French 3x3 bass

[Waldo]

I am interested in member's experience with the 3x3 bass system. Anybody use this system? It seems to me to be potentially better than stradella, sort of a poor man's (women's, too) free bass with stradella attached. Couldn't the missing dim. row can be achieved with help from the right hand when required (but then what do I know).
Enlighten me with experience, please.

Press on....
Waldo

 

[debra]

My first "serious" accordion was a Crucianelli Super Video with 3+3 system. After many years I was asked to play a somewhat difficult song on a different accordion which was the more common 2+4, and I just couldn't do it. I could not eliminate my use of the minor third row fast enough to just play with 2+4. After that day I started learning everything without using the minor third row, and my next accordion was 2+4 and all the ones after that as well.
As for the "missing dim row", it isn't really missing. On a 3+3 accordion the 7th is supposed to be 3-5-7, so C7 is E G Bb. (On a 2+4 accordion the 7th is supposed to be 1-3-7, so C7 is C E Bb.) this lets the 7th double up as the dim for the next note, so C7 doubles up as Gdim. (The full Gdim chord is G Bb C# E but almost every accordion has just 3 notes on every chord button.) So I never had an issue playing a dim chord, using a 7th of the row below.
Note that when you get a Russian 2+4 accordion the dim rows are shifted down one row, so the Gdim is found on the C chord row. To play a dim you have to go down one row, just like you do on a European 3+3 accordion. (And when you play the European 2+4 system and order a Russian bayan you have to keep in mind to order it with the dim row NOT shifted down!)

 

[Waldo]

Thank you Debra. As usual you provide useful insights, beyond opinion. I guess it will boil down to sticking with whatever system one prefers (OR, starts out /learns on).

 

[losthobos]

I like 3x3.... especially if I want to play bass runs more than chords.....I find the system intuitive and an easy adjustment....hitting them minor thirds is so much more coherent....the negative perhaps is that the 7th cord contains the 5th note in its form (3,5,b7 omitting the root) so you have to be careful playing alt 5th (aug) notes on right hand as they clash naughty....on the 2x4 system the Dom 7th is voiced 1,3,b7....
Horses for courses ....I have and enjoy both...

 

[debra]

Thank you Debra. As usual you provide useful insights, beyond opinion. I guess it will boil down to sticking with whatever system one prefers (OR, starts out /learns on).

One thing I did not yet mention is that when you want a 3+3 system AND convertor (for melody bass) there may be undesirable consequences like 1) getting only three rows of melody bass (no redundant fourth row) and 2) the C for standard bass may be much further from the center of the keyboard. I don't know the technical reason why the C (and in fact all of the standard bass) is moved up or down by quite a bit but it is...