How to choose an accordion
The wide range of accordions can be confusing. We have written answers to the most frequently asked questions for you. We believe, that this will help you with the choice of the right accordion for you.
Keys or buttons?
An eternal topic for discussion among all players: Is a piano- or buttonaccordion better?
It doesn’t matter, play anything. A pianoaccordion is cheaper and lighter, because of smaller range. You learn to play the pianoaccordion faster, the beginnings are easier. The Chromatic / Button accordion has a larger range and more compact dimensions.
The button accordion you can use for much more technically demanding songs that require high speed or large jumps. Compared to the piano accordion, however, the button accordion is more expensive because producing a button mechanism requires incomparably more work and material.
Three or four voices accordion?
You can play the same on the three voices accordion as on the four voices accordion, but the four voices accordion has a much more pronounced sound, not only when switching to the strongest register. It has a larger baffle, so the sound comes out of the instrument better. In addition, we add five voice BB74 concert basses to four voice accordions, which can really “materialize” the sound of your instrument.
Begginers mostly choose a three-voices Arnaldo afterthat they change to four-voices Carmen or Chorál.
For six years old childern we reccomend the two-voices Junior.However, Junior can also do great in bands, the advantage is light weight and easy handling.
What is a "cassotto"?
In some of four-voices accordions you can find so called “cassotto”. It is used in the best accordions and brings the player a beautiful round sound in the “eight” (middle voice). The roundness of the sound can be heard in all combinations of registers. One of the voice locusts of the right hand is placed 90 degrees differently from the others, in its own space – the “cassotto”. This makes the instrument a bit wider, but the sound is worth it. The most favourite accordions with a cassotto are CARMEN 96 CASSOTTO or CHORÁL 120 CASSOTTO.
How to choose reeds?
To all accordions we mostly put SPECIAL reeds. It is a higher class of reeds that have low air consumption, fast response and distinctive sound.
A MANO reeds are suitable for players who require the best.
All our reeds hold the tuning perfectly, the difference is in the material used and the manual tightening of each individual reed. More about different types of reeds you can find here.
How many registers do you need?
The more registers, the more sound options your accordion has. The four-voices accordion has 11 registers, the three-voices accordions has 7 registers maximaly. A wide range of sound belongs to the accordion, so it is advisable to choose an instrument with as many registers as possible. Fewer registers mean lighter accordion weight and also lower price.
How big accordion you have to choose?
For a child under 10 years, you should choose JUNIOR. Older children can play the larger accordion ARNALDO. An adult beginner can choose any accordion from our offer. A bigger accordion is more expensive, but you will play it more and enjoy it more. Having a small, inexpensive accordion, you are limited in range, but the accordion will be light and easier to carry.
How many basses you need?
You do not need 120 basses not even if you are a profesional player. You can play absolutely everything on a 60-bass accordion. The advantage of a larger accordion is a much more pronounced and stronger sound of the bass side. However, more basses are added to larger accordions, although the player still uses very few of them. The advantage is to have an accordion that has 6 rows of bass. The last, 6th series, are scaled-down chords that you can use in any music genre.
Buy a new or older accordion?
It’s the same as with a car, the buyer does not know exactly what he is buying and in what condition the accordion is. The seller will assure you that the accordion is in perfect condition. You do not know where the accordion was stored and in what condition it is inside. We repair dozens of older accordions every month, which are damaged by moisture, mechanical wear or falling. Almost anything can be repaired, but often at the cost of replacing a large number of components with new ones. The customer has a two-year warranty on the new accordion, and if used correctly, the new DELICIA will last you for several decades.
More about repairs you can read here.
If you want to know more about how to play an accordion, we fully recommend you to read this manual: “MANUÁL PRO AKORDEONISTY – RADY A FÍGLE JAK OVLÁDNOUT AKORDEON S LEHKOSTÍ” It is writen by our player, singer and teacher Klára Veselá.
https://klaraakordeon.cz/