A button accordion is a type of

accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German ''Akkordeon'', from ''Akkord''—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a reed ...

on which the

melody A melody (from Greek language, Greek μελῳδία, ''melōidía'', "singing, chanting"), also tune, voice or line, is a Linearity#Music, linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most liter ...

-side keyboard consists of a series of

buttons A button is a fastener that joins two pieces of fabric together by slipping through a loop or by sliding through a buttonhole. In modern clothing and fashion design, buttons are commonly made of plastic but also may be made of metal, wood, ...

. This differs from the

piano accordion A piano accordion is an accordion equipped with a right-hand keyboard similar to a piano or organ. Its acoustic mechanism is more that of an organ than a piano, as they are both aerophones, but the term "piano accordion"—coined by Guido Deiro ...

, which has piano-style keys. Erich von Hornbostel and Curt Sachs categorize it as a free reed

aerophone An aerophone () is a musical instrument that produces sound primarily by causing a body of air to vibrate, without the use of strings or membranes (which are respectively chordophones and membranophones), and without the vibration of the instru ...

in their classification of instruments, published in 1914. The sound from the instrument is produced by the vibration of air in reeds. Button accordions of various types are particularly common in European countries and countries where European people settled. The button accordion is often confused with the

concertina A concertina is a free-reed musical instrument, like the various accordions and the harmonica. It consists of expanding and contracting bellows, with buttons (or keys) usually on both ends, unlike accordion buttons, which are on the front. The ...

; the button accordion's buttons are on the front of the instrument, where as the concertina's are on the sides and pushed in parallel with the bellows.

Main components

All accordions and concertinas have three main components: the reeds, bellows, and buttons or keys. Pushing or pulling the bellows slower or faster makes the sound softer or louder, respectively. The accordion has free reeds on both the treble and bass sides. In modern accordions, the free reeds are generally made of tempered steel. The press of a button or key opens a valve to allow air to pass through the

reed Reed or Reeds may refer to: Science, technology, biology, and medicine * Reed bird (disambiguation) * Reed pen, writing implement in use since ancient times * Reed (plant), one of several tall, grass-like wetland plants of the order Poales * ...

or reeds to make a sound when the bellows are pumped in or out. In the diatonic button accordion, reeds are fixed in pairs so that one note sounds when air moves in, and a different one when air moves out. The button accordion has

melodic A melody (from Greek μελῳδία, ''melōidía'', "singing, chanting"), also tune, voice or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combinat ...

notes on one side of the bellows (usually the right side), and bass

accompaniment Accompaniment is the musical part which provides the rhythmic and/or harmonic support for the melody or main themes of a song or instrumental piece. There are many different styles and types of accompaniment in different genres and styles ...

notes on the other side (generally the left). Some button accordions have 'stops', which change the tone and are called things like "Organ" or "Trumpet" or "Tremolo". These allow the instrument to produce different tones for a variety of situations. Some popular examples are the three-stop accordion, with two sets of tenor reeds and one bass set, and the classic German four-stop. The three-stop accordion has two sets of tenor and one set of bass reeds. The German four-stop is preferred by Cajun musicians and has one bass, one piccolo, and two tenor stops. This gives the instrument a denser sound. Most diatonic instruments lack switches, though there are some made by companies such as Hohner, as well as the one-row 'Cajun'-type boxes which have usually 3 or 4 stops on top of the box as switches (making it even more akin to a pipe organ), but it is generally more common to find switches on a chromatic or piano accordion.

Variations

Button accordions are found with a wide variety of keyboard systems,

tuning Tuning can refer to: Common uses * Tuning, the process of tuning a tuned amplifier or other electronic component * Musical tuning, musical systems of tuning, and the act of tuning an instrument or voice ** Guitar tunings ** Piano tuning, adjusti ...

, action, and construction. The

diatonic button accordion A melodeon or diatonic button accordion is a member of the free-reed aerophone family of musical instruments. It is a type of button accordion on which the melody-side keyboard contains one or more rows of buttons, with each row producing the ...

is bisonoric, meaning when a button is pressed, the note sounded changes depending on whether the bellows are being expanded or contracted. This is similar to the harmonica, where the note changes depending on whether the player is breathing in or out. In most diatonic button accordions, each row of melody buttons produces a different

major scale The major scale (or Ionian mode) is one of the most commonly used musical scales, especially in Western music. It is one of the diatonic scales. Like many musical scales, it is made up of seven notes: the eighth duplicates the first at double i ...

