Accordion Lessons
If you find yourself interested in finding an accordion teacher in Clear Lake, then you’re probably already aware that the accordion is a versatile instrument suitable to many different types of music including classical, jazz, folk, ethnic, and popular music. Like the piano, it is an excellent instrument for teaching the fundamentals of music. Though they are both keyboard instruments, the accordion is more closely related to the organ than the piano. Unlike the piano and organ, accordions are extremely portable. The unique configuration of the bass keyboard allows the musician to self-accompany playing melody, bass, and rhythm simultaneously. The bellows draw air across the reeds to create sound. Moving the bellows is similar to the bowing of a violin; it allows tremendous degree of expressiveness. Accordions blend well with most other instruments.
While there are always exceptional students who begin earlier, age 7 or 8 is a good time to start playing the accordion. It is never too late to begin! In addition to private lessons (such as our accordion lessons Clear Lake Texas), there are accordion orchestra opportunities available.
There are countless varieties of accordions all over the world. The most popular accordion type in America is the piano accordion. It is played similar to a piano, except that the keyboard is vertical. Many pianists and organists learn the accordion so they have a portable instrument. The piano accordion is chromatic and able to play in every key and any style. There are several types of chromatic button accordions which are extremely popular in Europe and growing in popularity here. Chromatic button accordions have a more logical keyboard layout than piano accordions. Their layout offers easy transposition to ANY key. However, most people prefer the familiar layout of the piano keyboard. There are two principal button configurations chromatic button accordions: C-type and B-type. B-type is popular in Eastern Europe and is commonly called the bayan. C-type is popular in Western Europe and the Americas.
Another common instrument in this area is the triple row diatonic accordion. This is popular in many folk and popular styles such as Tejano, Norteo, Conjunto, Zydeco, and Creole. Instead of a piano keyboard, diatonic keyboards have three rows of round buttons. Diatonic accordions are only able to play in a few keys. The most common tuning beginning 3-row diatonic accordions is G-C-F. Triple-row diatonic accordions are the fastest growing type of accordion in all of the Americas. Also popular in this area is the single-row diatonic or Cajun accordion. Like the triple row diatonic, single row diatonic accordions are limited in the number of keys the player can perform in.
At the studio, we teach piano accordion, C-type chromatic button accordion, triple-row diatonic accordion (G-C-F), and single row diatonic accordion (key of C). Our focus is on proper technique and music literacy so that the performer is enabled to play ANY style of music that is meaningful to them.
We are glad to discuss accordion options with you and even put you in touch with reputable dealers. There are often high-quality, well-cared-for used accordions available. Hopefully we’ve answered some of your questions surrounding your decision to take accordion lessons in Clear Lake Texas, we’re sure you have more. Feel free to contact us at Nassau Bay Music Lessons with further inquiry, and we’ll do our best to help you get all the information you need.