The accordion is closely related to another instrument, the concertina. Both of these instruments are essentially glorified mouth organs that utilize reeds that are generally made out of tempered steel. These tempered steel reeds are set in vibration using a rectangular shaped bellows.

The bellows are operated using the left hand. Just like with all keyboard instruments, the left hand is also responsible for manipulating the bass keyword. In this instance, the bass keyboard is a collection of different buttons rather than actual proper keys. These buttons are designed to produce not only single notes but also pre-ordained chords as well. The right hand is responsible for operating a treble keyboard which is meant to be based off of the conventional style piano keyboard, which is why many people refer to the accordion keyboard as a piano accordion.

This instrument is suspended through the use of shoulder straps, which allow the hands to be freed up for the purpose of playing the keys, pressing the buttons and maneuverability. An accordion without a shoulder strap is difficult to hold while playing, making the shoulder strap a necessary accessory when playing with this instrument.

History of Development of the Accordion

Although the accordion is purported to have been invented by a Berlin resident named Christoph Ludwig Buschmann in 1821, and then further developed in Vienna by Cyrillus Demian in 1829, it was not until it reached Belgium that it managed to achieve its first marketing on a widespread marketing, which was furthered even more when the accordion reached France. The accordion is still identified most frequently with the popular music from these two countries. This is particularly true when it comes to France, where it still ranks to this day just below berets and the louche moustache in terms of national stereotyping for the country.

Despite the fact that the accordion musical instrument is regularly associated with trendy and popular music, the accordion has often found its way into numerous concert hall compositions, as well, especially by a number of the more notable composers including Berg, Matyas Selber, Prokofiev, Paul Creston, Virgil Thomson, Roy Harris and numerous other musical composers as well. In Trossingen, Germany in 1931, a music school was established exclusively for teachers of the accordion, and it became a fully fledged academy in the state by 1948. This is not the only accordion school in existence, however, as there is a constantly renewing interest in this unique instrument.

The British College of Accordionists has been flourishing ever since its inception which was in 1936. The American Accordionists Association has been flourishing since its inception which was in 1938. For this reason, there is a lot of great interest in the accordion and many teachers throughout the globe that are willing to share its instruction. In one form or another, you can find accordions all throughout societies located all around the world.

Photo Credits: prawnpie

Originally posted 2009-08-10 03:54:54. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Related Posts

• Bongos and Congas If you are interested in making beats, then you should know that there are a wide variety of different types of drums out there that can make beautiful music. Two of the most intriguing drums from the family of drums are the bongo drums and the conga drums. The bongo......
• A Little About Dulcimers A dulcimer is a fretted instrument that most commonly includes three or four strings. The fretting is usually diatonic and spreads along a fingerboard attached to the instrument's body. It became popular in old-time American music in the 1800s. It is believed to have been brought over from Scotland or......
• Wind Instruments Guide 101 pt 4 Here is a guide to some of the more common and more interesting wind instruments. Some of these instruments are common place in the United States and others have a decidedly more worldly origin. Native American Flutes Native American flutes are flutes that have been around for quite a very......
• The Harmonica in American History The Harmonica was not originally developed in America, but rather saw the beginning of life in Germany. However, the Harmonica has a rich history in North America, and contributed heavily to the history of music in America as well. Hohner began to manufacture harmonicas in 1857, and shortly after this......
• Introduction to the Bodhrán pt 2 A traditional Irish instrument, the Bodhrán is an open frame drum. The head of the drum is traditionally made out of goat skins, but other animal skins as well as some synthetic materials can be used. The head of the Bodhrán is tacked to one end of the frame and......

Related Websites

• Musical Instruments: The Drum, the Heart Beat of Music Many individuals enjoy drums as an instrument that is fun to play and exciting to get to heart but many music lovers truly believe that drums are the heart of music due to the way that they keep time and rhythm for the rest of the instruments or for other......
• 500 More Useless Facts [/caption] Most American car horns honk in the key of F. The name Wendy was made up for the book "Peter Pan." Barbie's full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts. Every time you lick a stamp, you consume 1/10 of a calorie. The average person falls asleep in seven minutes. Studies......
• Google Phone G1 This month October 22nd the search engine king Google is going to sell its first Android capability phone G1.The phone, which is manufactured by Taiwan-based HTC Corporation. Though it's out looking is something like as iPhone but a lot of  functional and outer difference between the two phones. The weight......
• Musical Instruments Bass When some people hear the word bass, they immediately think about the bass guitar, a popular instrument in many types of music today. However, there is actually a large number of different instruments that fall under the base category, and the bass guitar is only one of them. Bass instruments......
• Game Engine Dr. Roberto Dillon has written this article about his Music-Emotion Driven Game Engine. I think this idea to really have potential. Game Engine In the fast developing world of videogames, sound has traditionally played a less important role than other features, such as graphics. Nonetheless, recently, due to the latest......

Online Stores

• Brass Musical Instruments Antiques
• Keyboard Musical Instruments Antiques
• Grand, Baby Grand Piano Musical Instruments
• Vintage Pre-1980 Brass Musical Instruments
• Parts, Accessories Brass Musical Instruments

If you liked this article, vote for it on del.icio.us and stumbleupon.



Categories:

Accordions, Acoustic Musical Instruments, Instrument History

Tags:

accordion keyboard, bellows, berets, concertina, conventional style, demian, first marketing, history of development, Instrument History, keyboard instruments, maneuverability, moustache, mouth organs, necessary accessory, piano accordion, piano keyboard, proper keys, shoulder straps, steel reeds, tempered steel