, with accidentals on 'helper buttons' at the ends of the rows. The diatonic button accordion is the most popular type of button accordion, and appears in many cultures, especially in

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

. One popular type of diatonic button accordion is the standard, one-row button accordion. This is tuned to a diatonic, 2.5 octave scale. The

side (bass/chordal side) buttons play a

tonic chord Tonic may refer to: *Tonic water, a drink traditionally containing quinine *Soft drink, a carbonated beverage *Tonic (physiology), the response of a muscle fiber or nerve ending typified by slow, continuous action * Tonic syllable, the stressed syl ...

when pushed, and

dominant chord In music, the dominant is the fifth scale degree () of the diatonic scale. It is called the ''dominant'' because it is second in importance to the first scale degree, the tonic. In the movable do solfège system, the dominant note is sung as "So ...

when pulled. This works well and is popular in basic Anglo-American fiddle tunes. The German melodeon was a popular, later version of a diatonic button accordion, especially in Scotland until around the 1920s. The

chromatic button accordion A chromatic button accordion is a type of button accordion where the melody-side keyboard consists of rows of buttons arranged chromatically. The bass-side keyboard is usually the Stradella system or one of the various free-bass systems. Incl ...

is very similar to piano accordion, but can have 3, 4, or 5 rows of buttons on the right hand side. It is unisonoric, meaning the same note is sounded whether the bellows are pushed or pulled. The chromatic button accordion is traditionally used in a concert setting, and is more popular in jazz and classical music because it can be freely played in any key, usually with identical fingering patterns. File:Wiki loves Music - Hamburg-5701.jpg, one-row diatonic button accordion File:Accordéon diatonique B.Loffet Graet e Breizh 3 rangs.jpg, three-row diatonic button accordion File:Chromtatic button accordion 3-row 48-bass Hohner Nova II 48.jpg, three-row chromatic button accordion File:Chromatic button accordion keyboards.jpg, four-row and five-row chromatic button accordion

History

The first diatonic button accordion was patented under the name 'Accordion' in 1829 by Cyril Demian. The same year, Charles Wheatstone made the first concertina. The first chromatic button accordion was made by Franz Walther in 1850. The name 'Accordion' is thought to originate from ''Akkord'', the German word for the

major triad In music theory, a major chord is a chord that has a root, a major third, and a perfect fifth. When a chord comprises only these three notes, it is called a major triad. For example, the major triad built on C, called a C major triad, has pitch ...

that is played when the bass buttons are sounded. The accordion may have originated with traditional reed instruments from southeast Asia. The button accordion was first

mass-produced Mass production, also known as flow production or continuous production, is the production of substantial amounts of standardized products in a constant flow, including and especially on assembly lines. Together with job production and ba ...

in Europe in 1835, with the piano accordion coming later. It was the first mass-produced, loud, durable, portable instrument – though it was not cheap. At first, the button accordion was too expensive to be very common among the lower and middle classes, but as it lost its novelty (around the 1860s), it became more widespread among these groups, too. Surviving early instruments show that at first they only played chords, and were to be played left-handed, unlike now. The first accordions only had 5 buttons (10 chords), so they were mostly used for accompaniment. Early

minstrel A minstrel was an entertainer, initially in medieval Europe. It originally described any type of entertainer such as a musician, juggler, acrobat, singer or fool; later, from the sixteenth century, it came to mean a specialist entertainer who ...

troupes toured America as early as 1843, spreading the accordion sound. The button accordion was ideal for

dance music Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded danc ...

of many cultures, because one could play both the melody and accompaniment at once, and still be able to sing or tap his or her feet. The many reeds produce a louder sound, ideal for a crowded

dance hall Dance hall in its general meaning is a hall for Dance, dancing. From the earliest years of the twentieth century until the early 1960s, the dance hall was the popular forerunner of the discothèque or nightclub. The majority of towns and citi ...

Cultures

Louisiana

The button accordion arrived in

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

in the 1800s. It was a popular instrument with the

Cajuns The Cajuns (; French: ''les Cadjins'' or ''les Cadiens'' ), also known as Louisiana ''Acadians'' (French: ''les Acadiens''), are a Louisiana French ethnicity mainly found in the U.S. state of Louisiana. While Cajuns are usually described as ...

and the French-speaking creoles. Later, a new, higher quality version of the button accordion was made in Louisiana, which became and remained popular with Cajun and

Zydeco Zydeco ( or , french: Zarico) is a music genre that evolved in southwest Louisiana by French Creole speakers which blends blues, rhythm and blues, and music indigenous to the Louisiana Creoles and the Native American people of Louisiana. Al ...

players. The

Acadian The Acadians (french: Acadiens , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Most Acadians live in the region of Acadia, as it is the region where the de ...

tradition of southern Louisiana influenced some, such as Huddie "Leadbelly" Leadbetter. The button accordion was especially popular among

African-Americans African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...

in Louisiana from 1880 to 1910. In some regions and groups, the diatonic button accordion is known as a 'Windjammer'.

