Four voice 120 bass Paolo Soprani

[Chrisrayner]

First I bought a three voice 96 bass Hohner.  That was in May, to see if in my senility I could learn to play one of these oddly fangled chromatic buttony things.  It seemed to be a success, so I rather rashly bought a newer Hohner Nova II with 80 basses.  Made in China I believe, nothing wrong with that, but not so nice as the older one, and losing 16 basses didn’t make it magically featherweight.  So I arranged to trade them for a more ambitious instrument.  I understand it has a casotto, it’s certainly got many many more stops and switches.  Huge variety in types of sound and chord voicing.  But mainly it’s the size of a small car, and weighs only a smidgen less 

That was last Thursday.  On Friday I started to play it.  Oh dear!  My left shoulder, which usually aches after an hour, was screaming for mercy at 25 minutes.  Hmm!  Thinks I, perhaps I have overstepped the mark here.  Anyway, I have persevered, and by adapting my posture and technique I think I may have cracked it.  I’m never going to be able to play it for any length of time while standing, but I’m almost back to where I was with the Hohner, and the variety of sounds is such fun.  It’s octave tuned and I was footling about with one of the LMH stops and busking the first few bars of Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in Dmin.  Such FUN!

 

[Dingo40]

It’s great to have an interest. It gives spice to life!

 

[jozz]

I guess it requires special fitness training to be able to play 120 standing. The thought alone hurts me

 

[JerryPH]

Depends on which accordion. My Roland 8X is ridiculously light, my Hohner VI N, ridiculously heavy (ok, its 185 bass, not 120)... lol

My days of playing while standing are over by choice. I know I could do it... but why???

 

[maugein96]

I guess it requires special fitness training to be able to play 120 standing. The thought alone hurts me

Jozz,

This little guy, Emile Decotty, was a friend of a Scottish musette accordionist I know, and used to stand for hours on end with 120 bass accordions. He was lucky if he was 55kg, and Tommy once described him as being the height of two accordions.  

He is seated in the clip, but he was about 70 at that time. 

 

[jozz]

that's certainly impressive

maybe the playing was the training and I'm just weakened by always playing 72

 

[maugein96]

thats certainly impressive

maybe the playing was the training and Im just weakened by always playing 72

Another guy that springs to mind is Daniel Colin. 155cm in high heeled boots!

Standard Scottish box is LMMM and LMMMH with 120 bass, and many stand and play with those. 

10 minutes with this one would kill most of we older types:-



Fingering definitely suspect and poor bellows control by that pair.

 

[Dingo40]

Good one, John!

 

[Tom]

I have a heavy 120 for sitting (also a stand) and a lighter 72 for standing. It works fine now that I have mortgaged the house to do so. Maybe I'll switch to the Fr4x when I am old. Good luck to you all with your chosen solution!

 

[Chrisrayner]

Depends on which accordion.  My Roland 8X is ridiculously light, my Hohner VI N, ridiculously heavy (ok, its 185 bass, not 120)... lol

My days of playing while standing are over by choice.  I know I could do it... but why???

But the Roland accordion is not actually an accordion.  It’s an accordion shaped implementation of a synthesiser.  It contains no reeds, but lots of cunning engineering to make musical sounds resembling an accordion and various other instruments.  I’ve little doubt that the essential sound generation electronic bits could be simulated by a smart phone.  Most of the weight will be in the case, various microswitches, knobs, etc. and small electric devices to enhance the illusion of playing a free reed bellows instrument.

185 bass, that’s a funny number.  180 I could understand, even 186, but 185 seems a bit odd.

 

[debra]

Depends on which accordion.  My Roland 8X is ridiculously light, my Hohner VI N, ridiculously heavy (ok, its 185 bass, not 120)... lol

My days of playing while standing are over by choice.  I know I could do it... but why???

But the Roland accordion is not actually an accordion.  It’s an accordion shaped implementation of a synthesiser.  It contains no reeds, but lots of cunning engineering to make musical sounds resembling an accordion and various other instruments.  I’ve little doubt that the essential sound generation electronic bits could be simulated by a smart phone.  Most of the weight will be in the case, various microswitches, knobs, etc. and small electric devices to enhance the illusion of playing a free reed bellows instrument.

185 bass, that’s a funny number.  180 I could understand, even 186, but 185 seems a bit odd.

You characterized the Roland well, even though many players consider it an accordion.
Playing while standing with a large 120 bass cassotto instrument is definitely not for everyone. Even Richard Galliano has started to perform while sitting down since a year or maybe two.

The Morino "120" bass accordions were actually not 120 bass. They had a pattern that made it 127 bass or so. The Morino VI  adds 58 melody bass buttons to that making the total of 185, and it weighs not much less than a ton...

I have rarely played while standing, with a large heavy accordion. I would not recommend it.

 

[JerryPH]

1 - But the Roland accordion is not actually an accordion.  It’s an accordion shaped implementation of a synthesiser.  It contains no reeds, but lots of cunning engineering to make musical sounds resembling an accordion and various other instruments.  I’ve little doubt that the essential sound generation electronic bits could be simulated by a smart phone.  Most of the weight will be in the case, various microswitches, knobs, etc. and small electric devices to enhance the illusion of playing a free reed bellows instrument.

2 - 185 bass, that’s a funny number.  180 I could understand, even 186, but 185 seems a bit odd.

Chris, I know exactly what the Roland is... and isnt.  Some will say it is a synthesizer, others will say it is the evolution of the accordion.  I could not care less what it is or isnt ( ), all I know is that I enjoy it and I play it just like I play any other accordion, hence to me, since it looks like a duck, but quacks like a flock of ducks, that makes it a duck... lol

2 - That is a bit easier to explain, it is a Free Bass accordion with the M-III system.  127 Stradella bass + 58 extra buttons in 3 separate rows placed in the C-Griff orientation. The right hand (if it makes a difference) is also little different with 45 keys instead of the standard 41 keys.  Its designed to be more a conservatory/classical music instrument, though in years past Ive done everything from Oktoberfests to classical recitals with it.  The 185 number is not uncommon amongst Hohner Free Bass accordions of that generation.



Excerpt from the original Hohner brochure:



I call it my dinosaur, not because its old, but because it feels as heavy as one... lol

 

[Chrisrayner]

Hohnersaurus Rex?

 

[JerryPH]

Hohnersaurus Rex?

Hahah! That is hilarious and I love it!

 

[debra]

Hohnersaurus Rex?

That's a great new term for it!

I have the even slightly heavier Hohner Artiste X S (slightly heavier because it is mostly the same but has 56 notes 5 voice instead of 45 notes) and it was eating up my left shoulder. I had to get a lighter instrument to be able to keep playing.

 

[jozz]

why didn't they call it the XL then?