My old MIII offers 4.5 octaves, 5.5 octaves if I use the register switch based off of 3 rows above the Stradella system, which of itself is another advantage... I have no need to make register changes to move from Stradella to FB and back again.
Hi Jerry,
You have great passion for the accordion and the MIII system - and I admire that! There is no doubt about it, chromatic converter and the MIII offer a greater range of notes than quint converter. Indeed, it is equally true that the chromatic button accordion can boast several notes more than a piano accordion.
However, the great Scottish accordionist, Professor James Crabb of the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen, who owns Pigini Mythos No 4, and extols the virtues of the Classical bayan above all other accordions, including piano accordion. He writes "however no instrument should ever be judged alone from its looks or technical specifications – the musician’s ability to express is what brings the instrument to life and communicates music to the listener. This is after all the whole point in the art of music-making." Professor Crabb is an amazing musician, and he was 2nd Prize Winner of the Gaudeamus Interpreters competition, 1989 in Holland. (Information, from Jamescrabb.com).
Interestingly, Stefan Hussong, piano accordionist (who uses MIII system), in an interview on Free-Reed Journal (29th June 2000) when asked "are there any pieces that would be easier to play on the chromatic accordion? Can you please discuss the two keyboard styles and why the piano accordion became more accepted in Germany."
Hussong replied "No, not at all, do you have that impression? The two keyboard systems are a matter of historic development of the instrument. Up to now, none of them can claim to be better (even if some people like to defend one system against the other). It's much too early to discuss that. As I said before, caring about sound and good music for our instrument would be much healthier than getting taken away by ten buttons/keys more or less." As a matter of coincidence, in 1987 Professor Hussong won the same International Gaudeamus Interpreters Competition for contemporary music, only two years before James Crabb's success!
I respect the classical button accordion. I also respect the accordion with MIII free bass. But let me give respect now to quint converter:
Richard Galliano, in Strumenti & Musica when interviewed on 27th January 2013, and asked about his views on the accordion said (translated to English):
"As for the systems, I prefer the loose bass for fifths (
meaning bassi sciolti per quinte), because the sound seems more beautiful to me. In my career I have also played the "chromatic" system (minor thirds, ed) with the low notes at the top and also with the low notes at the bottom, so I think I know what I'm talking about."
This is what I say - What a wonderful instrument the accordion is! All of them!
Stewart