playing 96 bass

I will buy a good 48 for going to clubs with later in the year and in I will go back to Emilio Allodi for it - excellent service

 

[Alan Sharkis]

There is one item that none of the other posters have mentioned.

Budget is an important factor. It's very important not to exceed what you are willing to pay or can afford for an accordion. A better instrument will not necessarily make you a better player, while at the same time, an inexpensive but quality instrument, if chosen carefully, can be very easy to learn on and can give you many hours of enjoyment. Be careful of "bargains," that are poorly made or don't have a pleasant sound. You must give an instrument at least a half-hour of playing before you decide that the sound and feel is to your liking, whether you are playing one at the bottom end of your budget, at the top, or somewhere in the middle. If you make the mistake of playing just a few notes and deciding that this is the instrument for you, or base your choice on hearing that Brand A has a better (I wonder who determines these things) reputation than Brand B you may discover down the road that you've wasted your money.

I must say that all of the other advice you've been given by others is valid. But here are some other suggestions that will help. If possible, an experienced player and/or teacher whose opinion you value should come with you when you try out various instruments. Try playing both standing and seated to determine if the accordion in question feels right. If you're interested in a piano-accordion or a chromatic button accordion, and you've already had some experience playing either, try out prospective instruments with your own straps,, Presumably those straps have been adjusted properly for you.

Good luck!

Alan