A button accordion is a type of accordion that has buttons instead of piano-style keys on the melody side. This is different from a piano accordion, which uses keys. In 1914, Erich von Hornbostel and Curt Sachs classified the button accordion as a free reed aerophone in their system for grouping musical instruments. The instrument makes sound when air vibrates through reeds. Button accordions are widely used in European countries and places where European people settled. The button accordion is often mistaken for a concertina. On a button accordion, the buttons are located on the front of the instrument, while on a concertina, the buttons are on the sides and are pushed in the same direction as the bellows.

Main components

All accordions and concertinas have three main parts: reeds, bellows, and buttons or keys. When you push or pull the bellows slowly, the sound is softer. When you do it quickly, the sound is louder. Accordions have free reeds on both the treble and bass sides. In modern accordions, these reeds are usually made of tempered steel. Pressing a button or key opens a valve, allowing air to pass through the reeds and create sound when the bellows are moved. In a diatonic button accordion, reeds are paired so that one note plays when air moves in, and a different note plays when air moves out. The button accordion has melodic notes on one side of the bellows (usually the right side) and bass accompaniment notes on the other side (usually the left).

Some button accordions have "stops," which change the tone. These are named things like "Organ," "Trumpet," or "Tremolo." They allow the instrument to make different sounds for different situations. Examples include the three-stop accordion, which has two sets of tenor reeds and one set of bass reeds, and the classic German four-stop accordion, which has one bass, one piccolo, and two tenor stops. This setup gives the instrument a richer sound. Most diatonic instruments do not have switches, though some made by companies like Hohner and the one-row "Cajun"-type boxes often have 3 or 4 stops on top of the box as switches. It is more common to find switches on chromatic or piano accordions.

Variations

Button accordions come in many types, with different keyboard systems, tuning, how they work, and how they are built.

The diatonic button accordion is bisonoric, which means the note played changes depending on whether the bellows are being pushed or pulled. This is similar to a harmonica, where the note changes based on whether the player is blowing in or pulling air out. In most diatonic button accordions, each row of melody buttons plays a different major scale, with extra buttons at the ends of the rows used for notes that are not in the main scale. The diatonic button accordion is the most common type of button accordion and is used in many cultures, especially in folk music.

A popular type of diatonic button accordion is the one-row model. It is tuned to a diatonic scale that covers two-and-a-half octaves. The buttons on the accompaniment side (bass or chord side) play a tonic chord when pushed and a dominant chord when pulled. This design works well for simple Anglo-American fiddle tunes. The German melodeon was a later version of the diatonic button accordion and was widely used in Scotland until about the 1920s.

The chromatic button accordion is similar to the piano accordion but often has three, four, or five rows of buttons on the right-hand side. It is unisonoric, meaning the same note is played whether the bellows are pushed or pulled. The chromatic button accordion is traditionally used in concerts and is more common in jazz and classical music because it can be played in any key, usually with the same finger movements.

• One-row diatonic button accordion
• Three-row diatonic button accordion
• Three-row chromatic button accordion
• Four-row and five-row chromatic button accordion

History

In 1829, Cyril Demian patented the first diatonic button accordion and named it "Accordion." The same year, Charles Wheatstone created the first concertina. In 1850, Franz Walther made the first chromatic button accordion. The word "Accordion" is believed to come from "Akkord," the German word for chord. The accordion may have been inspired by traditional reed instruments from southeast Asia. The button accordion was first made in large numbers in Europe in 1835, with the piano accordion appearing later. It became the first instrument that was mass-produced, loud, strong, and easy to carry, though it was not inexpensive. At first, the button accordion was too costly for most people in the lower and middle classes, but by the 1860s, as it became less unusual, it was used more widely by these groups. Early instruments show that they only played chords and were played left-handed, unlike modern versions. The first accordions had 5 buttons (10 chords), so they were mainly used to support music.

Early minstrel groups traveled to America as early as 1843, sharing the accordion’s sound. The button accordion was well-suited for dance music across many cultures because it allowed players to perform both melody and accompaniment at the same time, while also singing or tapping their feet. The many reeds in the accordion create a louder sound, which works well in crowded dance halls.

Cultures

The two-row diatonic button accordion with eight bass buttons is still widely used in northeast Brazil. It is called the fole to help people tell it apart from the piano accordion. This instrument first appeared in Brazil in the late 1800s. Before that, one-row diatonic button accordions with two bass buttons were used. Later, chromatic accordions became more popular because they allowed musicians to play a wider variety of musical styles.

In Irish traditional music, the concertina, button accordion, and piano accordion are all commonly used. The button accordion was first sold in Ireland in 1831.

The button accordion is a main instrument for creating melodies in traditional music from Newfoundland.

The button accordion is often used in Tejano (Texas-Mexican) music. The two-row button accordion is most common, though there are some differences in how it is used. Mexican norteño musicians prefer accordions with more vibrato, while Texan musicians prefer less vibrato. Vibrato is created by tuning the reeds slightly differently from one another.

The button accordion arrived in Louisiana in the 1800s. It was a popular instrument among Cajuns and French-speaking Creoles. Later, a new, higher-quality version of the button accordion was made in Louisiana. This version became and stayed popular with Cajun and Zydeco musicians. The Acadian tradition of southern Louisiana influenced some musicians, such as Huddie "Leadbelly" Leadbetter. The button accordion was especially popular among African-Americans in Louisiana from 1880 to 1910. In some areas and groups, the diatonic button accordion is called a windjammer.

Starting in the 19th century, the button accordion has been used in sub-Saharan African music. It was brought to Africa by sailors, merchants, and settlers. Today, it is played by individuals and in dance bands.

Notable players

• Huddie "Leadbelly" Leadbetter: One of the first African-Americans to make recordings using a button accordion. He was from Caddo Parish, Louisiana, and recorded rural African-American music on the accordion from 1942 to 1947. His music was influenced by the Acadian style found in southern Louisiana.
• Flaco Jiménez: A well-known accordionist in Tejano music.
• Gilberto Reyes: A popular accordionist in Tejano music. He repaired and tuned his own accordions and made changes to his button accordion. Because of this, the Hohner instrument company noticed him and invited him to work with them. He adjusted the tuning of the reeds in the button accordion to create an instrument that matched Flaco Jiménez’s preferred sound, making it suitable for Texas-Mexican music.
• Narciso Martínez: Often called an "accordion pioneer" in Tejano music.
• Zé Calixto: A skilled accordionist in northeast Brazil. He is the brother of Luizinho Calixto.
• Luizinho Calixto: A skilled accordionist in northeast Brazil. He is the brother of Zé Calixto.
• Sharon Shannon: An Irish musician.
• David Hidalgo: A member of the band Los Lobos.