This is understandable because the accordion is their national instrument. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the accordion is widely used in sevdalinka performances. Sevdalinka is a folk music genre that originated from this country.
The accordion had a huge role in the history of Brazilian music. Try to ask Brazilians where did accordions come from and many would most likely say that it originated from their country. When in fact, Germans and Italians introduced it to them. This transpired when some Europeans migrated to Brazil.
The first type of accordion introduced in Brazil was the concertina. It was a chromatic accordion featuring buttons. It was in the s when its fame was at its peak. Entry-level chromatic accordions usually only have 46 buttons arranged chromatically. In fact, almost a hundred accordion manufacturing facilities opened in Brazil.
Most of them were in Rio Grande do Sul. The business closed in But, up until now, the popularity of Todeschini accordions continues. In fact, there are still Todeschini accordions that exist. A few musical instrument shops are still willing to provide their maintenance services.
There are many notable accordionists from Brazil. In some countries, the accordion forms part of traditional folk music. But in Brazil, it even forms part of pop music. In fact, the country regards it as the most popular melodic instrument. The notable piano accordionists from northeast Brazil include the Dominguinhos and Luiz Gonzaga. Their musical style is usually accompanied by other musical instruments. Among these are the zabumba and the triangle.
Now, this musical style is also popular in southeast Brazil. In southeast and midwest Brazil, the accordion is always a part of various music styles. These include the Sertanejo and Caipira music. Now, the entire country has adopted it. Again, many would mistaken their country as its place of origin. This is because the accordion also forms part of their traditional music.
It usually forms part of the cumbia and vallenato music genres. For instance, tropipop musicians features the accordion in the music.
Some of the notable accordion players who do are Bacilos, Fonseca, and Carlos Vives. The rock music genre features the accordion too. In fact, Juanes is one of these rock musicians. In pop music, Shakira is one of the musicians who feature the accordion. Aside from all these, Colombians also hold competitions for accordionists. A well-known contest is the one at the Vallenato Legend Festival. Colombians hold this festival, called the Cradle of Accordions festival, on an annual basis.
Also, the festival conducts a major competition every decade. In which case, the contestants are the winners for the last ten years. Indeed, the Vallenato Legend Festival conducts the largest competition for accordionists worldwide. The accordion forms part of several music genres in Mexico. In fact, Mexico regards Ayala as its King of the Accordion. Mexican musician Julieta Venegas features the accordion in her music. Her versatility allows the incorporation of the instrument in different genres.
These include folk, pop and rock music. Her inspiration was the Los Lobos, a band that also incorporates the instrument in their music.
They include the following:. All accordions feature a buttonboard on the left side. But not all accordions have a buttonboard on the right side. In this article, Kerry Panara shares his knowledge in the history of accordions, how they developed and evolved into the digital realm.
Kerry Panara is a Guest Blogger and as such, the views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of Roland Corporation. The origin of the Piano Accordion has always been a subjective topic. Cyrillus Damian, a Viennese instrument maker patented the Accordion name The incarnation of the accordion and its refinement over the years has been liberating and defining to the accordion purist.
The ability to express an instrument that is air pressure controlled and mounted on your chest is unlike any other instrument in the world. The accordion is truly an international phenomenon. In China alone there are currently over 1 million students learning to play the accordion. In more recent times we are now seeing the accordion progressing into the more popular fields of music.
The accordion is becoming more widely accepted as an alternative unique instrument that can easily cross over all styles of music. With the use of the switches, a musician can mix and match different reed blocks with varying octaves and registers to produce various sounds.
For example, one can simultaneously play the lowest and the highest timbre or octave. Doing so, they can produce sounds unique and different from playing just a single octave. Some accordions have blocks that are similar in tuning. Their differences are minimal but when played together, produce a unique sound effect. When played together using switches, it produces unique vibrations on the timbre known as the tremolo effect.
French music uses this kind of effect. Mexican, German, Irish, and Italian folk music also uses this effect. As mentioned above, the reed blocks connect to a set of piano keys in the treble side and buttons on the bass side. While the majority of accordions use both piano keys and buttons, some types of accordions only have bass buttons. For these types of accordions, both of the sides only have buttons. For the treble side, when pressing a piano key, the valves covering the reeds open.
When they open, flowing air from the bellows can pass through the reeds. This causes the reeds to vibrate and the vibration produces the sound. As for the bass side, instead of valves, it uses a set of levers and rods attached to the buttons to play the reeds.
In most accordions, a special key called the air button is present. Pressing the air button lets you move the bellows without making any sound.
Since compressing and expanding the bellows produces a different sound, the air button can be useful to control the sound you want to play. The piano key side of an accordion is very visible while playing the instrument.
As an accordionist, one must be able to memorize the buttons. True, there are tactile clues for the buttons but this can still prove to be a challenge for beginners.
Most accordions follow the Stradella Bass System. The most common layout is buttons arranged in 6 columns. Smaller accordions have lesser columns or rows but the layout is still similar.
As you can notice, the first two columns are single notes. Meanwhile, starting from the third column, the buttons are chords. Some of the keys, like the root note C, often comes with a rhinestone, a bump, or a hole to help identify the button. Root notes A-flat and E also comes with markings or tactile clues.
Aside from the Stradella bass system, there are also free bass accordions. This type of button layout and structure is more popular in European countries than in the Americas. For free bass accordions, all the buttons are single notes. The buttons are chromatically arranged and range from four to five octaves. You can still play chords depending on the reach of your hand.
Like the Stradella accordions, button is also the most common layout. Understanding how an accordion is made is beneficial. A simple knowledge of how accordions are made can also help understand how the instrument works. It takes literally hundreds of parts to make an accordion. Wood is often the material of choice for the outer parts.
This includes the frame, the reed blocks, and the pallets. Metals and hard plastics are the chosen materials for the inner parts. Clothes and cardboard, reinforced with leather and metal, is the way to go for bellows.
Meanwhile, the keys, the buttons, and other outer movable parts are all plastic. Assembling an accordion takes a lot of time.
0コメント