+---------------------------------------------+ | ACCORDION FAQ (FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS) |-+ +---------------------------------------------+ | +---------------------------------------------+ Revised: 8/4/96 Compiled by: Alan Polivka P.O. Box 061904 Palm Bay, FL 32906-1904 (Internet: AcrdionMan@aol.com) DISCLAIMER: I make no guarantees regarding the accuracy of any information included here. If you know of any corrections, please let me know via one of the addresses above. Although the topics discussed here refer only to "accordions", much of the information is applicable to all types of accordions (diatonic, chromatic, piano-style) as well as concertinas and bandoneons. QUESTION: -------- Where can I get addresses and phone numbers for the following: 1. Where to get Accordions Repaired & Tuned 2. Accordion Dealers 3. Accordion Builders in the United States (Cajun) 4. Accordion Clubs & their Newsletters 5. Other Accordion-related Publications 6. Other Accordion Addresses ANSWER: ------ See the address list that Faithe Deffner has compiled. It can be accessed using a Web Browser on the Internet at http://www.accordions.com. CAUTION - CAUTION - CAUTION - CAUTION - CAUTION - CAUTION - CAUTION ******************************************************************* If you need to get your accordion repaired, remember that accordions are very unique in how they are built. There are many special methods and materials that must be used in order to repair or tune an accordion properly. There are very few people left (in the US, at least) who really know how to properly repair an accordion. There are even fewer who know how to properly tune one. So, make sure you get several reliable references on the person/shop doing the repairs and/or tuning before handing your accordion over to them. QUESTION: -------- I'd like to know of sources for accordion straps and other parts. ANSWER: ------ The dealers listed in Faithe's address file (mentioned above) also sell straps and other accordion parts. QUESTION: -------- What are the different tuning options available for an accordion? ANSWER: ------ Having spent several years researching, analyzing and of course, performing the tuning of piano accordions I have run across and/or tried quite a few variations. There are almost as many different tunings for an accordion as there are accordion manufacturers and tuners. Each tuning gives a different overall sound. However, in general, the various accordion tunings fall into one of the categories discussed below. Note that throughout this article, I am only talking about tuning of the right-hand side of an accordion since typically there are no tuning variations encountered on the left-hand side of accordions. WARNING: I do not recommend trying to tune your own accordion unless you are very experienced at it. You can easily damage a good set of reeds and reed skins by not knowing what you're doing. Furthermore, if you plan to have your accordion tuned, be sure to get multiple references on the person who will do the tuning for you. There are very few truly qualified accordion tuners in existence these days. Overall, an accordion may be tuned to standard A=440Hz pitch, or it may be tuned to something else (sometimes 442, 443 or 444 is used to make the accordion stand out a bit from other instruments). However, one or more of the reed sets in the accordion may be intentionally de-tuned relative to the other sets to change the general sound of the accordion. First of all, the tuning is dependent on the reed arrangement in the accordion. For a full sized professional accordion, there are typically four sets of reeds on the right hand side (a "4-reed accordion"). There are two different reed arrangements commonly used in 4-reed accordions. I'll refer to them as "Reed Arrangement A" and "Reed Arrangement B", defined as follows: "REED ARRANGEMENT A" has one low octave set of reeds (analogous to 16' voices in an organ), known as "bassoon" reeds. It also has three sets of middle octave reeds (analogous to 8' voices in an organ). Often this arrangement is represented as a circle with two lines and four dots arranged as shown (envision a circle around the object shown below): ------- . . . ------- . "REED ARRANGEMENT B" also has a set of bassoon reeds. It only has two sets of middle octave reeds, however. In place of the third set, there is a set of high octave ("piccolo") reeds. These are analogous to 4' voices on an organ. This arrangement is often represented as shown (envision a circle around the object shown below): . ------- . . ------- . The typical full sized professional accordion is referred to as a "4/5 accordion" because it has 4 sets of reeds (4 reed blocks, unless you have something