The iPad Button Accordion



A 'Push' or a 'Pull' is activated by pressing the iPad with the fingers of the left hand.

To play the scale of C

On the inside row, ignore the A.

Pull on the ​third button up​ in the ​inside​ row​ (D in the picture above)​ for C
Push on the ​same button for D
Pull on ​the fourth button up (F in the picture above) .. or Push on the fourth button up in the first row (E) ..​​ for E
Push on the​ same button (F)​ for F
Pu​ll on the​ fifth button up (​A in the picture above) for ​G​
Pu​sh​ on that same button for ​A​
Then ​P​u​sh on the sixth button up in the inside row (B) .. or Pull on the ninth button up in the first row (G#) .. for B
​And​ Pull on th​at same B button on the inside row​ for C.

The sequence repeats in both rows. That will play a scale of C.

Interesting to remember which ones to push or pull and which are the change buttons.
The “change” buttons are the ones where you push in the first row to get the note and you pull another button in the other row to get the same note. This allows you to play fluently, not to run out of push or pull.

Watch closely as Brandon Mcphee plays the iPad Button Accordion in the video below and you will see the lettering on the notes changing so you know which notes you get with a 'Push' and which notes you get with a 'Pull'. An iPad is basically a computer, so you can program it to do that!

Brandon Mcphee- iPad Hohner Button Accordion App (Scotland)

When the advert appears, click the X in the top right hand corner of the rectangle to remove it.

If you don't have an iPad, you can play this on your iPhone.

Brandon McPhee - Hohner Button Accordion App B/C on Mobile Phone (Scotland)

When the advert appears, click the X in the top right hand corner of the rectangle to remove it.

Den

Den,

Thanks for posting that. One advantage of the iPad button accordion is that it's not as heavy as the real thing .. and no effort is required to 'Push' and 'Pull'. Seems to me that the disadvantage is that you don't have any BASS/CHORDS to play as your left hand is doing the 'pushing' and 'pulling' instead. So a 'melody only' sound.

What I would have difficulty with is remembering whether to 'push' or 'pull' to get the required note. From the video of Brandon McPhee playing the iPad button accordion (above) I have taken a screenshot of what notes you get when the instrument is playing in the other direction.



Comparing the notes generated in this picture with the ones in your picture above, it would appear that there are two notes that you can produce by either 'pulling' or 'pushing' .. E and B. I presume that having these two options means that on the 'real' button accordion you can choose which one to do so you don't run out of 'puff' in one direction.

Hugh

Ron,

I have just listened again to the YouTube video of Brandon McPhee playing the iPad Hohner Button Accordion App ... and I agree. Wow! When he plays his notes he doesn't even have 'buttons' he can feel under his fingers .. just the flat surface of an iPad. And those 'trills' he does with his fingers are just amazing!

Hugh