Learn to play the accordion. Accordion tutors throughout the UK; more welcome.
Play that old squeeze box.
The accordion, also known as the piano accordion, concertina or squeezebox, consists of a handheld concertina-type box which contains bellows, keys and reeds. As the bellows expand and contract, air is forced over reeds which have been selected by the player pressing the appropriate keys on the keyboard. This variation controls the airflow and the tone produced by the instrument.
Accordions are made up of a body of two parts, rectangular in shape separated by bellows. Piano-style keys are located on the right-handpart of the body and buttons or levers on the left. The latter are used to produce chords which can accompany the player.
There are also button accordions where the 'keyboard' is made up of buttons (rather than piano keys.)
The principal difference between an accordion and a concertina is that these buttons on concertina cannot be used to produce chords.
The piano accordion is the instrument that is usually meant when the word "accordion" is used. That said, it is only a relatively recent invention, having been in existence for only about 150 years. During that time it has become very popular with folk musicians and buskers.
Like most instruments, the best ones are handmade however all accordions have a hand-assembly element (which probably goes some way towards accounting for their high price). Hand made reeds, for example, sound much better than even the highest quality of machine produced reeds.
Looking after your instrument
Accordions are expensive instruments and tend to be well-made. As a result, their life expectancy runs to decades or even centuries if looked after properly. There are a few simple rules which can help you get more music for your money as well as removing the need for a hard-to-find repair-person.
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Keep the instrument in its case when not in use.
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Do not expose it to extremes of temperature or humidity.
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Wipe it free of dust regularly and do not allow particles to build-up.
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Do not place it (or even use it) in direct sunshine.
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Do not play it in the rain or near salt-spray.
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If it does get wet, allow the accordion to dry naturally with the bellows open.
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Do not store in confined places with no air circulation.
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If you must travel with it, try to see that it is restrained and not allowed to bounce and bump around.
If you find an old accordion, be careful when you first play it as it may blow mould spores into your face.
It takes many thousands of hours of dedicated practice to master the accordion.
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