When learning melody bass (convertor) the left and right hand side are very similar (in our case mirrored) whereas with PA they are very different (as melody bass is CBA).
I have wondered if I will be satisfied with Stradella, or will at some point decide to give free bass a try. Seems like a LOT!
It took us many years of intense practice to get to grips with CBA.
I'm impressed you dedicated so much time and energy to learning a new system after acquiring such proficiency with PA first!
So in your case, it really depends on how good or "basic" you piano skills are...
I will say my RH-only chops are pretty decent. I'm just a slow reader when it comes to both hands together. I have also wondered if perhaps choosing PA would be a more encouraging experience, since I can already get around on it a little bit versus starting over completely with CBA.
But availability here in the States is poor, particularly in the used market. And if you decide to take in-person one-on-one lessons one day, you'll have far fewer options too.
Excellent points. I've not had any luck yet finding a teacher in my area of either style, so I may end up giving lessons over the internet a try. That will be a new experience for me for sure!
One nice advantage of the PA is that not only will your previous keyboarding experience give you a leg up, but any improvements to those skills that you gain from practicing accordion will also transfer back to piano, synth, etc. Well, the right hand at least. As a multi-instrumentalist, that might be something to consider.
True. It might be a more encouraging beginner experience to learn on something that is already partially familiar.
Reading the title of the thread you have made 'Advanced musician asks'....I'd definitely go for CBA in the long run. I can play piano keys at an advanced level and because of this found out pretty early on it doesn't quite work as well with a musical interface that's designed over many centuries to be ergonomic on a horizontal plane to be equally great spun through 90 degrees!
That is such an interesting perspective coming from an advanced pianist. As a fellow with limited piano skill, I wonder if I would find it less jarring turned sideways as you say.
And I hope my title "Advanced musician..." didn't come across as braggy.
I was just trying to give a sense of where I'm coming from in my questioning.
Also as Paul has said, if you really get into the instrument with free/melody bass it means that RH and LH are mirror image on a CBA.
Good point. As someone who hasn't yet even touched an accordion, the idea of free bass seems SO overwhelming!
What I'd avoid personally when starting out is a 'dog's breakfast' instrument with the right hand follow the rules of cricket and the left hand the rules of football.........Having said that if you practice enough of course you can make football and cricket sound like the same game, but why bother!
If you're aiming for casual folk and traditional, a PA will be a lot easier to find and play, and you can play the instruments of your new found accordion friends.
If you're bound for glory then a CBA is the way to go. But make sure you get a Roland or converter because you will be back here next week asking if you should get Stradella or free bass.
I would love a Roland! Although, do they have internal speakers, or must they be connected to an amp of some sort?
Even some CBAs are monstrous in size and weight (six rows of treble buttons, 140 or more bass buttons and weighing around 40 lbs ).
Case in point?
(although that's a B-Griff)
Less may be more to begin with!!
Yes, my instinct says don't get some big unwieldy thing to begin with. I wanna be able to grab it and go, and whip it out at need.
Okay, you are interested in playing Musette and Oktoberfest style music for fun - then what you are doing is looking to play in folk genres. Therefore regardless of piano or button accordion, you will need to learn stradella bass. Free bass is not required for either style. So it appears you want a chromatic system (either piano or button) and a bass system based on the circle of fifths - stradella/standard bass. Either piano accordion or button accordion would be suitable for French or German folk styles. Historically, the button accordion is often more associated with the French music (in France) and the piano accordion is more often associated with Germany. However, there are many counter-examples in either style.
Yes, Stradella is what I was thinking. Free bass just seems so overwhelming!
Note: Be careful not to confuse the range of moderate standard bass instruments with really large free bass instruments that are made for classical virtuosi - it's a different game altogether. These large accordions are for serious piano and button accordionists, who play music on an epic scale - I know you are not asking about classical music, but I just wanted to clarify that small point.
Thank you for that note. Are you meaning the range of the bass side on a standard bass is much smaller than a free bass?
In my experience one should not underestimate either button or piano accordion capabilities. Some of the greatest accordionists on the planet play piano accordion, while others play button accordion. The
limiting factor here is not the accordion, it is the person playing the instrument. We humans like to blame any shortfalls on the instrument.
Like when I play something really out of tune on my trombone and pretend to adjust the tuning slide as if it had suddenly moved itself out of tune.
Finally, it seems to me you are really looking for a moderate instrument to learn and express your music. Piano or button, it doesn't really matter... However, I would say that America has a wonderfully rich tradition of piano accordion, especially in jazz music and the early days of classical accordion music. The chromatic button accordion tradition in America is nothing like as rich - but it is developing. Where I come from, Scotland, we play almost exclusively traditional music and probably 95% of accordionists play piano accordion. Very few people play chromatic button accordion for traditional/folk music here. However, some do play diatonic accordion.
There will be a wealth of wonderful piano accordions floating about America. Chromatic button will be there too, though not in the same numbers. But that shouldn't put you off the button accordion - you must think not only with the head, you must use the heart too. Why not even try out both - you might surprise yourself.
It's good to hear that so many people, even in Europe, play PA, and that it isn't just an American thing.
True enough, old wild dog, but there are piano accordions of even greater mass, but ultimately with less tonal range.
Ksenija Sidorova describes her PA as "The Monster"
I'm getting to grips with the weight of my lump of a CBA, but I'd not like to stand for long with its weight over my shoulders.
Incidentally, I'm still hunting for a lighter model to carry around.
I do feel like I want something that isn't too bothersome to pack up and whip out at need. I had an enormous Dobsonian telescope for a long time that would have seen a lot more light had it not been the size of a 10-inch cannon!
In my area (USA), it seems like the majority of second-hand (or third-, fourth-, or fifth-hand, more likely) accordions for sale on Ebay, Facebook Marketplace, etc., and even online shops, seems to be piano accordions.
