Accordion Speak

[Mullanphy]

All specialties have their own unique language, and I've discovered that the world of accordions is no different.

Button, piano, diatonic, chromatic and a few other terms have been easy for me to pick up and understand, but how many more are there and what do they mean in "murican English"?

Is there a source or glossary for accordion-speak?

 

[JerryPH]

Welcome!

Not that I know of, short of a google search... lol

If you see something you don't understand, ask away!

 

[dunlustin]

Welcome!
Have you already visited:

Accordion - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

?

 

[petch]

Allodi Accordions

Accordions Worldwide - the largest accordion internet site with weekly news from around the world about festivals, competitions seminars, artists, concerts, masterclasses, events, CD reviews, videos, celebrity interviews, information about accordion

The largest accordion internet site in the world, Weekly News in 7 languages: English, German French, Italian, Spanish, Russian and Chinese, general information on the accordion and bellows related instruments, list of all accordion producers, Accordion Yellow Pages events calendar with direct...

www.accordions.com

Advice

Click here for advice about choosing an accordion

theaccordionshop.co.uk

Squeezebox Jargon Simplified - Eagle Music explain the most used terminology | Eagle Music Shop | Blog

Eagle Music lists below the most used terminology in the squeezebox world and gives simple explanations of all the buzz words and jargon like ...Musette, Cajun, Dry Tuning, Wet Tuning, Anglo Concertina, Diatonic, Chromatic etc. The list is non exhaustive!

blog.eaglemusicshop.com

 

[debra]

All specialties have their own unique language, and I've discovered that the world of accordions is no different.

Button, piano, diatonic, chromatic and a few other terms have been easy for me to pick up and understand, but how many more are there and what do they mean in "murican English"?

Is there a source or glossary for accordion-speak?

There are many technical terms to refer to many things inside the accordion that when all you do is play you don't need to know.
A few things for the buyer to know are registers, reed banks, and terms like cassotto, sordino, Winkelbaß (sometimes called bass cassotto).
Most other terms are just for manufacturers and repairers, such as pistons, levers, valves, pallets, and the strangest term of all: "catorcetti". which is a word that does not really exist in any language even though it sounds like it could be Italian (but isn't).

 

[Mullanphy]

There are many technical terms to refer to many things inside the accordion that when all you do is play you don't need to know.
A few things for the buyer to know are registers, reed banks, and terms like cassotto, sordino, Winkelbaß (sometimes called bass cassotto).
Most other terms are just for manufacturers and repairers, such as pistons, levers, valves, pallets, and the strangest term of all: "catorcetti". which is a word that does not really exist in any language even though it sounds like it could be Italian (but isn't).

I like knowing what other folks are talking about when I'm reading/listening to, or taking part in, a conversation. I also enjoy fixing things. Can't do either one if I don't know what things are called. Thanks to input from members like you I've started building what, hopefully, will be a useful glossary of accordion terms that will include common, technical, and even entertaining line entries.

Google Translate says catorcetti is Corsican, a language closely related to Italian, and its English translation is foursome. I get the sense that the term, when associated with accordions, has something to do with bass mechanisms, but haven't pinpointed it, yet.

 

[Ventura]

old times a pickup band booking agent would shout down the corridor

"i need a good Box man"

that word is now considered an insult by some and has been retired
but it was once upon a mattress very common accordion-speak
and back then if you earned a reputation as a good Box Man
you literally never ran out of Gigs or dates

 

[debra]

I like knowing what other folks are talking about when I'm reading/listening to, or taking part in, a conversation. I also enjoy fixing things. Can't do either one if I don't know what things are called. Thanks to input from members like you I've started building what, hopefully, will be a useful glossary of accordion terms that will include common, technical, and even entertaining line entries.

Google Translate says catorcetti is Corsican, a language closely related to Italian, and its English translation is foursome. I get the sense that the term, when associated with accordions, has something to do with bass mechanisms, but haven't pinpointed it, yet.

My friend Edwin call the catorcetti "rakes", because that's the closest "normal" thing they resemble.
A good place to start to learn accordion terms and how accordions work and can be fixed is the site accordionrevival.com.

 

[WlaFisa]

@ Debra:
... and the strangest term of all: "catorcetti". which is a word that does not really exist in any language even though it sounds like it could be Italian (but isn't).
Cartocetti means 'piccoli catorci', little poles. So catorcetti is Italian, even if it's difficult to find it in a dictionary (the Treccani dictionary however reports 'catorcetto' as a diminutive of 'catorcio')

 

[JeffJetton]

old times a pickup band booking agent would shout down the corridor

"i need a good Box man"

that word is now considered an insult by some and has been retired
but it was once upon a mattress very common accordion-speak
and back then if you earned a reputation as a good Box Man
you literally never ran out of Gigs or dates

In the States at least, "boxman" is one of the worker positions at a craps table. They're sort of the judge/referee of the game: https://www.bestuscasinos.org/blog/whos-who-at-the-craps-table/