Register Questions

[afuller5]

Hi all,

I have a couple of questions about treble registers. I play a 3-reed accordion LMH.

First, is there a general consensus on what register to use if you don't have one suggested? Since I am an organist, I know each instrument is different and it is really personal preference. But I was just wondering. For example, I use the Clarinet if the suggested register is Violin and Oboe if Musette is suggested.

Second, I have seen reference to both a register called Clarinet and one called Flute, even in the same book/piece. Is the Flute, just the other middle reed of a LMMH accordion playing alone?

Thanks,
Allen

 

[Ben-jammin]

I think generally if a register isn’t suggested it’s up to the player to determine what they feel is appropriate. I know some players that only play in master. But I like to ply lyrical parts with a single reed. For more presence maybe two sets with an octave, and reserve master for when I need to bring it up.

There are conventions for register names but they aren’t universal brand from brand or publisher from publisher. The two lines with dots above, between and below is the most universal I know of to reference L/M/H reeds. I wouldn’t expect flute is referencing the “other” middle as this is usually detuned above or below the pitches of the other reeds in the instrument (so when combined with the “concert” pitch middle it creates tremolo by going in and out of phase). To play that reed without the concert middle usually just sounds like the instrument is out of tune and there isn’t usually a register selection for it. I would expect it is more likely what the publisher wants to call M/H or just H, which is more commonly called piccolo.

 

[Frank Barocco]

There really is no consensus on what register to use. It depends on whether there are recommendations for the piece you are playing, and also it depends on what music style you play. For instance, in jazz it is common to play only or mostly with the bassoon (L) register (especially a bassoon in cassotto/tone chamber).
In tango, on the other hand, usually one prefers registers that involve several voices, such as LMH or LMMH.
And so on.

Regarding the flute question: As your accordion is LMH you only either have either the clarinet or the flute, not both, as having both would require two sets of M reeds.
If one's accordion is dry tuned (meaning different reed blocks are all tuned to the same frequency), then the only difference between clarinet and flute is that usually clarinet is the name used for the M reeds inside the cassotto and flute is usually the name for the equivalent reeds outside the cassotto. In other words, they are the same octave, same frequency, but the clarinet has a mellower tone.
However, as @Ben-jammin said, if you have clarinet and flute tuned differently in order to create a tremolo effect, then they are not interchangeable.

 

[murathan]

Because all models have different combinations and the models may name them differently, an idea is to play with what register you would like on an accordion that you think it suits the piece. For repeats or section register changes in a same song, another tip is to start with small registers (which have less dots on the switches) and finish with "Tutti" higher (more dotted) registers or master (all dots together, they mostly placed in the middle). That is a general tradition.

 

[Siegmund]

First, is there a general consensus on what register to use if you don't have one suggested?

No... it comes down to "whatever sounds best."
But one big factor is balance between the left and right hand. If the suggested register was violin, that might have been for the tremolo effect, or it might have been because 2 treble reeds were needed for volume. (For a lot of pieces, the answer is "first use the thinnest left hand register you have, then see how many right hand reeds are needed to make the balance work.")

Second, I have seen reference to both a register called Clarinet and one called Flute, even in the same book/piece. Is the Flute, just the other middle reed of a LMMH accordion playing alone?

On a dry-tuned accordion with cassotto, those are probably M in and out of cassotto. If wet tuned it is uncommon to have an "M+ alone" switch.

 

[debra]

Hi all,

I have a couple of questions about treble registers. I play a 3-reed accordion LMH.

First, is there a general consensus on what register to use if you don't have one suggested? Since I am an organist, I know each instrument is different and it is really personal preference. But I was just wondering. For example, I use the Clarinet if the suggested register is Violin and Oboe if Musette is suggested.

Second, I have seen reference to both a register called Clarinet and one called Flute, even in the same book/piece. Is the Flute, just the other middle reed of a LMMH accordion playing alone?

Thanks,
Allen

Generally "clarinet" refers to M, preferably an M in cassotto but use what you have... and "flute" or "oboe" can be played with MH, but all terms are merely suggestive. On my old Crucianelli the M is called "oboe" (but it has no H reeds).
The reality is that there isn't enough difference in sound between L reeds 8va, M reeds played loco and H reeds played 8vb on an accordion without cassotto to use them differently as long as you can go high or low enough. Likewise LM played 8va versus MH played loco is also similar. The sound differences you hear are all due to how the reeds fit on the reed block (and thus the size of their resonance chamber). The reeds themselves for L, M and H, at the same frequency, are identical.

 

[dak]

The reeds themselves for L, M and H, at the same frequency, are identical.

The reed chambers aren't. And the reed sizes are not necessarily the same either. I've played several instruments where 8va L and M were markedly different in sound quality in spite of using the same pallets. It is common for 8va L to be more mellow than M. And it is frequent for 8vb H to be somewhat weak (or tinnish) in my experience since it is used as a head note and should not overpower whatever it is played with. Responses are also typically set up in a manner (partly through reed chamber geometry, partly through intonation) that H will not sound earlier/easier/louder than M even in the lower ranges. Reeds are not everything. While the wood in an accordion is not intended to resonate, the airways are.

 

[debra]

The reed chambers aren't. And the reed sizes are not necessarily the same either. I've played several instruments where 8va L and M were markedly different in sound quality in spite of using the same pallets. It is common for 8va L to be more mellow than M. And it is frequent for 8vb H to be somewhat weak (or tinnish) in my experience since it is used as a head note and should not overpower whatever it is played with. Responses are also typically set up in a manner (partly through reed chamber geometry, partly through intonation) that H will not sound earlier/easier/louder than M even in the lower ranges. Reeds are not everything. While the wood in an accordion is not intended to resonate, the airways are.

Not sure whether we are on the same page here. In the (German and Italian) accordions, treble side, the reeds for the same frequency, whether they are L, M or H, are just the same. (L 8va, M loco and H 8vb are the same reeds.) They sound different because of the difference in reed block (resonance chambers). In a Russian bayan the reeds for the same frequency may not all be the same (they are on a large multi-reed plate, so you could not swap an L reed and an M reed of the same frequency as they may have a different size reed tongue. In Italian accordions we find the same on the bass side. Different size reed plates hold reeds of the same frequency.
As you say in many accordions H will sound "thinner" than the equvalent M reeds, because of differences in where they are positioned (and the corresponding size of the chamber). However I find that the differences in quality (and sound volume) of high H reeds from different reed makers actually also make a big difference. Their size (both width and length) may differ, and some have reed tongues that are just a tad thicker, making them sound louder and less likely to be damaged during tuning.
But my main point was that people sometimes think the L register sounds more mellow than the M register because of differences in reeds, but there are no differences in the reeds, only differences in the reed blocks.