jimgansett
Active member
In various forums, many people give their views pro and con, so let me, in short form, give my view. As background I currently own an Iorio H Accorgan and a Roland 8x. I have previously owned the Roland 7 and 7x but not the smaller ones like the 3x or 1x, so my comments will be general.
First, I look at Rolands as kind of an evolution of the accordion, not meant to replace the acoustic, just another means for accordionists to be more creative. The same arguments we hear from acoustic purists were heard with the advent of the electric guitar and the digital pianos. Neither were particularly liked at first, but both found their niche and became accepted generally by musicians. There is room in the musical world for both acoustic and digital instruments.
I believe that most people who buy a Roland are doing so because they want that extra creativity that comes with the orchestral voices, and in the case of the 8x, the available effects section (things like panning, flangers, equalizer, tap delays, etc. etc.) .
However, I feel the biggest problem most acoustic players have with the Roland is that they fail to understand that as an electronic instrument ( face it, it is NOT and accordion, it is a synthesizer that looks and plays similar to an accordion ) there is a definite learning curve. Many acoustic players who consider a Roland either fail to understand that or, many times I am sure, are unwilling to put the time and effort in to learn about the instrument. In addition, there are some dealers who fail to properly demonstrate the instrument. An acoustic player can pretty much pick up an any acoustic accordion of the same type (piano, chromatic, etc.) and play right from the get go. Yes, it takes a little time to get used to the new acoustic, but bottom line, at its most basic it is a matter of picking voices (bassoon, clarinet, ever) and pushing keys and buttons while pulling/pushing bellows (I'm not talking special nuances like shaking, bending notes, etc) and can be played right away. They are not physically changing anything about the accordion itself and don't have to worry about a multitude of orchestral voices and effects. They expect to be able to pick up a Roland and have it be just as easy and are disappointed when it isn't.
Concerning the bellows, most people new to the Roland find the bellows hard/stiff. On my first Roland, at first I didn't like it at all, the feel of the bellows. Later, getting used to it, and realizing that I barely had to move the bellows at all to get the effects I wanted, I actually liked it very much. For one who can used to it, it is actually much easier on the arms and shoulders. But make no mistake, bellows feel is not like an acoustic and will take getting used to it. Even the 8x with its dynamic bellows control, while a considerable improvement, is still not exactly like the feel of an acoustic bellow.
And, as usual, I ramble, so to sum up: As someone noted somewhere, Rolands are not for everybody. There is a definite learning curve that must be committed to in order to get the most out of the instrument. Sure, if you like all the default settings, you can play it without a whole lot of adjustments, but most people find by tweaking they can get pretty much what they want out of the instrument. They can increase your creativity immensely. If you look at one, find a good dealer who is willing to take the time and who knows about the instrument (you can tell about that after about 10 minutes with him/her).
And please.... if you are new to a Roland and have problems with it or questions about it, join a Roland V-Accordion forum, like the one on YAHOO for example. There are people there who have been playing Rolands for years who are more than willing to help. As you can imagine, a forum dedicated to a particular instrument, and there are sections for 1x, 3x, 7x, and 8x, will be one that can most probably answer your questions. I actually find out things on the forums before my dealer does!
First, I look at Rolands as kind of an evolution of the accordion, not meant to replace the acoustic, just another means for accordionists to be more creative. The same arguments we hear from acoustic purists were heard with the advent of the electric guitar and the digital pianos. Neither were particularly liked at first, but both found their niche and became accepted generally by musicians. There is room in the musical world for both acoustic and digital instruments.
I believe that most people who buy a Roland are doing so because they want that extra creativity that comes with the orchestral voices, and in the case of the 8x, the available effects section (things like panning, flangers, equalizer, tap delays, etc. etc.) .
However, I feel the biggest problem most acoustic players have with the Roland is that they fail to understand that as an electronic instrument ( face it, it is NOT and accordion, it is a synthesizer that looks and plays similar to an accordion ) there is a definite learning curve. Many acoustic players who consider a Roland either fail to understand that or, many times I am sure, are unwilling to put the time and effort in to learn about the instrument. In addition, there are some dealers who fail to properly demonstrate the instrument. An acoustic player can pretty much pick up an any acoustic accordion of the same type (piano, chromatic, etc.) and play right from the get go. Yes, it takes a little time to get used to the new acoustic, but bottom line, at its most basic it is a matter of picking voices (bassoon, clarinet, ever) and pushing keys and buttons while pulling/pushing bellows (I'm not talking special nuances like shaking, bending notes, etc) and can be played right away. They are not physically changing anything about the accordion itself and don't have to worry about a multitude of orchestral voices and effects. They expect to be able to pick up a Roland and have it be just as easy and are disappointed when it isn't.
Concerning the bellows, most people new to the Roland find the bellows hard/stiff. On my first Roland, at first I didn't like it at all, the feel of the bellows. Later, getting used to it, and realizing that I barely had to move the bellows at all to get the effects I wanted, I actually liked it very much. For one who can used to it, it is actually much easier on the arms and shoulders. But make no mistake, bellows feel is not like an acoustic and will take getting used to it. Even the 8x with its dynamic bellows control, while a considerable improvement, is still not exactly like the feel of an acoustic bellow.
And, as usual, I ramble, so to sum up: As someone noted somewhere, Rolands are not for everybody. There is a definite learning curve that must be committed to in order to get the most out of the instrument. Sure, if you like all the default settings, you can play it without a whole lot of adjustments, but most people find by tweaking they can get pretty much what they want out of the instrument. They can increase your creativity immensely. If you look at one, find a good dealer who is willing to take the time and who knows about the instrument (you can tell about that after about 10 minutes with him/her).
And please.... if you are new to a Roland and have problems with it or questions about it, join a Roland V-Accordion forum, like the one on YAHOO for example. There are people there who have been playing Rolands for years who are more than willing to help. As you can imagine, a forum dedicated to a particular instrument, and there are sections for 1x, 3x, 7x, and 8x, will be one that can most probably answer your questions. I actually find out things on the forums before my dealer does!
