Advanced BUTTON LAYOUT
Some of this is review, some of it matches the (Inside treble-row) BA2 Units 4 & 5 coverage, and some of it matches the (outside treble-row) Units later in 2022. The G-C Accordion is used as an example, but the bass & treble button numbers are applicable to other (similar) dual-row accordions, such as A-D, C-F & D-G.
1. Button Layout of Double-Row Accordions
As you hold the accordion to play, the treble buttons, providing the melody, are on your right, and the bass and chord buttons, which can enhance the rhythm and contribute to the tune's harmonic content, are on your left. The treble buttons are usually numbered from 1 to 11 (outside row) and from 1 to 10 (inside row), where 1 is the button near the chin.
I prefer to label the left buttons, from from 1 at the top (near chin) to 4 at the bottom in each row, as follows:
When playing the left-hand solely for rhythm effect, many players use only one chord-button (giving two chords, push & pull) and one bass-button (giving two bass notes, push & pull). These are matched to the treble side as follows:
The left-hand inner-row bass and chord buttons can add additional interest and variety, including the enhancement of harmonic content, when played in conjunction with certain treble notes.
I prefer to label the left buttons, from from 1 at the top (near chin) to 4 at the bottom in each row, as follows:
- Outer row: o1 (chord), o2 (bass), o3 (chord), and o4 (bass)
- Inner row: i1 (chord), i2 (bass), i3 (chord) and i4 (bass)
When playing the left-hand solely for rhythm effect, many players use only one chord-button (giving two chords, push & pull) and one bass-button (giving two bass notes, push & pull). These are matched to the treble side as follows:
- Buttons o1 and o2 are normally matched to the right-hand outside treble row.
- Buttons o3 and o4 are normally matched to the right-hand inside treble row.
The left-hand inner-row bass and chord buttons can add additional interest and variety, including the enhancement of harmonic content, when played in conjunction with certain treble notes.
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The layout for the very common (at least, in Newfoundland and Labrador) G-C accordion is shown below.
This diagram was copied from the UK melodeon site mentioned earlier. If interested, CLICK HERE to check out their button-layout drawings for A-D, D-G and C-F accordions. It will open in a separate window, so you can easily move back and forth between sites. |
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2. Harmonic Matching of Bass/Chord & Treble Buttons
(If you find the following presentation too confusing, then just skip directly to CONCLUSIONS.)
On the push, there are 4 bass notes: G on o2 C on o4 E on i2 F on i4
On the pull, there are also 4 base notes: D on o2* G on o4* A on i2* F on i4*
On push, there are 4 major chords: G on o1 C on o3 E on i1 F on i3
On pull, there are 3 major chords: D on o1* G on o3* F on i3*
On pull, there is 1 minor chord: A- on i1*
Chord G notes = G B D Chord F notes = F A C
Chord D notes = D F# A Chord E notes = E G# B
Chord C notes = C E G Chord A- notes = A C E
(If you find the following presentation too confusing, then just skip directly to CONCLUSIONS.)
On the push, there are 4 bass notes: G on o2 C on o4 E on i2 F on i4
On the pull, there are also 4 base notes: D on o2* G on o4* A on i2* F on i4*
On push, there are 4 major chords: G on o1 C on o3 E on i1 F on i3
On pull, there are 3 major chords: D on o1* G on o3* F on i3*
On pull, there is 1 minor chord: A- on i1*
Chord G notes = G B D Chord F notes = F A C
Chord D notes = D F# A Chord E notes = E G# B
Chord C notes = C E G Chord A- notes = A C E
Matching Outer (G) row NOTES, Button Numbers, and CHORDS:
D F# G A B C D E F# G A B C D E F# G B A D
2 2* 3 3* 4 4* 5 5* 6* 6 7* 7 8* 8 9* 10* 9 10 11* 11
G D G D G F G A- D G D G F G A- D G G D G
Matching Inner(C) row NOTES, Button Numbers, and CHORDS:
G B C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C E
2 2* 3 3* 4 4* 5 5* 6* 6 7* 7 8* 8 9* 10* 9 10
C G C G C F C F G C G C F C F G C C
D F# G A B C D E F# G A B C D E F# G B A D
2 2* 3 3* 4 4* 5 5* 6* 6 7* 7 8* 8 9* 10* 9 10 11* 11
G D G D G F G A- D G D G F G A- D G G D G
Matching Inner(C) row NOTES, Button Numbers, and CHORDS:
G B C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C E
2 2* 3 3* 4 4* 5 5* 6* 6 7* 7 8* 8 9* 10* 9 10
C G C G C F C F G C G C F C F G C C
3. Conclusions for Matching Left and Right Buttons
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For outer Treble Row
For inner Treble Row |
If you are playing the left-side mostly for rhythmic beat, then you can play Left (outer) button o1 & o1* for the chords, and Left (outer) button o2 & o2* for the bass.
If, however, you also want to enrich the harmonic content of the tune, then you should consider the following harmonic matching: ON PUSH, Use Left (outer) buttons o1 & o2 to match right treble buttons 2 to 11 ON PULL, Use Left (outer) buttons o1* & o2* for buttons 2* 3* 5* 6* 7* 9* 10* Left (inner) buttons i3* & i4* for right buttons 4* and 8* If you are playing the left-side mostly for rhythmic beat, then you can play Left (outer) button o3 & o3* for the chords, and Left (outer) button o4 & o4* for the bass. If, however, you also want to enrich the harmonic content of the tune, then you should consider the following harmonic matching: ON PUSH, Use Left (outer) buttons o3 & o4 to match right treble buttons 2 to 10 ON PULL, Use Left (outer) buttons o3* & o4* for buttons 2* 3* 6* 7* 10* Left (inner) buttons i3* & i4* to match right buttons 4* 5* 8* 9* |
HEADS-UP: Remember, you were only asked to "consider" each matching of treble with bass & chords. The real question in each case is: "Does it sound great?" If it does, use it; if not, try something else, until you find a matching that is satisfactory for the tune you are playing.
4. Other Chord Possibilities
There are other, less frequently used, chord possibilities. For example, the left-hand chords on my accordions are all three-note chords (or triads), consisting of the first, third and fifth notes of their scale. The discussion and conclusions above fail to take account of the fact that, in some cases, it is possible to form four-note chords by playing a left chord button, such as i3*, and a right treble button, such as o1*, to form a four-note chord, in this case an F7 (dominant) . This increases the number of possible harmonic matchings, though not by very many for double-row accordions. Those of you with triple-row diatonic accordions will have more options of this type.
Some button accordions have a "stop" on the left, which gives the option of removing the "third" of a three-note chord, leaving only the "first" and the "fifth" notes. It is the "third" that determines whether a chord is major or minor, and thus removing it gives a reduced "chord" that can be used for tunes that call for a number of minor chords.