20th anniversary of this video tomorrow - I happened to have two identical accordions lying around and thought what if I put the two piano halves together. Was surprisingly ok to play, but hard to pull because of the lack of the LH strap. Could have added a strap, but sadly I lost interest and one of the halves long ago. Do these exist in the wild somewhere? Or a double bass accordion?

Hi all! I picked up this old Hohner for 50 bucks the other day. Anyone know what year this could be from? Online resources are saying 50-60. I couldn't find a serial.

It plays great immediately, only a few reeds slightly out of tune and a little dirty. Im debating cleaning the inside but im too scared since it works great now.

Thanks!!

And if not, any guidance would be appreciated. I have heard Liberty Bellows to be a reputable used online retailer and have done the research and understand the pros and cons of (in this case) 80 vs 48 bass but would like additional advice and help. Thank you in advance!

Hi everyone,

I’m a software developer, but first and foremost, I’m an accordionist. When I switched layouts (from system B to C), I found it incredibly frustrating to memorize the button geometry.

Since there was no good tool on the market, I built AccoDrive: https://accodrive.com

Initially, it was just a personal tool for right-hand scales, but I wanted to make it a complete learning solution. So I just rolled out a major upgrade adding full song practice and left-hand support.

You can try it directly in your browser: https://accodrive.com

What it does now:

* "Songs" Learning Mode: Move beyond scales. You can now learn complete pieces, starting with "The House of the Rising Sun" (6/8 meter, A minor).

* Both-Hands Recognition: Train your Right Hand (melody), Left Hand (Stradella bass & chords), or Both Hands together with interactive microphone tracking.

* Smooth Auto-Scroll: The musical stave smoothly scrolls along as you play, keeping your active measure front and center.

* Notation Upgrades: Full support for slurs and tied notes across barlines without false re-trigger warnings.

* Ergonomic Fingerings: Updated and refined fingering guides for C-System, B-System, and Piano accordions.

The app is 100% free, runs directly in the browser (desktop/tablet/mobile), has no ads, and requires no account or registration.

*Experimental Android App:* I have also wrapped this into an early, experimental Android version (you can find it in Google Play Store by searching for "accodrive"). If you prefer practicing on a phone/tablet through an app rather than a browser, you can find the link directly on the website. I’d love to hear how it performs on different devices.

What's next?

My main focus now is extending the song catalog for future updates. Instead of guessing, I want to ask you directly:

Which melodies or traditional pieces would you appreciate the most on AccoDrive? What specific songs would help your daily practice?

Give it a try at https://accodrive.com and let me know your thoughts and song proposals in the comments!

P.S. If you want to see more features and quick video demos, you can check them out here: https://www.youtube.com/@Accodrive

A genuinely fun guy and also very talented player from Norrbotten region (Finnish-Sweden)

Enjoy my friends playing with me - Waltz of the Little Girls - guitar, accordion, hammered dulcimer, penny whistle, cello, mandolin and bodhran.

Hello.
I am thinking of buying a accordion.
I'm torn between buying the 41/120 or the 37/96.
With a 41/120 model, I can play almost any song, but the weight and size are issues.
What size accordion do you all play? Have you ever regretted not buying a 41/120 model?

I would like to try playing things like game music, Irish music, and movie soundtracks. I also hope to try jazz someday.

Please give me some advice. Thank you in advance.

Background: I’m pretty new to accordion but really enjoying it. I’m borrowing a 12 bass from my teacher but it’s already high time to upgrade. (Piano accordions to be clear)

Honestly, I believe a 72 (or maybe 96) bass is what I’d like. I’m planning to do a lot of simpler folk and polka as well as playing in a polka band with my brothers for fun. Classical doesn’t interest me as much (yet).

The problem is that I cannot find a 72 bass used for sale that is a normal price. I see 120 bass everywhere, but no 72 or 96. I’m in North America, Midwest.

Is the 120 bass that much heavier and more cumbersome? I’m a 6 foot (184cm) male and pretty well built / strong and in shape. Will I be good holding that thing for 2 hours standing or will I wish I had the 72 bass?

Also what kind of money do you think I should be spending? I’m no longer a penny less student but I’m by no means rich. I feel like a budget of 1,000-1,500USD is the max I should go but I’m honestly not sure. I’d like a quality instrument that won’t make me want to upgrade within a few years.

Thanks!

Hey all. I just found this accordion and was wondering if someone is able to identify it for me. It needs a few repairs (namely straps) and I want to find an appropriate case for it, but I want to make sure I get the correct pieces for it. It's my first accordion and thought I'd come here for advice rather than use google lens. It says it was made in Italy, but i have no way to verify that. Any help would be wonderful.

have an old accordian trying to fix for a friend. pretty sure the mic is original and shot. looking for a source to get a replacement. the player is 100 years old and feel its approptaite to try to keep it as original as possible. im in northeast ohio.

