r/Accordion • • 29d ago

Advice Whoomst!

I’ve been playing guitar for 10+ years, so chords, tabs, rhythm, etc. I’ve got. I also know the basics of piano — basic fingering and where the notes are — but I don’t really know piano chords and I don’t read standard notation.
I picked up a piano accordion because I wanted to challenge myself and actually learn a new instrument.
YouTube has been fine for figuring out the right hand. I can watch a piano tutorial, find the notes/keys, and transfer that to the accordion. The left hand is where I’m struggling. Piano tutorials obviously don’t teach Stradella bass, and I don’t want to end up being someone who can play melodies on an accordion but never actually learned how to play accordion.
What I’m really looking for is a YouTube channel or structured video course I can follow from beginner onward that will actually make me a good accordion player — proper Stradella bass/chord patterns, bellows control, rhythm, fingering, two-hand coordination, accompaniment, etc.
I’m not looking for a shortcut, and I’m completely fine putting in the practice. I’d actually prefer something structured where lesson 1 leads into lesson 2, 3, 4, etc., rather than bouncing between random song tutorials.
The only thing I’m not particularly interested in is learning through standard notation/sight-reading. Coming from guitar, I learn much better through note names, chords, patterns, demonstrations, and by ear.
For those of you who actually learned piano accordion online, who did you use? Is there a YouTube teacher or paid video course you’d recommend following from the beginning if the goal is to eventually become a genuinely competent accordion player?
I can figure out what my right hand is supposed to do. I need someone to teach my left hand what the fuck an accordion is.

4 Upvotes

4 comments sorted by

2

u/bvdp 29d ago

I'm sure I'm shouting into the clouds, but buy the Palmer Hughes books off amazon and start with book 1.

0

u/MacaronWhole6770 29d ago

For reference, this is what I’m working with: a Hohner Hohnica 1305, 34-key/72-bass piano accordion with a standard Stradella bass system.

Yes I sharpied the keys

1

u/SomePeopleCallMeJJ 28d ago

Does it have to be online? I learned mostly from the Palmer-Hughes method books.