7 button toy accordion

[ROB8IE]

Hi, I’m new to accordions and thought rather than spending loads on an instrument I may well not be able to play, I thought it best to get a cheap Schylling children’s model and see how I get on with it first. I bought second-hand but it looks in good nick. I’m a bit concerned about Button 6 as it seems quiet. I know the notes get higher but I get caught out with it’s poor volume. Maybe I’m not giving it enough wind or is it supposed to be like it? Please can anybody advise a true novice working on twinkle twinkle … and Auld Lang Syne. Thanking you in advance.

 

[petch]

I tried one of these and it was definitely more of a children's toy rather than a child sized instrument! Could barley get noise out of it let alone a tune

 

[Mullanphy]

Best I can do is suggest a search SCHYLLING TOY ACCORDION on YouTube - there are a bunch of videos there, but I don't know if any of them will address your issue. Many of the videos sound fairly loud and not bad for a toy.

The Schyllings go for around $25 USD on Amazon here and £25.60 on Amazon.co.uk with other brands of toy accordions running higher, but nothing over $100 USD, so shouldn't be to much a stretch to buy a new one if your current one gives up the ghost.

 

[ROB8IE]

Thank you both. I think it may have been down to my inexperience and confidence. Now I’m a little braver the sound is there. I’ve just been YouTube viewing but unable to tell.
Many thanks

 

[JeffJetton]

I tried one of these and it was definitely more of a children's toy rather than a child sized instrument! Could barley get noise out of it let alone a tune

I've not played one, but they do seem like the accordion equivalent of a toy piano.



I suppose that someone who thought they might want to learn "non-toy" piano could get a few basic concepts out of one of these. High notes on the right, low on the left. The farther apart the notes the bigger the different in pitch, etc. So a toy accordion would at least teach pitch locations, a bit of bellows skill, and get the player used to the pushes and pulls behind the scale notes.

I got my musical start as a wee lad learning basic concepts like this on one of those toy glockenspiels with the multicolored bars. It honestly lit the fire that I'm still throwing logs into to this day, so you never know!

 

[TomBR]

Good for you for having a go ROB8IE ! Yes they are basically a toy but they'll give you a better idea of whether you can get your head round a "push pull" instrument than any amount of time trawling the web!

If the note on button 6 is weak it's probably just that the reed is set wrong.
if you (carefully and gently of course) pull out the four little pins that hold the treble end to the bellows you'll be able to have a look. Easy enough to see which reed relates to which button. There are two reeds for each button but you'll only be able to see one. The reeds you will see when you take the end off are the ones that play when you squeeze the bellows. The reeds that play when you pull are hidden inside.

Although more expensive accordions are made very differently the principles of reeds are the same. A video search on melodeon sticking reed would be a way to start.
Be gentle and careful and good luck on your squeezebox journey!

 

[ROB8IE]

Thanks everybody. You’ve all been a help.