Accordion

The accordion is a free-reed keyboard instrument, very widespread in the folk and traditional music of many European and American countries. It was probably invented in Germany in 1822, although the patent belongs to Cyrill Demian (1829). It is box-shaped, with two keyboards and a bellows that the player squeezes and opens. The sound comes from metal reeds inside, which vibrate as the air flows over them.

The accordion is held with both hands at chest height, with straps over the shoulders because of its weight. The left hand plays a button keyboard, with between 6 and 140 buttons for single bass notes or chords; its role differs according to the type of accordion (bayan, bandoneon, or the classic accordion with piano keys). The right hand plays the melody, on a piano-style keyboard in the classic accordion, or on buttons as on the left side in the bandoneon, the Russian bayan and the concertina. Both hands work the bellows, not only to supply air but also to shape the volume and expression. Switches called registers, on both sides, change the timbre, usually by combining octaves.

Because it is fairly small and can play melody and accompaniment at the same time, the accordion was loved and adopted into the folk and traditional music of many peoples. In Europe it became inseparable from 20th-century French popular music, as well as from the tango. It is widely used in Italian and Greek music, and is a leading instrument in the bands of the Slavic countries.