Left-Handed Accordion ?????

[Stephen Hawkins]

Hello All,

My Sister in Law wanted to know if there was such a thing as a "left-handed" accordion. I told her that I was not sure, but thought it unlikely. I then told her that it may be possible to have one made to order, but that I had no independent knowledge of that, and that I would try to find out.

My Brother in Law is a member of a Rock Band consisting of elderly players, so I imagine that one of his band is left handed and considering the purchase of a piano accordion.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Kind Regards,

Stephen.

 

[knobby]

Left Handed accordion?

I saw a video posted on here recently that I did not bookmark and now cannot find. The piano accordion being played was either built left handed or being played upside down. Did anyone else see the clip and if so can you post a link please. Many Thanks

www.accordionists.info

 

[Stephen Hawkins]

Hi Knobby,

Thank you for the link ....... I must have missed that thread.

I guess I just tell them to play upside down. (the accordion that is, not the player.)

Kind Regards,

Stephen.

 

[wirralaccordion]

Hello All,

My Sister in Law wanted to know if there was such a thing as a "left-handed" accordion. I told her that I was not sure, but thought it unlikely. I then told her that it may be possible to have one made to order, but that I had no independent knowledge of that, and that I would try to find out.

My Brother in Law is a member of a Rock Band consisting of elderly players, so I imagine that one of his band is left handed and considering the purchase of a piano accordion.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Kind Regards,

Stephen.

If you get someone to take a photograph of yourself playing your accordion but in a mirror ( cancel the flash ) it will look like you can play one. That will impress her.

 

[debra]

The only left-handed accordion I know existed (and was made to order) was that of Rudolf Würthner.
See for instance https://accordeonworld.weebly.com/wuumlrthner.html
Würthner had an accident as a child in which he lost part of his right thumb and forefinger. He had a left-handed accordion built because his right hand was still good enough to play the bass side but not the treble side.

 

[Geoff de Limousin]

I recall one Australian accordion player who, being left handed, had the bright idea of getting a left handed instrument made. His thinking was that it would be a lot easier for him and his playing would greatly improve. So, with the order placed to a reputable company in Europe he proceeded to plan his musical holiday around the expected delivery date. As he had high hopes of his ability to swap sides quickly and for obvious weight considerations when flying halfway across the globe, he did not bring his right hand accordion on the trip. In the end he cut short his extended holiday because he could not initially play anything on the upside down machine ! I cannot remember whether he eventually became more proficient on the left hand model or reverted to his original squeeze but the advice often quoted on this website, when people are asking if a different accordion might make them a better player, " Play the one you have" comes to mind.

 

[Dingo40]

This seems relevant:?



Another?



Last one:

Left-Handed Accordionist - Accordion Upside Down - Accordion

Video of Oliver Ziem. The example of left-handed accordionist who decided to play the accordion upside down.

www.linkonardo.com

Also, check out this old post:

Upside Down Accordion: a Primer for Accordion-Fools Day

Last week this fine video by Kristofer Yffén made the rounds. Did you notice his curious accordion technique? (Spoiler, um the title of this post.) Monkey Island 2 – Jojo the Monkey (Accordio…

accordionuprising.wordpress.com

 

[debra]

I recall one Australian accordion player who, being left handed, had the bright idea of getting a left handed instrument made. His thinking was that it would be a lot easier for him and his playing would greatly improve. So, with the order placed to a reputable company in Europe he proceeded to plan his musical holiday around the expected delivery date. As he had high hopes of his ability to swap sides quickly and for obvious weight considerations when flying halfway across the globe, he did not bring his right hand accordion on the trip. In the end he cut short his extended holiday because he could not initially play anything on the upside down machine ! I cannot remember whether he eventually became more proficient on the left hand model or reverted to his original squeeze but the advice often quoted on this website, when people are asking if a different accordion might make them a better player, " Play the one you have" comes to mind.

An "upside down" accordion is not the same as a left handed accordion. You can play a normal accordion upside down, but for comfort the brackets for the shoulder straps need to be moved. On the keyboard the low notes are then closest to the ground while playing and going up is literally going up (towards your chin). On a left handed accordion the low notes are up (close to your chin) and as you to up the scales your hand moves down. The bass side also needs to be reversed (diagonals going the other way).

 

[debra]

This seems relevant:...

Nope, these accordions are not held upside down. The diagonals of the bass go the wrong way, and in the very last second you can clearly see the keyboard of the left player (and you can see that of the right player all the time) and the low notes are at the top and not the bottom. This means the accordions are not held upside down but the video is take as a mirror image, which is what happens when you usea phone in selfie mode (with front-facing camera).

 

[Dingo40]

OK, Paul, I've been conned!??

 

[Pipemajor]

The article on Rudolph Wurtner states that the low notes were at the bottom and the high notes at the top. Surely this is an ordinary accordion turned upside down. I can remember about 25 years ago there was a member of the Foundry Bar bothy band in Arbroath, Scotland, who played a CBA upside down

 

[Yffisch]

Nope, these accordions are not held upside down. The diagonals of the bass go the wrong way, and in the very last second you can clearly see the keyboard of the left player (and you can see that of the right player all the time) and the low notes are at the top and not the bottom. This means the accordions are not held upside down but the video is take as a mirror image, which is what happens when you usea phone in selfie mode (with front-facing camera).

Well, at least the Super Mario video he linked is upside down for real