Playing Accordion in Cold Weather

[papeter]

I joined a busking band and we play mainly outside under gazebos and also in shopping malls.
We raise a lot of money for Cancer Research. The accordion is a nice mix
with Guitars, keyboard and percussion. However, I am aware that autumn
and winter will soon be upon us.

Will my new Hohner stand up to UK winter temperature of 5 to 15 degrees.
Will damp +moisture+cold affect the reeds? Or should I refrain from playing
in cold and moist conditions?

Any help on this will be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[simonking]

As long as the thing doesn't get wet (especially the bellows) it should be alright. A damp day in the sea mist on the coast would be a very bad idea though.

Definitely get some thin fingerless gloves though and practice playing with those on. It's hopeless trying to play anything fast if you can't feel your fingers!

 

[TomBR]

I'll jump in with my neck out!

The temperature itself will do no harm. If I've got the physics right, cold damp air can hold less water than warm damp air. The important thing to do is to give the accordion lots of time to come back up to temperature without playing it, once you come back into the warm after playing.
The bad thing to do is to play a chilled accordion in a warm room because the warm air, carrying more water will be very happy to dump the water as condensation inside the accordion, on the reeds etc, where you don't want it.
If you do have to do that, make sure you play for a good long time, to allow the water to get carried away again in the warm air.

I think I'd avoid playing a very nice accordion in the sort of conditions you mention. On the other hand, having spent the afternoon at a soggy Bunkfest in Oxfordshire, melodeon players seem to treat their boxes to to some pretty rough climate, but they still seem to last!

 

[debra]

...
Will my new Hohner stand up to UK winter temperature of 5 to 15 degrees.
Will damp +moisture+cold affect the reeds? Or should I refrain from playing
in cold and moist conditions?
...

Apart from the condensation issues already mentioned a lot depends on what accordion you have. my new Hohner isnt specific enough to know whether this is a lower end model with machine reeds of a high end with (tipo) a mano reeds. The lower end model uses reeds with enough room to move (and to waste air) so that the different rate of expansion between the steel reed and aluminum reed plate is not a problem. With a high end model the reed has less room (and thus less air is wasted) and in the cold the reed plate will shrink enough more than the reed to no longer give the reed room to vibrate in and out. Thus some notes will no longer play.
So apart from cold (and possibly wet) weather not being good for the instrument in the long run it may also cause the instrument to malfunction.

 

[papeter]

Thanks everyone for the very useful information. Yes I forgot to mention that
I bought a Hohner Bravo 111 72 bass. It's one of the lightest 72 bass I have
tried.

 

[Zevy]

<FONT font=Garamond><SIZE size=125>My two cents:
Dont take your best accordion in less than optimum conditions. Always have a bad accordion for use in compromised hot/cold/damp situations.
Good luck!

 

[george garside]

Accordion reeds are made of steel and will rust ( and go out of tune) if played in damp conditions as an enormous amount of damp air is sucked in and out with each push/pull of the bellows.

When I used to play outside regularly I kept small a 'grot box' especially for so doing. I was playing mostly for dancing and it being a wee bit out of tune didn't matter as it wasn't a 'concert' performance.

if it is raining a traditional cycling cape will cover you and the box whilst allowing reasonable bellows movement - the punters may wonder what you are up to under the cape!

If you must play outside in damp conditions go into a nice warm room as soon as you get home and play the box for about half an hour to get some nice dry warm air through the reeds.

As to the person rather than the box I used fingerless gloves when playing in very cold conditions.

george

 

[smdc66]

If you must play outside in damp conditions go into a nice warm room as soon as you get home and play the box for about half an hour to get some nice dry warm air through the reeds.

as always these all seem like good tips although this part seems to contradict what has been stated previously where the impression i got was 'it is best to avoid playing indoors after playing outdoors in cold damp air' :?

 

[JerryPH]

When going from warm to cold, is not as big an issue as when going from cold to warm because this is when the greatest levels of condensation happen (cold to warm). I used to have all kinds of interesting condensation issues on vacation in Mexico when moving from an air conditioned room to the outdoors, the camera was unusable until it reached ambient temps and often my eye piece was not even transparent enough to see through thanks to the hotter/humid air.