like a Titano that breaks them into twice as many short blocks) on the right hand side and 5 sets of reeds on the left hand side. Occasionally, you'll run across an accordion with 5 sets of treble reeds and/or 6 sets of bass reeds. Less expensive and/or small accordions will typically have fewer reed sets than 4/5. In all cases, the bassoon reeds, at least one set of middle octave reeds (referred to as the "clarinet" reeds), and the piccolo reeds (if present) are all tuned to the same standard (e.g. _all_ are tuned to A=440 Hz, or _all_ are tuned to A=442 Hz, etc.). The way that accordions are made to sound different from one another is in the way the remaining set(s) of middle octave reeds are tuned. Typically, they will be tuned a little bit off from the others to get a tremolo effect (a.k.a. a "beat note"). The amount of tremolo (actually the rate of the tremolo) is typically referred to as the amount of "wetness". If all middle octave reed sets are tuned exactly the same (no offset), the accordion is said to have "dry" tuning. In that case, no tremolo is heard. Another term sometimes used for a wet accordion is to call it a "musette" accordion. However, this term has some ambiguity with it since many accordions have a shift button labeled "musette" even though the accordion may be tuned totally dry. So, to avoid confusion, I'll generally use the term "wet" rather than "musette" to refer to an accordion that has some reed sets intentionally de-tuned. One of the fundamentals: Tuning is often measured in "cents". 1 cent = 1/100 of a half-step, or a difference in pitch by a factor of 2 raised to the 1/1,200 power = 1.000577789507. For REED ARRANGEMENT A, following are some of the different tunings that I have encountered or done myself. First, I'll establish some terminology. Let's refer to the three sets of middle octave reeds (the "middle line") as follows: - set #1 = "Clarinet" reeds; tuned to the same reference as bassoon reeds; - set #2 = "Violin" reeds; tuned sharp with respect to set #1; - set #3 = "Musette" reeds; tuned either sharper yet than set #2 or else flat with respect to set #1; Note that the term "clarinet reeds" is fairly commonly used among accordionists and tuners to refer to set #1. However the terms "musette reeds" and "violin reeds" (for the other middle octave reed sets) are often used interchangeably. First of all note that some accordions have set #3 tuned sharp and others have that set tuned flat. "French Musette" tuning is distinguished mainly by the fact that it is much wetter than all other tunings. Furthermore, French Musette tuning typically has set #3 tuned flat by the exact same amount that set #2 is tuned sharp. If you do a Fourier analysis of the result, you'll find that this results in something similar to non-suppressed-carrier amplitude modulation (AM) but with harmonics (for any radio-electronics buffs out there). (The 2-reed "musette" sound, as would be found in Reed Arrangement B, is analogous to suppressed-carrier AM). For non-technocrats, this means that in either case, there is not a "blend" of tremolos but rather a single tremolo being applied to each note. Another type of tuning that is popular in piano accordions is the following. This tuning has reed set #2 tuned just a little bit sharp and set #3 tuned a lot sharp. The reason for this is so that the player has a choice of a fairly dry sound (by just selecting sets #1 and #2) or a wet sound, by selecting all 3 sets (or selecting #1 and #3). Note that if the amount of offset is not consistent between sets #1-to-#2 vs. #2-to-#3, then you _do_ end up with a "blend" of a tremolos in this tuning. "Slovenian" style accordion tuning (I'm referring to accordions used in Slovenian style bands here in the US - I find that the true European accordionists often do things differently) typically has a moderately (but usually not totally) dry sound. Most have the violin reed set tuned a little bit sharp. The Slovenian tunings vary a lot, however, in how the third (musette) set is tuned. It is tuned sharp by some tuners and flat by others. Frankie Yankovic, however, has his accordion tuned totally dry. The key characteristic of Slovenian tuning is that there is a little bit of wetness in the lower notes, yet not so much in the higher octave notes. This keeps the accordion from sounding as out of tune as some wetter tunings sound to some people. "German" style tuning generally falls into the category of about 1/2 as wet as full French Musette. This style of tuning is also sometimes referred to as "Polka" tuning or as "Continental" tuning. For Italian music, one hears just about any of the above styles of tuning as well as variations that fall between those mentioned above. For REED ARRANGEMENT B, there