Topmusicanswers
The button accordion has melodic notes on one side of the bellows (usually the right side), and bass accompaniment 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".
- What do the buttons on the side of an accordion do?
- What are the buttons on an accordion called?
- How many buttons does an accordion button have?
What do the buttons on the side of an accordion do?
Most accordions also have an air button on the side of the instrument that doesn't play any notes, but instead lets air in and out of the instrument. If you have a large enough instrument, chances are there will be one or more switches next to the innermost row of buttons (near to the bellows).
What are the buttons on an accordion called?
Concertina buttons are pushed into the instruments, traveling in the same direction as the bellows. Accordion buttons, called “bass,” are pushed perpendicular to the bellows. Another difference is that most accordions have bass capable of playing an entire chord, whereas concertina buttons play one note at a time.
How many buttons does an accordion button have?
British accordion expert Leslie Thompson gave a really wonderful explanation about the instrument, specifically why there's such a large range of bass buttons available. Being that the number of reeds are the same whether there are 48 or 120 buttons, its the size of the keyboard that dictates the size of the accordion.