Sub-Saharan Africa

Starting in the 19th century, the button accordion has played a part in

sub-Saharan Africa Sub-Saharan Africa is, geographically, the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lies south of the Sahara. These include West Africa, East Africa, Central Africa, and Southern Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the List of sov ...

n music. It was brought there by sailors, merchants, and

settler A settler is a person who has human migration, migrated to an area and established a permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. A settler who migrates to an area previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited may be described as a ...

s, and is used solo and in dance bands.

Ireland

The concertina, button accordion, and piano accordion are all popular in

Irish traditional music Irish traditional music (also known as Irish trad, Irish folk music, and other variants) is a genre of folk music that developed in Ireland. In ''A History of Irish Music'' (1905), W. H. Grattan Flood wrote that, in Gaelic Ireland, there w ...

. The button accordion was first available for sale in Ireland in 1831.

Texas and Mexico

The button accordion is very common in

Tejano Tejanos (, ; singular: ''Tejano/a''; Spanish for "Texan", originally borrowed from the Caddo ''tayshas'') are the residents of the state of Texas who are culturally descended from the Mexican population of Tejas and Coahuila that lived in the ...

(Texas-Mexican) music. The two-row button accordion is very common, with some variation. Mexican norteño musicians prefer accordions with more vibrato, and Texan musicians favor less vibrato. The vibrato comes from tuning the reeds ever so slightly different from one another.

Northeast Brazil

The diatonic 2-row button accordion with eight bass buttons is still very common in northeast Brazil. It is known as the ''fole'' to distinguish it from the piano accordion. It first appeared there in the late nineteenth century. Previously, one-row diatonic button accordions with two bass buttons were used. Later, chromatic accordions grew in popularity, increasing the possible styles that could be played on them.

Notable players

* Huddie "Leadbelly" Leadbetter: One of the first African-Americans to make commercial recordings on the button accordion. He was from Caddo Parish, Louisiana and made recordings of rural African-American music on the accordion from 1942 to 1947. His music was influenced by the Acadian style of southern Louisiana. *

Flaco Jiménez Leonardo "Flaco" Jiménez (born March 11, 1939) is an American singer, songwriter and accordionist from San Antonio, Texas. He is known for playing Norteño, Tex Mex and Tejano music. Jiménez has been a solo performer and session musician, as ...

: Popular accordionist in

Tejano music Tejano music ( es, música tejana), also known as Tex-Mex music, is a popular music style fusing Mexican and US influences. Typically, Tejano combines Mexican Spanish vocal styles with dance rhythms from Czech and German genres – particular ...

. * Gilberto Reyes: Popular accordionist in Tejano music. He repaired and tuned his own accordions, and made changes to his own button accordion. Because of this, the

Hohner Hohner Musikinstrumente GmbH & Co. KG is a German manufacturer of musical instruments, founded in 1857 by Matthias Hohner (1833–1902). The roots of the Hohner firm are in Trossingen, Baden-Württemberg. Since its foundation, and though known ...

instrument company noticed him and invited him to work with them. He changed the tuning of the reeds in the button accordion to develop an accordion with Flaco Jiménez' preferred sound, making it ideal for Texas-Mexican music. * Narciso Martínez: Often called an 'accordion pioneer' in Tejano music. * Zé Calixto: Popular accordion virtuoso in northeast Brazil. Brother to Luizinho Calixto. * Luizinho Calixto: Popular accordion virtuoso in northeast Brazil. Brother to Zé Calixto. *

Sharon Shannon Sharon Shannon (born 8 June 1968) is an Irish musician, best known for her work with the button accordion and for her fiddle technique. She also plays the tin whistle and melodeon. Her 1991 debut album, ''Sharon Shannon,'' was the best-selling ...

: Irish musician *

David Hidalgo David Kent Hidalgo (born October 6, 1954, in Los Angeles.) is an American singer-songwriter, best known for his work with the band Los Lobos. Hidalgo frequently plays musical instruments such as accordion, violin, 6-string banjo, cello, requ ...

: Of the band Los Lobos

References

Accordion {{FreeReed-instrument-stub