is one less set of middle octave reeds to play with. Thus, there are fewer degrees of freedom for tuning the accordion. The variations occur primarily in how sharp the violin reeds are tuned and secondarily, in whether they are tuned wet across the entire range of the keyboard, or dryer for higher notes (the latter being more of the "Slovenian style" tuning). The BOTTOM LINE in all of this is that you should play multiple accordions with the different types of tunings until you find one that you like. Then either buy it, or borrow it and take it to your favorite tuner along with your accordion and ask him to tune yours just like it. CAUTION: Make sure you use a reputable tuner. Tuning accordions properly is much more complicated than most folks realize. A good set of reeds can be ruined by an inexperienced tuner. Particular things to listen for while you're trying the different accordions are the following: - Do you like its violin or musette sound (i.e. the sound with all middle sets playing, which, incidentally, is not always marked "musette" on the accordion shifts themselves)? - Do you like the "master" sound (i.e. when all the reeds are played simultaneously). Many folks like the real wet French sound. However, this does make the "master" sound too much out of tune for some of us, particularly on the higher notes of the keyboard. - Do you want the feature of being able to select a dry sound or a wet sound in the same accordion? - Do you want piccolo reeds ("Reed Arrangement B") or not? If your accordion has piccolo reeds, a good tuner/repairman can replace the piccolo reeds with musette reeds, if you prefer. This is not a cheap endeavor, however, and it requires a _very_ skillful repairman/tuner. Remember, any accordion with at least two sets of middle octave reeds can be made into a "musette" accordion, simply as a matter of how it is tuned. Now, if you want a full French Musette sound, you need three sets of middle octave reeds, tuned appropriately relative to one another, as discussed above. Whether you want a full French Musette sound or just wet tuning of two sets of middle reeds is something you must decide after playing both types of accordions. One of the drawbacks of a very wet tuning is that to some people, the accordion will sound out of tune when the master switch is selected, especially in the higher notes. QUESTION: -------- What is a MIDI accordion? ANSWER: ------ MIDI accordions are the latest and greatest thing (albeit, they've been around for multiple years now) in the way of combined electronic/acoustic accordions. With a MIDI accordion, you can play all your standard MIDI synthesizers (whether rack-mounted, standalone module, or having a keyboard attached) from a MIDI accordion, (rather than from a typical horizontal keyboard, for example). Of course, you can also get the original acoustic accordion sounds as well. MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a serial (electronic) bus standard established for musicians. A MIDI accordion is equipped with a switch on each key and button. A small circuit board and a switch (it may be a standard contact switch, it may be optical, etc.) for each key and button are all the electronics required inside the accordion, so there is minimal weight added to the accordion. The circuit board scans the keys and sends out MIDI "Note On" or "Note Off" messages every time it detects a change in state of a key (every time a key is pressed or released, respectively). There are, of course other types of messages sent out too (e.g. for selection of patches, pitch bending, volume control, etc.). The MIDI cable that connects your accordion to MIDI synthesizers is just a relatively thin cable (not a heavy cable like used on the old Cordovox accordions). You can even get wireless transmitters for a MIDI accordion so that you have no cable going out of it at all. One of the biggest advantages of MIDI for accordions stems from the fact that synthesizer technology is evolving at a much more rapid rate than is acoustic accordion technology. So, if you have a standard (acoustic) accordion that you really like, you don't need to trade it in every time there are improvements in the synthesizers. You keep the same accordion and just upgrade synthesizers. Since companies like Yamaha, Roland and Korg have such huge markets for synthesizers (in comparison with the accordion market), there is a ton of money going into R&D to create really impressive synthesizer technology that the MIDI accordionist can take full advantage of. Further, you only need to buy the synthesizer _module_ (i.e. with no keyboard attached) which saves you money on the synthesizers. Another nice feature about MIDI accordions is that they make an ideal MIDI controller (in some ways better than a typical keyboard controller). I have both, a keyboard controller and a MIDI accordion, so I can attest to this first hand. Separate MIDI channels can be set up for bass, chords, treble, solo, effectively making the single MIDI accordion sound like a 5 piece band (counting the acoustic accordion as one instrument). I designed and built my own MIDI interface for use with old Cordovox accordions (just for my own personal use). However, there are fancier interfaces available today (from places such as Deffner Inc. and most other major accordion companies) that also sense bellows pressure to control volume, have contactless switches on keys (such as optical or magnetic), etc. QUESTION: -------- What is a tone chamber? ANSWER: ------ A tone chamber (a.k.a. "cassotto") is a cavity designed into the internal structure of some (generally top of the line) piano and chromatic accordions through which the sound from selected sets of reeds must pass before reaching the listener. The main purpose of the tone chamber is to give those reeds a more mellow sound. It also makes some improvement in the response time of the lower notes. The most common arrangement is for the bassoon reeds and the clarinet reeds to be "in the chamber" (this terminology is often used even though the reeds themselves are not actually in the chamber). There are some accordions having only the bassoon reeds in the chamber. Even less common is an accordion having all the reeds in the chamber. Also not very common, but occasionally can be found accordions that use chambers on the bass notes. Most polka players do not use accordions with tone chambers. They're more likely to be found in classical, Italian or jazz music. QUESTION: -------- What is the best way to mic an accordion for amplification? ANSWER: ------ There are many ways to mic an accordion, each with its own set of pros and cons. The best method depends upon whether you're mic'ing it for amplification or for recording. If you're RECORDING an accordion, use external mic's on stands - one for the right hand, one for the left hand. For further information on the types of mics, etc. to use in recording accordions, I recommend e-mailing Bob Berta (RKB4%ERF%EbrFacErf@go50.comp.pge.com). He does a very nice, professional quality job of recording accordions. If you just want a very inexpensive method to get decent results, use electret condenser mics. You can buy them for about $20 a piece from Radio Shack. Condenser mics give a much brighter sound than dynamic mics. After much experimenting with various types of mics for accordions, I can suggest the following if you're wanting to AMPLIFY and accordion: Use a voice microphone (on a mic stand) to pick up your right hand. Install a standard crystal mic element (available from all accordion supply houses - the same folks I've listed as accordion dealers) inside your accordion, mounted to one of the reed blocks to pick up the left hand. This mic will also provide some amplification for your right hand, but will give excellent (very deep) bass response. When you order the mic, specify that you want a bass mic (one that has good low frequency response), since you'll be using it primarily for amplifying the left hand. Alternatively, you can rely on the standard approach of installing crystal mics inside the accordion to do it all. There are two different approaches for this: 1. Mount a mic inside the bellows, usually on a reed block, or 2. Mount mics under the grill for the right hand and near the bass mechanism for the left hand. These approaches (especially #1) have the advantage of allowing a little more volume before incurring feedback and also allow less restriction of player movement (you don't have to always stand in front of a microphone stand). However, the right hand sound quality will not generally be quite as good as you get when playing into an external mic on a stand. This is primarily because the built-in mics are so close that they sound harsh on notes closest to them (due to the high near-far ratio) and secondarily because of the low quality of crystal mics. Approach #1 gives better sound quality (especially for the basses) than #2 but gives you no separate control of right hand vs. left hand volume. I've obtained especially good results putting electret condenser mics in accordions. These are much more complicated to install, however, and although they are better mics than crystal mics, you'll get very good results if you do what I suggest initially above (external mic). If you are having a mic system professionally installed, I recommend getting an electret condenser mic system. Dynamic mics (like the Cajun folks attach to the front of their accordions) have some of the advantages of