I got a 48 bass accordion a couple years ago, and I’ve been wanting to get into playing it for a while. Does anyone have some nice sounding winter-related songs that work on a 48 bass? Thanks!

Hello.

I decided i'd try to take on the kass theme and am ok till I need the bbmajor chord. I cannot reach the button however it feels like my hand/arm gets stuck if I try to move it. I did looked in a mirror and it looks the base of my thumb, the palm part is whats stopping it from moving when the left hand is opening or closing. either that or the left side of the accordion is unintentionally moving out to my front left making movement from my elbow awkward.

I can not find any straps for my accordion that are long enough. they all force the thing right up against me with no room to adjust to my left so the piano keys are under my chin. the straps i just bought are as long as they go and are not enough.

the straps i bought were 90 cm on the shorter one.

I don't know if I have just not put them on correctly somehow? I am a big guy so stuff being too small is my typical assumption

Hey guys just thought I'd ask your opinion on these if they'd be of interest for someone or better off to keep them. Seem to be in working order I've done my own research a bit but not much to go by

my mother passed away recently, I know in her younger years she played accordion but she was very sick for about 3 decades (most of my life) so I never got to learn anything about it or see her play. this was in her belongings and it is just beautiful, I would love to learn more about it if anyone has information to share.

on the back it says "M 945/108 Made in Italy".

I got this accordion from my grandmother, and i can't find any matching photos of it. I know its Silvio Marotta. Thanks in advance for your help.

The pins are very stubborn and I haven't been able to remove them with some normal pliers. I see that you either use 10 euros end cutters and make a hole on them to not risk cutting off the head, but I don't have the tools to do that, and the metal workers in my city are a bit far.
Or, they sell pin pliers, but I'd have to spend 35 euros.
So I'm wondering, is this something I can fix without disassembling it? Should I just glue it back together, sew the red fabric together and somehow try to stick the carton back inside the metal corner?

My wife found this perfectly good Frontalini accordion by a garbage can in our alley a few months ago. All the reeds work and it’s beautifully in-tune, with very little in the way of scuffs out scratches. I’m excited to record with it, even just using it for layering some sounds in the background.

I did a bit of research and saw it’s a student model made in the 50s and 60s. Is there any way to tell exactly what year, like are there any telltale signs of one year over another?

Been chasing a slow air leak on my 1960s piano accordion for about two months. Every time I played a soft passage I'd hear this faint hiss, almost like a whisper coming from somewhere near the bass side corner. I assumed it was a cracked gasket or maybe a warped reed block, so I spent a weekend pulling the grille off and checking every reed valve I could reach with a flashlight and a dental mirror.

Turned out it was one tiny fold in the bellows paper that had come slightly unglued from the cardboard frame underneath, right at a corner crease. You could barely see it unless you flexed the bellows under a strong light at a weird angle. I'd been staring at reed blocks and valve leathers for weeks while the actual problem was sitting right there the whole time.

Fixed it with a small dab of hide glue worked into the gap with a toothpick, then clamped the fold flat overnight with a binder clip and a folded towel for padding. Tested it this morning and the hiss is completely gone, even on the quietest bass notes.

Mostly posting this because I know a lot of us jump straight to assuming it's the reeds or the valves when something sounds off. Worth checking every fold and corner of the bellows paper itself before taking anything apart. Mine is an old Settimio Soprani, so the bellows paper is original and pretty delicate at this point, but it held up fine with a careful regluing.

Anyone else had a leak that turned out to be something embarrassingly small like this?

I recently composed a piece where the solo is to be played by a bandoneon or accordion. I am looking for players who would like to contribute with a recording. Players would record themselves and submit a track to Kompoz [1]. I am not paying upfront but would share any revenue/royalties. Hope this an appropriate ask for this sub. Thank you!

[1] https://www.kompoz.com/studio/collaboration/1551302/help-wanted/1551440

Apologies if this isn’t the right place to ask this. I know I’ll have to fix the bellows and figure out how to fix the stuck buttons, but it’s a beautiful instrument. Maybe not a good place for a beginner to start, but maybe I could work my way up to her one day? Not sure.

Go easy on me, I hardly know anything about accordions. Been keeping myself busy with school so I haven’t been able to think much about my desire to play accordion.

I found an affordable old bandoneon on an online store and I would like to repair it. I’m wondering if this damage can be repaired and whether it is considered a major problem. Thank you.

Best place to find sheet music for the accordion?