Pros and cons of digital accordion

[dak]

Bla bla bla... Nobody changed their ideas

But once you tell someone what you know or experienced, you can chalk up disagreements to a person being different rather than ignorant. Sharing experiences helps mutual respect.

 

[breezybellows]

So kind of yes and yes to your questions. But I don't see that this would invalidate anything I said.

I didn't mean to invalidate what you said. The reason I brought up the unique capabilities of the bass/chord buttons of the accordion is to point out that the digital accordion is an accordion and not merely an electric keyboard.

 

[Rodney]

Just an aside, I like to ring the changes with voices when practicing, it helps keep me motivated with countless repetitions. Oh, doesn’t anyone have to do all those repetions?!

 

[breezybellows]

I do that all the time! Getting repetitions done while randomly picking sounds. Some of those sounds will be ridiculous but it takes the bore out of repetitions.

 

[Xiane]

The Digital Accordion can do a several things that a traditional accordion can not do. On the other hand there are some things that the acoustic accordion does better. I made a detailed video to discuss my perspective on the different topics in which the acoustic and digital accordions perform differently and one outperforms the other.

This can be useful for anyone that is considering a purchase of a digital accordion to add to their collection of accordions. It can also be useful for someone who's debating whether to purchase an acoustic or a digital accordion.

Accordions used for demonstration!
1) Petosa Artista pro xt 2019 LMMH 41/120 double tone chamber with voce armoniche a mano (hand made reeds)
2) Bugari Evo Haria P41 digital accordion

This is probably the wrong thought, but I mostly think these things about digital accordions.

1. It would be nice to be able to practice with headphones.

2. Just what horrors, er, amazing effects might I be able to inflict, er, share with one of those and a pedal board? (Or does it even need one to do that?)

3. The different sounds and tweaking them would be fun. How much time would I spend doing that, rather than practicing?

 

[Rosie C]

This is probably the wrong thought, but I mostly think these things about digital accordions.

1. It would be nice to be able to practice with headphones.

This is my #1 thought - I practice PA with ear protection which does make me feel a little distant to the instrument.
I'm thinking to get a CBA in the future, and a new FR1-X is not so much more than a good second hand acoustic CBA - if I add in fitting microphones then the prices are even closer.

 

[dak]

This is probably the wrong thought, but I mostly think these things about digital accordions.

The foremost thought is rarely wrong but lacking detail.

1. It would be nice to be able to practice with headphones.

Definitely. When I dare practising acoustically at inappropriate times/places, the best instrument for the job is my biggest baddest accordion registered with a single reed left and right and played on a breeze. I can actually play the M reed also in fortissimo (and need to do this in some passages in the accordion ensemble where tremolo registrations are by and large verboten) but that is really pushing it.

2. Just what horrors, er, amazing effects might I be able to inflict, er, share with one of those and a pedal board? (Or does it even need one to do that?)

You can use pedal boards on acoustic accordions too but most nonlinear manipulations (like distortion) don't make a lot of sense with the already overtone-rich sound of an accordion. Delay/chorus/reverb/rotary kind of effects are more useful for accordion sounds both acoustic and digital.

3. The different sounds and tweaking them would be fun. How much time would I spend doing that, rather than practicing?

The danger probably lies more with how much attention you spend on them when practising rather than paying attention to the fine points of articulation that make the difference between reciting and stammering a poem.

 

[Rodney]

Pro: Roland digital accordions hold their price remarkably well, both new and used.
Con: Roland digital accordions hold their price remarkably well, both new and used.

I hope you are right!

 

[Rodney]

This is my #1 thought - I practice PA with ear protection which does make me feel a little distant to the instrument.
I'm thinking to get a CBA in the future, and a new FR1-X is not so much more than a good second hand acoustic CBA - if I add in fitting microphones then the prices are even closer.

My 8x allows the use of headphones but also has an effective volume control and a treble/bass balance control.

 

[Rodney]

The danger probably lies more with how much attention you spend on them when practising rather than paying attention to the fine points of articulation that make the difference between reciting and stammering a poem.

I like to change voices, particularly with repetitive practice, and for me it encourages me to keep going as I know I should.

 

[Rodney]

Bla bla bla... Nobody changed their ideas

I’m not really surprised, being that accordion owners are likely to be very invested in their instruments.

 

[Tom]

Just an aside, I like to ring the changes with voices when practicing, it helps keep me motivated with countless repetitions. Oh, doesn’t anyone have to do all those repetions?!

Pretty much all I do these days!

