Dry vs Musette 2 Voice

[Waldo]

I have a 2 voice Paolo Soprani for sale and received a question about the tuning. Seems this fellow wanted dry tuning. This got me wondering: Do they make dry tuned accordions with only 2 voices? It seems to me that such a configuration would be somewhat of a waste of space and weight. Wouldn't selection of the second voice just increase the volume (and maybe the "fullness") of the sound. I can see "dry" on accordions with more combinations... but a 2 voice?

Press on....
Waldo

 

[Siegmund]

Your fellow may want to investigate beginner-level bayans. They were traditionally always dry-tuned MM, no register switches, both voices always on. It is, to some of us, a very pleasant and intense timbre. (I have a pretty serious allergy to any tuning wider than perhaps 7 cents.)

Of course if he wants one with a piano keyboard rather than the buttons, that may take a bit of searching.

 

[Waldo]

He wants a C system CBA. Don't know why.

 

[Ben-jammin]

I imagine that even carefully tuned dry reeds aren’t going to be exactly the same and have some kind of phasing effect that’s different from a single middle reed.

 

[Scuromondo]

I learned on an old student-level Excelsior Accordiana with rocker switches from probably the 1950s. It was dry tuned LMM, and I could definitely distinguish between M and MM. The MM setting was obviously louder and, while I could not detect any tremolo beats when it was selected, it did add a noticeable sort of “depth” that was not present with M alone.

In retrospect, that was really a good accordion for me and I have pined for it occasionally in recent years.

 

[saundersbp]

It seems to me that such a configuration would be somewhat of a waste of space and weight.

Conversely, (not having lived in accordion land very long myself!) I'd have assumed dry tuning would have been the norm for any musical instrument, with detuning as a special effect to be used with restraint.

I think its arguable that the standardisation around detuned reed banks (and stradella bass) placed the accordion in a somewhat eccentric niche amongst the wider family of keyboard instruments, giving a sound and interface that was great for 5% of keyboard music but less useful with the other 95%. Its interesting to see this changing in our own time now with younger players, serious interest in mainstream music (e.g. the UK Albert Hall Proms this year) and the growth of the classical accordion. What might once might have been an unfashionable keyboard cul de sac is now getting the real traction it deserves and speaking with it's authentic voice in our own age.

Speaking of which, listen to this breath of fresh air from some young Scots, both composer and performer!