I think accordion is not de-rigeur here, but this guy is amazing!

[Piktor]

2 hours ago, PianoMan51 said:

As this thread winds down, I’d like to remind folks about the music that can be played using old fashioned bellows and reeds…

 

Nice. Check out the pitch bend at 1:57. There is video on YouTube where this player explains how he does that. I could not manage to execute the technique.

Personally, if I am going to go through all the work of bearing that much weight and pumping bellows, THAT is the sound that I want to make. Reeds and fluctuations of air. For all the other midi stuff, I will just use a controller on a keyboard stand. 

[miden]

5 hours ago, TheophilusCarter said:

Haha, indeed.  I would like to get a V-accordion for practice and other fun things, but I will definitely what an acoustic accordion as well.

 

TBH, (and not denigrating your choice) as someone who grew up with and studied stradella and freebass accordion, I really cannot see the point of needing an acoustic unit as well....the sound is not THAT different or better for that matter, really, once you're out on stage or anywhere away from the living room!

[Leroy C]

I forgot that Dick Contino played accordion!

 

 

[GovernorSilver]

Al Di Meola's World Sinfonia album turned me on to Dino Saluzzi's playing.   I later went on to check out Saluzzi's own work which is also great.

 

 

 

[murphybridget]

 

Wow, Michael Bridge's rendition of the 1812 Overture on a digital accordion is incredible! The progress digital accordions have made is impressive. Thank you for sharing this musical gem; I'll definitely give it a listen.

[uhoh7]

Leadbelly's first instrument was a diatonic button accordion, by 1900 ensconced in a variety of regional styles across the USA, most lively survivors today being Cajun and Tejano music. I love this type partly because they are light: 6-9 lbs. I've got a "3-row" Tejano, with two middle registers, and a two row B/C Irish style with two registers and one bass register that can be combined in various ways. I get in several hours a week on each, very enjoyable if far from performance level. The keyboard patterns are somewhat diabolical, in that you, for each row, you have three notes on the push eg: CEG, and 4 on the pull like FABD, on a single row with 11 or more buttons. So on a "C row" push a low C and the same button pulls a F, next C up pulls D, next up pulls B and the high C pulls an A. This will exercise your brain vigorously in the beginning

 

This was basically an organ which could be taken along easily on horse or Muleback. Like a Hammond it could accompany whatever else was on hand, fiddle, banjo or guitar, to wonderful effect. They were relatively tough as well, and parts were mass produced. Like the "guitar", and unlike the fiddle, there was no deep historical roots past about 1840, but nonetheless both are mainstays of a variety of folk traditions today. The Irish are nuts about button accordions, and the French are not far behind. The biggest market today is Latin America, where Yankee distaste is probably a plus  

[CHarrell]

3 hours ago, uhoh7 said:

This was basically an organ which could be taken along easily on horse or Muleback

 

Weren't accordions amd bandoneons created for churches that couldn't afford or accommodate a full organ?

[Bobshaw78]

[MPN21]

On 8/16/2023 at 9:37 PM, CHarrell said:

Weren't accordions amd bandoneons created for churches that couldn't afford or accommodate a full organ?

The world's oldest accordion company Dallape made a model Liturgica for none other than liturgy years ago.  After all, the accordion is an organ as the Italians call it fisarmonica - finger/hand organ.   After Roland purchased Dallape, they made a digital version of the Liturgica reeds including the 32 foot virtual pipe.   Below is a funny demo of the virtual Liturgca by a German guy.  As for the bandoneon, yes it was created to be used in church.  So was the Hammond organ....   

https://vimeo.com/394995376

[DaveMcM]

On 2/15/2023 at 6:06 PM, Lou_NC said:

Do they make accordion models with piano keys on both sides?  Might be cool to learn to play one, but no way am I going to tackle that sea of identical buttons at this point in my life!  😂

 

Yes. It may have been a one-off but I did see a video years ago of a guy that was playing one. Not really an accordion though because there were no bellows. I'll try to find a link.

 

Here's something interesting 😀

https://www.reddit.com/r/Accordion/comments/2tpziz/2_accordionsboozediyduct_tape/?st=IZDRKQ20&sh=2607f1cf

 

or this

https://www.smythesaccordioncenter.com/the-accordion-blog/the-luttbeg-accordion

 

or

https://www.akkordeonfreund.de/Mortier-Hohner-Double-Keyboard-Accordion

 

OK, I'm done.

[Outkaster]

Probably one of the best players ever to incorporate an accordion in a band. Dan was a prodigy and brought the carnival sounds of the NJ shore to the stage. He also realized the Italian-American influence in that sound. He played like my cousins from Italy.  He never missed and was a prodigy also:

 

 

[PianoMan51]

There’s a story behind the following clip. I had tickets to the Secret Story tour, but had to make a last minute business trip and missed it. I asked my wife how it was and she broke my heart when she said  “It was the best concert I’ve ever seen!” (This from a woman who had seen the Monkeys and Hendrix on stage together). 
 

A guitarist friend who had also been there said “I never knew that accordion could be so beautiful “.

 

Here’s what they saw…

 

[o0Ampy0o]

On 2/15/2023 at 12:19 PM, miden said:

Michael Bridge plays the 1812 on a digital accordion - they have come a long way! All on the accordion live! No trax.

 

Just wanted to share, in case it hasn't been before...goes for about6 minutes -well worth a full listen imo.

 

 

 

In the OP Michael Bridge may be using an accordion but my objection to the accordion has been the sound it generates. This is bypassed with the digital accordion.

 

Credit to Michael Bridge for being able to use an accordion to perform this piece, of course !!!

What Sergi Teleshev has done is to present a traditional accordion sound at its finest as the instrument for a beautiful Bach piece. The reverb / room ambience does so much for the sound of an accordion IMO.

 

 

 

If everyone could enjoy, appreciate and laugh over the accordion it might be worthwhile to have a special place for it. I would hope its biggest fans also enjoy all of the cartoons and jokes thrown its way historically.

 

      

 

Every instrument has to have at least one of these cheap vs. expensive can you tell the difference videos. If the most expensive model presented had the same patches as the OP I would pick that. As it is I prefer the two middle models over the cheapest and most expensive. The accordion never rarely gets a break. YT compression does not help it.

 

I looked, so far it appears no one has done a video of an accordion though a Neo Ventilator. I'd like to hear this.

 

 

 

 

 

Included for context:

 

On 2/16/2023 at 8:54 PM, ksoper said:

The 1812 video was killer.  Thanks for that. 

 

My sister sent me this a while back.  Also worth your time to listen. 

 

 

 

 

 

On 2/19/2023 at 6:18 AM, PianoMan51 said:

As this thread winds down, I’d like to remind folks about the music that can be played using old fashioned bellows and reeds…

 

 

 

On 2/19/2023 at 6:42 AM, piano39 said:

This is great stuff.  The musicianship on "Begin the Beguine" is incredible.  These guys are really responding to each other- I love the solos, but better yet is how the other instruments support the soloist.  The phrasing and the articulation on the accordion solos -- sublime.

 

I dabble with accordion.  Can't get used to the bass buttons.

 

Agree!

 

 

 

 

 

[jazzpiano88]

9 hours ago, o0Ampy0o said:

Every instrument has to have at least one of these cheap vs. expensive can you tell the difference videos. If the most expensive model presented had the same patches as the OP I would pick that. As it is I prefer the two middle models over the cheapest and most expensive.

That was a nice comparison.   Not only the tone, but the articulation of the accompaniment in the fast section improved dramatically up the scale.  The $50 could barely even puff it out. 

[konaboy]

oh, why the heck not!?

 

[re Pete]