Why Accordion?
 

All my friends wonder: why accordion? First reaction, for many people, is to find ridiculous playing accordion. Accordions are for beggars or for gypsies, that seem to be the general opinion. How did it come to that? How come one of the most beautiful and powerful instrument fell into this disgrace?

It true, majority of people who played accordion is divided in two. Either the professional jazz singers, who's melody is very hard to understand. Either some really not cool guys: 80 years old people, nerds or indeed beggars.
There is no good model for young people to say : "You know what? I want to be just like that!".
It may be so, but this is only the result of more then 20 years of bad reputation, is not the actually cause of this falling. So how come this happened? the previous generations just decided that the accordion is no longer a cool instrument?

Ok... but why accordion and not any other instrument?
Let us see the advantages:
1. The accordion is a compete instrument like the piano.
2. You can play melodic lines with the left hand, while with the right you can play bass, rhythm. This makes it very powerful while playing solo.
3. One great advantage over the piano is the portability. You can carry the accordion wherever you go.
4. Stradella bass system allows you to play chords by pressing only one button for each chord.
5. You can play very long notes.

Off course there are some disadvantages, but most of them can be compensated. Like playing the chords that are not included in the bass system, is done by pressing several keys.

As a disclaimer: there is no intend to offend the old people who play accordion or people of roma origin.

Accordian is awesome!!!!! FTDBS. Buckwheat Zydeco is great, Just for starters.

i concur,...growing up this close to the bayou, zedeco is a huge musical influence amongst these parts,.....
dont let them give you ****,....accordions are cooler than they think

Yeah accordian pWns the n00bs.....

The majority of accordion players do not fall into one of two categories. As a former accordion player I came under the influence of traditional Irish musicians such as Seamus Begley and Sharon Shannon.

Before I read this thread I had never heard anyone cite accordion playing as such. My accordion was quite expensive, and notwithstanding is one of the more humble models, so I've never associated them with beggars/gypsies. This stereotype is new to me.

I'm saddened to learn that people apparantly think it "ridiculous" as it's such a beautiful instrument.


Sharon FTW

If I were to play accordion, it would be because of Valfar of Windir.

Excuse the crappy wiki pages with a lack of info, but Valfar was an accordion master of his Norwegian hometown.

i associate accordions with peg-legged one-eyed sailors...... which makes them awesome!

**** ninjas,pirates are way awesomer....

Thanks for the replies guys! Buckwheat Zydeco is great indeed I like very much his interpretation of "Hey Joe".
Sharon Shannon is also incredible in the movie that monellia posted, please let me know if you have some intersting Seamus Begley videos also.
Valfar of Windir a leader of black metal band was an accordion master! Well this is what I'm actually looking for. Some modern music incorporating accordion sounds. Too bad he is dead.
I was looking to Arcade Fire band which is great, but their accordion sound is not very impressive.

Sorry i cannot include Arcade Fire "Rebellion" movie here because i don't have 15 post yet!
:band:

So post if you know some other guys who are worth mention for.

The accordion may be expensive but the family as a whole isn't. There have been times where it was less than remarked upon.

However accordions (in various forms) are the engine behind tango, and I once saw the lead singer of the prodigals shred a button accordion like he was eddie van halen.

I have to say, after reading this, i'm inclined to find out about lessons. Portability makes a word of diffrenece.

Oh an excellent points by the way, Loose lips. Your contributions are nothing short of lung paralyzing.

I'm going to assume that you were being sarcastic

I have never played accordion and would LOVE to. Its such a cool instrument.

I think its pretty cool actually

So i've played piano for a few years and am currently in the act of falling out of practice. Mostly because I can't not associate the piano with Brahms and Mahler.

I am highly interested in picking up an Accordion not only because its similar (more similar than most other mobile instruments), but I'm a big fan of roots music, and I love its harnoic abilities.

Problem is, I don't know **** about accordions. I'm going to do some research but as with most things, talking to someone who knows the ropes is a quicker way to quicker. And I'd prefer to get started sooner than later.

Any help would be appreciated. Also, i might be possible inhereting a button-accordion...is that good?

Who was it who said that a gentleman is a man who can but doesn't play the accordion? :D

edit, just remembered it was Tom Waits...

Who, himself plays it.

To each their own.

Accordion music is cool,its played a lot in spanish music all over latin america.Its gotten a little more popular in spanish pop music.Some songs I really like that have accordion is

Band:Ska p
Song:puto dinero

Julieta venegas (most of her songs actually have accordion)
song:el presente

Pretty much northern mexico music has it,banda.

Oh sorry I dont have like you tube vids,I cant get on it here at work.


ps. Damn I just saw this threads pretty old lol

YouTube - Accordion Abuse

the accordion takes mad skill and deserves respect

Hehe I'm not complaining, I like accordions. Still, that quote amuses me.

I'd say because theres no portable instrument that compares. If you know what you're doing, you would slaughter other instrumentalists.

Kid Shreds on Accordion - CollegeHumor video