both the external mic (good sound quality) and the built-in mics (freedom of movement). However, they do have one problem in that dynamic mics are very sensitive to vibrations (e.g. they pick up key noise, etc.). Yes, the typical voice mics are also dynamic mics, but if you use one attached to a floor stand rather than to your accordion, it won't pick up the unwanted vibrations (key noise, etc.) on the accordion. QUESTION: -------- I'd like to know of sources for books on accordion repair. ANSWER: ------ The most widely used book written in English on accordion repair is: Accordion Repair Made Easy by John Reuther. This book tells how to do most simple to moderately complex repairs. It is available from: Ernest Deffner, Inc. 230 Herricks Rd. PO Box 608 Mineola, NY 11501 (516) 746-3100 e-mail: FDeffner@aol.com. There is also a video tape (I think Elderly Instruments might carry it, although I obtained mine from "Lark in the Morning"). The video gives introductory information, more on maintenance than repair. It is geared mostly to accordion users rather than to someone who wants to become an accordion repairman. QUESTION: -------- Can I take apart my accordion to work on it, and if so, what precautions should I take? ANSWER: ------ The answer to this could take up an entire volume. However, here are some overall pointers. First of all, my recommendation is not to take apart an accordion unless you are very mechanically astute and careful. There are a lot of extremely delicate parts inside an accordion that can easily get damaged if you don't know about them. With that strong word of caution, an important thing to remember is to take the accordion apart slowly, taking time to note where each part came from so that you can put it back together correctly when you're done. There are many different sized screws, bellows pins, etc. that only fit properly in one location. Never take apart the bass mechanism of a piano accordion unless you've successfully done it before, or been trained about how to do it. Each of the 120 buttons fits in exactly in one location only. It's best to have a special made fixture to hold each button in its respective location so that they don't get mixed up while the bass mechanism is apart. Another important thing to remember is when removing the grill or taking the accordion apart at the bellows, always watch for wires that may run between the two parts (right hand side vs. left hand side). These wires are associated with the mic system (obviously only a concern if your accordion is mic'd for amplification). If the mics were installed well, there will be a connector allowing you to disconnect the wires to allow complete separation of the two pieces of the accordion. CAUTION - CAUTION - CAUTION - CAUTION - CAUTION - CAUTION - CAUTION ******************************************************************* Do not touch the reeds. Perspiration, etc. from your fingers will cause the reeds to rust. CAUTION - CAUTION - CAUTION - CAUTION - CAUTION - CAUTION - CAUTION ******************************************************************* Having taking an accordion apart at the bellows, if you plan to remove a reed block, be EXTREMELY careful not to catch the leather "skins" on anything, bending them out of shape. The skins are EXTREMELY delicate and affect the sound of the accordion more than any other single item. Simply bending one away from the reedblock can result in that note not playing properly in the future. Never attempt to replace a reed skin with anything other than the proper reed skin leather from an accordion supply shop. It has very unique properties not found in most other types of leather. Furthermore, never remove a reedskin, because the process of removing and replacing a reed skin will generally cause the note to play out of tune, thus requiring re-tuning. Also, be very careful not to get any dirt, etc. on the base of the reed block (much less in the reed itself). Here again, removing reedblocks is something that you should probably not try unless you are experienced or have such an old accordion that you don't care if you damage it. Tuning, waxing, etc. requires years of practice (skill) and should best be left to the experts. Nearly all of the materials used inside an accordion (leather, "wax", etc.) are very carefully selected for certain very important properties that are not readily apparent. NEVER substitute anything other than the appropriate materials, obtained from an accordion supply house. It took me years of experimenting with alternatives to learn this valuable lesson. QUESTION: -------- Does one dare try to do tuning without the help of an expert? ANSWER: ------ No. Definitely not. Tuning is perhaps the single most delicate operation one can do