Tuning of Accordions
Posted: 13 Oct 2021 02:11Tuning of the Accordion
I thought that I would make this a separate post as some of the things are just as applicable to the tyros.
On a piano type accordion the keys are set out, just as you expect, as a piano. They come as a standard sound accordion and bass accordion. Basically you have no choice.
Now for my button accordions.
On my Serenellini button accordion the button making the “C” sound was the 4th button down from the top on the right side. Fine; and the bass “C” button and relevant chords was about the middle of the stradella bass buttons. Not so on my Cavagnolo button accordion. The “C” bass button is 4 buttons lower on the left side, the stradella bass side. The “A” bass button is in the middle. So basically, because the fingering is the same for any key I play mainly in the key of “A”. I read the dots on the lines and press the corresponding button. The dot on the ledger line below the treble staff is commonly known as “C” but because I find it easier to play the bass buttons in their position the sound I make is “A”. I can still play in “C” key with no problem.
Tuning of the Chromatic Accordions.
Chromatic (and piano) accordions have either 2, 3, 4 or 5 sets of reeds in the treble side and similar in the bass side. For the most part most accordions have 3 sets of reeds. They are tuned as required either one high, one middle and one bottom or one high and two middle. To get the French musette sound the three reeds are tuned one middle and the other two tuned one slightly higher and one slightly lower. With two reed blocks they are generally tunes slightly apart depending on your requirements. To get the Jimmy Shand sound on the Tyros set the R1 and R2 voices to the Cajun accordion and in the mixing console set the tuning (3rd tab) to R1 to +25 and R2 to -25. Adjust these as you please.
Now for the diatonic accordions
As I have posted before, they have very many configurations of the button rows. C,F,G or Bb D F# or other combinations. This is because they are made for Irish or Scottish folk music and the Jigs and Reels related to their country. My Honher Erica had 2 rows of buttons and 2 sets of reeds and was tuned in C & C# so I could make a mess of any song. The steirische is tuned for Austrian and Tyrolean accompaniment and has a variety of reed tunings. It is just a matter of getting used to the instrument and the music that you want to play.
Regards, Den.
I thought that I would make this a separate post as some of the things are just as applicable to the tyros.
On a piano type accordion the keys are set out, just as you expect, as a piano. They come as a standard sound accordion and bass accordion. Basically you have no choice.
Now for my button accordions.
On my Serenellini button accordion the button making the “C” sound was the 4th button down from the top on the right side. Fine; and the bass “C” button and relevant chords was about the middle of the stradella bass buttons. Not so on my Cavagnolo button accordion. The “C” bass button is 4 buttons lower on the left side, the stradella bass side. The “A” bass button is in the middle. So basically, because the fingering is the same for any key I play mainly in the key of “A”. I read the dots on the lines and press the corresponding button. The dot on the ledger line below the treble staff is commonly known as “C” but because I find it easier to play the bass buttons in their position the sound I make is “A”. I can still play in “C” key with no problem.
Tuning of the Chromatic Accordions.
Chromatic (and piano) accordions have either 2, 3, 4 or 5 sets of reeds in the treble side and similar in the bass side. For the most part most accordions have 3 sets of reeds. They are tuned as required either one high, one middle and one bottom or one high and two middle. To get the French musette sound the three reeds are tuned one middle and the other two tuned one slightly higher and one slightly lower. With two reed blocks they are generally tunes slightly apart depending on your requirements. To get the Jimmy Shand sound on the Tyros set the R1 and R2 voices to the Cajun accordion and in the mixing console set the tuning (3rd tab) to R1 to +25 and R2 to -25. Adjust these as you please.
Now for the diatonic accordions
As I have posted before, they have very many configurations of the button rows. C,F,G or Bb D F# or other combinations. This is because they are made for Irish or Scottish folk music and the Jigs and Reels related to their country. My Honher Erica had 2 rows of buttons and 2 sets of reeds and was tuned in C & C# so I could make a mess of any song. The steirische is tuned for Austrian and Tyrolean accompaniment and has a variety of reed tunings. It is just a matter of getting used to the instrument and the music that you want to play.
Regards, Den.