In a smaller fashion, the same thing is happening inside the accordion. So yes, definitely stay away from salty "sea air", and let the instrument get to ambient before playing in either direction. When bringing it in from the cold, leave the accordion closed up in the case so it can reach warmer ambient temps slower, lessening condensation. Let the accordion "cool" to ambient before playing, because anywhere the cold air hits on a warm surface, expect some level of condensation.

Personally, the best advice that I like is to not take my best accordion out into conditions where even the possibility of condensation could happen.

 

[donn]

In principle, warmer air could help dry a damp accordion, if it's extremely dry and you keep at it for a while. That might account for why some people manage all right with this approach - winter indoors conditions can be very dry, because heated air is effectively drier. But better to do the same thing, air it out indoors, after allowing it to warm up to ambient.

 

[squeezeboy]

Water is your accordion's enemy! Always keep a large plastic bag handy when you play outside and there are chances of rainfall, so you can cover the instrument. Water will damage the bellows, and humidity sure will stick to the cold reeds. If you can afford it, get a cheap box that you will use outside when the weather is cold and damp.

 

[JeffJetton]

My two cents:
Dont take your best accordion in less than optimum conditions. Always have a bad accordion for use in compromised hot/cold/damp situations.
Good luck![/size][/font][/quote]

Yes, a beater instrument is always a good thing to have handy if you can swing it, for accordions or any other instrument. And not just for bad weather, but for taking any place where harm could befall it... airplanes, rowdy parties, toting on the back of the bicycle to a picnic, etc.

Of course, one persons beater accordion might be another persons main box. Its all relative.

(Mines a Hohner Student 48.)

 

[landro]

I feel high end (valuable) accordions simply should not be used in most outdoor venues for most reasons given above and I`d also be concerned with dirt and dust .
I would think anyone who possesses a good accordion surely could afford a decent sounding beater if the necessity to play out of doors is there..
I can also understand most accordion players would prefer to play his best instrument at any venue however few, if any , outdoor audience participants would recognize the difference between his Hohner Bravo lll and his Giulietti 127.

 

[acordiansam]

I understand having a lot of money in you're instrument and taking care of it. But most accordions are a lot tougher than what I'm getting from this thread.

Who are you saving you're box for? You only have one life time use it play it that's what it was made for.

My dad has a couple old guitars and to this day it's like pulling teath to get him to take them out of the case. They might get stratched! I have the same guitar except mine is all stratched up and dented. Mine sounds and plays just as good.

 

[JeffJetton]

I understand having a lot of money in youre instrument and taking care of it. But most accordions are a lot tougher than what Im getting from this thread.

Who are you saving youre box for? You only have one life time use it play it thats what it was made for.

My dad has a couple old guitars and to this day its like pulling teath to get him to take them out of the case. They might get stratched! I have the same guitar except mine is all stratched up and dented. Mine sounds and plays just as good.

Well, theres nothing wrong with a little beausage, but when youre talking about damage that affects the playability/sound ather than just the looks, thats another thing entirely.

Youre right that instruments need to be played (especially accordions... gotta limber up those valves, stretch those bellows, and get some air flowin in there!). But were not talking about locking anything up in a museum case or anything. Only that, if youre playing a gig in an environment with a higher-than-normal potential for damage, and if you are fortunate to have a choice of accordions to play, its probably a good idea to go with the least nice one.

And that, if you do just have one accordion and often find yourself in harrowing situations (playing out in the heat, checking it with United AIrlines, etc.), then you might want to investigate picking up a spare box. Not that any of us need an excuse to buy another accordion...

 

[donn]

Note that many of us (not including myself) are in the British Isles, where it's apparently always cold and wet. Then there's the continental US where it gets hot enough inside the car to melt the wax that accordions (not including mine) are made of. Those aren't the worst environmental hazards, though - that I guess would be mould in the humid tropics, closely followed by coastal locations with a lot of sea salt in the air.

This is why I try to keep my tuba playing up.

 

[acordiansam]

I understand and do not blame anyone for taking care of there box as they see fit.

What I worrie about is heat. When I play at the beach I make it a point to take the box out when I get home and play it sum to get the moist air out. So far so good. A small tuning every 10 years is a small price to pay.