on an accordion. It takes training (from an expert), YEARS of experience, etc. You can very easily ruin a good set of accordion reeds and reed skins if you do not know all the details of how to properly work with them. QUESTION: -------- Can a non-professional repair reeds which make a buzzing sound at certain air pressures? ANSWER: ------ You can try, but I do not recommend it. It is best to have it repaired by someone who is very knowledgeable at accordion repair AND TUNING. I say this because the process of repairing a reed skin (which is the most likely cause of the problem) will most likely result the note playing out of tune. So, then it must be re-tuned, which is definitely not something to be done by anyone other than a professional. The cause of buzzing, gurgling, wheezing, etc. is most likely due to one of the two leather "skins" attached to the reed plate itself. Otherwise, the reed may have broken loose in the wax that holds it to the wooden reed block. However, nearly all of the improper sounds that occur on individual notes (i.e. not across the entire accordion) are caused by defects in the skins. Sometimes the skin is bent out of shape and can be reshaped to correct the problem. However, this typically requires removal of the skin. After replacing it, you'll generally find that the note no longer plays in tune. Furthermore, the skins are extremely fragile, in that if you simply brush the reed block against some part of the accordion or your body while removing it, you can bend one or more reed skins out of shape and cause more damage than you had in the first place. If the reed plate has come loose in the wax, you can melt the wax back to it with a low wattage (15 W. or less) soldering iron. Always try to disturb the existing wax as little as possible (i.e. leave it on the reed block) while removing the reed. This will assure that the reed goes back in exactly the right place. Otherwise, you risk having the inner reed or skin hit the side of the reed block cavity. CAUTION: Be extremely careful not to get wax on the reed or reed skin. Once you have wax on a reed skin, it must be replaced. With the very tight quarters you're working in on an accordion, it's very easy to slip and get wax where it shouldn't be or bend a reed skin out of shape. Never substitute anything other than the correct wax mixture (from an accordion supply house) for the wax. Improper wax substitutes have been the cause of reeds breaking loose from the reed blocks in many accordions. QUESTION: -------- Is it possible to buy a new bellows for an accordion? ANSWER: ------ You can buy new bellows from the major accordion supply houses that Faithe has listed in the address list (referenced above). Generally, you must send them your old bellows. Most new accordion bellows are imported from Italy nowadays. The accordion repair shop will use the original wood frame from these bellows and replace everything else (the cardboard & cloth bellows), for a few hundred dollars. It is nearly impossible to build a new set of bellows and have them align with your accordion properly without using the old bellows frames. Note that in many cases, the old bellows can be overhauled. As with any accordion repair, make sure you get several reliable references on the person/shop doing the repairs before handing your accordion over to them. There are very few really good accordion repairmen left in the US these days. There are even fewer folks who know how to overhaul bellows (much less build them). QUESTION: -------- My left hand playing is weak. I would be grateful for help in learning fingerings for "radically jumping chord progressions" (to chords which are not closely related to the key you're playing in), e.g. Bb-Gm-E7-F. ANSWER: ------ If you just want bass notes for these radical progressions, use your counterbasses (the row closest to the bellows) where possible to minimize the distance you must cover with your fingers. If you are also trying to do "radically jumping chord progressions", it's just plain hard and takes a lot of practice. QUESTION: -------- How likely am I to pick up bad habits by teaching myself to play the squeezebox? ANSWER: ------ The son of a friend of mine taught himself to play concertina. One day he noticed that everyone else was playing theirs upside down relative to the way he was doing it. Needless to say, the rest of the world was not wrong. Please make sure that you at least know which side is for the right hand vs. the left hand. (-: ********************************************************************** If you have any comments regarding the Accordion FAQ, please forward your input to: AcrdionMan@aol.com - or - Alan Polivka P.O. Box 061904 Palm Bay, FL 32906-1904 All inputs are very welcome.