 

[RTW]

Greetings to posters on this topic: If honesty is acceptable, I started acoustic accordion as a teenager, took a hiatus, and got back into playing on a Titano Grand about 3 years ago . When I first heard the digital Roland accordion played by my instructor, I wanted to Vom@t, notwithstanding it was a state-of-the-art Roland back 3 years ago . I was taught the bellows of the accordion is "the heart of the instrument", just sayin Im new to this site, but not new to accordion.

Regards,
RTW

 

[debra]

Greetings to posters on this topic: If honesty is acceptable, I started acoustic accordion as a teenager, took a hiatus, and got back into playing on a Titano Grand about 3 years ago . When I first heard the digital Roland accordion played by my instructor, I wanted to Vom@t, notwithstanding it was a state-of-the-art Roland back 3 years ago . I was taught the bellows of the accordion is "the heart of the instrument", just sayin Im new to this site, but not new to accordion.

Regards,
RTW

My initial reaction to Roland wasn't as bad as what you describe, and the latest models (dating back to 2013 (FR8x) and 2016 (FR4x) can be set up to produce a reasonable (half-believable) tremolo accordion sound. The bellows control is something that can be set up to be believable but most clips I have heard failed there. My main problem is that the dry accordion registers (like LM, MH, LMH) do not believably sound like an acoustic accordion. Initially I was thinking that Roland would be coming up with something better, but it's now been 8 years without any new model. There was the "promise" by Proxima, but these "accoredions" have never become generally available to this day... I'd love to own a digital accordion that is first and foremost a believable accordion and all other features I would just consider a "bonus"... but alas I'm still waiting.

 

[Walker]

Digital accordions are played by some of my favourite accordionists, such as @Tom, @JerryPH and @breezybellows. So it's only fair I took some time to listen to a bit more digital accordion on YT and this is what I found.

 

[Dingo40]

and this is what I found.

Can a man love more than one woman ?
Ask a bigamist!
Thanks for sharing, Walker!

 

[Xiane]

The foremost thought is rarely wrong but lacking detail.

Definitely. When I dare practising acoustically at inappropriate times/places, the best instrument for the job is my biggest baddest accordion registered with a single reed left and right and played on a breeze. I can actually play the M reed also in fortissimo (and need to do this in some passages in the accordion ensemble where tremolo registrations are by and large verboten) but that is really pushing it.

You can use pedal boards on acoustic accordions too but most nonlinear manipulations (like distortion) don't make a lot of sense with the already overtone-rich sound of an accordion. Delay/chorus/reverb/rotary kind of effects are more useful for accordion sounds both acoustic and digital.

The danger probably lies more with how much attention you spend on them when practising rather than paying attention to the fine points of articulation that make the difference between reciting and stammering a poem.

That makes sense.

I've gotten a cheap reverb pedal that does really crazy things to use with my bass (I mean, sure, doesn't everyone like that?), but I wonder how things like the "Shimmer" - which is kind of a chorusy reverb, delay will sound with an accordion? There are pedals that do much more, but they don't cost $20 on Temu. So no matter how cheesy it might be, it's not a big investment. If I like it I'll look at things like the Meris Hedra. Who will want to hear that? Me, alone, most likely.

As for the last part, you're absolutely right. Fortunately I have the reality of playing with people and also a teacher who really isn't interested in stuff like that, only getting the feel of the tune perfect, and individual, to ground my tendency to mess around rather than bearing down.

 

[dak]

Digital accordions are played by some of my favourite accordionists, such as @Tom, @JerryPH and @breezybellows. So it's only fair I took some time to listen to a bit more digital accordion on YT and this is what I found.

Huh. To me it feels like he is focusing too much on what the instrument is doing to the sound and too little on what he is doing to the sound. Evokes the saying "The more things change, the more they stay the same."

 

[breezybellows]

Huh. To me it feels like he is focusing too much on what the instrument is doing to the sound and too little on what he is doing to the sound. Evokes the saying "The more things change, the more they stay the same."

Is it a bad thing that the instrument does things to the sound to add things to a performance by an accordion player? If it sounds good, why bother whether the musician did something to earn it?

We've previously discussed this. Let's say someone is using the digital voice of an instrument like a violin. That already sounds very different from the sound of an accordion. Is the only acceptable way to play it is to make it sound identical to a real violin? I believe it can still be musical while sounding a little different.

 

[Walker]

Huh. To me it feels like he is focusing too much on what the instrument is doing to the sound and too little on what he is doing to the sound. Evokes the saying "The more things change, the more they stay the same."

Oh, I didn't expect you to quote Bon Jovi. That's the spirit!

I would have gone with; Evokes the saying "Will things ever be the same again? It's the final countdown". (Europe)

Here's the acoustic version: