Gleichton keys for diatonic playing Slovenian polka?

[KevinO]

I'm getting into button box for slovenian polka (Cleveland style) and read in a Al Jevsevar book that the accordion should be setup with two Gleichton keys on a 3 row box. I understand that will cause the same note to be played when pushing and pulling. However, it seems many of the used button boxes I find are not setup this way. I suppose i can have two reeds retuned for this, but is it really essential to this style of music? The book i noted for Al, says it should be done, but what do others think/know?

Also, is there a standard musette tuning for the Slovenian style I should look for (i.e. how many cents)?

I'm considering an accordion that is tuned G C F which I think should be fine for now (its just me playing by myself).

thanks!

 

[Valski]

Hello Kevin,

Welcome to the forum. A few questions for you. Do you already own the diatonic accordion or are you just at the research stage? If you purchase a used diatonic instrument, install the new keys and have the accordion tuned to a musette sound, you're looking at quite an expensive undertaking. Perhaps you might want to check out a chromatic button accordion so that you can play in any key and because many full size accordions already have some degree of tremolo (musette) already there.
Diatonic accordions tend to be less common in North America unless you want tex-mex or Cajun models so it may be possible to get something chromatic easier than what you want. Perhaps you already own the instrument that you describe so I wish you the best of luck and a lot of enjoyment!

 

[SteveBox]

I don't play one, but I do know that it is "Steirische" button boxes that have the Gleichton buttons and are popular for Solvenian-style polka. You need this type of diatonic accordion to use the Jevsevar book.

Steirische Harmonika - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

To my knowledge, the only other type of diatonic that has a Gleichton are the Club-system boxes. These are no longer made, but there are used ones to be found. They differ from the Steirische boxes in several ways.

Musician's Guide to the Club System Button Accordion - Table of Contents

Autodidaction in the Club System diatonic button accordion for experienced musicians.

www.delaguerre.com

Of course, you can play Slovenian polkas on a PA or CBA as well.

As for musette tunings, this video from Liberty Bellows is a good comparison of several tunings. They suggest a moderate tremolo of about 3 Hz/12 cents at A440 for Slovenian music (at 6:25 in the video). Of course, you could use any of the tunings. It is a matter of personal preference. If you want less wetness, I think a good general-purpose tuning is demi-swing, or 2Hz/7 cents.

 

[Gonk]

As Steve said, they're talking about a Steirische or Heligonka layout. Those have multiple gleichtons, and they can also be found used. But if you can't locate one, the cheapest way to try this out would be to get a Hohner Panther or similar, and modify (or ask a tech to modify) the two notes (4 reeds), by swapping in some piano accordion reeds.

I'd actually disagree with Liberty Bellows there and say the Slovenian style is tuned wetter than 12c - I'd suggest 15c or even more, measured at A440. The Panther ships with rather sloppy tuning (another potential item for a tech to address), but I think they're aiming for around 15-16c at 440, so it will do fine, in my opinion.

The bass side layout is also something to investigate. The typical bass layout for a Steirische or similar includes a few more bass pairs, arranged a little differently from the "international 3 row" layout that has become standard elsewhere. (They also feature very nice helikon reeds for the low notes).

 

[SteveBox]

Steirische (aka Alpine) Harmonikas (Accordions) can be found for sale in the US, both new and used. Search around the internet, and you should find them. For example, here is what looks like a reasonably priced entry level model from a well-known accordion dealer:

5450 - Alpine Melodija Menges Steirische Diatonic Button Accordion GCF MM 31 11

Type: Diatonic Button Accordion Reeds: 2/3 MM A440Hz +22 Cents Treble: 31 Buttons, 8.5(21.5cm) Button to Button, 0 Registers Bass: 11 Bass Buttons, 0 Registers Weight: 14.2lbs / 6.4kg Features: Key of GCF

www.libertybellows.com

Closer to you, this Chicago accordion dealer appears to have the same model for sale:

https://romagnoliaccordions.com/product/melodija-menges-slovenjia/

I have seen used ones for sale on eBay and other sources, but buying from other than a reputable dealer can be risky. Also, trying to convert another type of accordion might be possible, but do you really want to try this?

The Jevsevar books show both standard notation and pictures of which buttons to press, to make it easy for a beginner. However, most sheet music published for the Steirische is in a tablature called Griffschrifft. It looks like standard notation, but it is not.

Griffschrift (tabulature) explained, for the steirische Harmonika - english

Volksmusik und Volkstanz in Klosterneuburg, Musik zum Volkstanz, Griffschrift für steirische Harmonika, Gedichte in niederoesterreichischer Mundart, Volkslieder, alpenlaendische Volksmusik, Familie Fuchs aus Klosterneuburg

www.volksmusikschule.at

As I said previously, I don't play this type of accordion, but I have looked into them. I have the Jevsevar books.

 

[SteveBox]

A good research project would be to find out why, within the diatonic accordion world, a Steirische has the Gleichton buttons, but most other diatonics do not. I have a hunch about this, but I have never read an authoritative statement. I think it is related to the nature of Alpine music and that the Gleichton fixes a deficiency of a standard diatonic. Information I have read about the Steirische never seems to state a reason for these special buttons, but just seems to treat them as a given.

 

[KevinO]

Thank you all for the advice and info. I assumed that the Steirische accordion was pretty "standard" because that's mostly what I see around me in the midwest at polka shows and festivals. I'm curious about the history with all of this and I'm sure I'll learn more as I go along, but everyone's responses were helpful in navigating a first purchase. thank you!

 

[Gonk]

Kevin, good luck with it!

Steve, re: gleichtons, yes -- they fix a redundancy (duplicate note on the same bellows direction in both rows) and expand options -- notably the option to play the entire major scale in the 'home' key on the draw.

If you want to get down to brass tacks, the "Dutch reversal" (achieved by flipping the same reed that would be the gleichton on a club) offers even more options, but it takes a minute and a half to wrap one's head around.

 

[Ikesaccordions]

Beware of cheap Steirische accordions. The bellows have flimsy cardboard and the reeds might have come from China.

 

[DaveB]

Kevin - I just joined the group and saw your original post. Did you purchase a button box? I've played Cleveland/Slovenian style polkas on the button box for 38 years, and I currently own two 4-row Strasser boxes and one 1951 4-row Mikus with square buttons. I have previously owned two Melodija boxes. I can help answer questions if you still have any.

Also, if you want to hear other people of various skill levels play, or if you want to learn or jam, you would enjoy attending the National Button Accordion Festival in May located in Sharon, PA. I have attended every year since 2008, and it's just like being around a big group of family members. Everyone is truly welcome. Also, there are usually several instruments for sale that you can try out at this event.

https://www.nationalbuttonaccordionfestival.com/

Dave

 

[Tom]

Kevin - I just joined the group and saw your original post. Did you purchase a button box? I've played Cleveland/Slovenian style polkas on the button box for 38 years, and I currently own two 4-row Strasser boxes and one 1951 4-row Mikus with square buttons. I have previously owned two Melodija boxes. I can help answer questions if you still have any.

Also, if you want to hear other people of various skill levels play, or if you want to learn or jam, you would enjoy attending the National Button Accordion Festival in May located in Sharon, PA. I have attended every year since 2008, and it's just like being around a big group of family members. Everyone is truly welcome. Also, there are usually several instruments for sale that you can try out at this event.

https://www.nationalbuttonaccordionfestival.com/

Dave

Welcome Dave and thanks for the offer of answers. Sounds like a good time out there in PA!

 

[dak]

As Steve said, they're talking about a Steirische or Heligonka layout. Those have multiple gleichtons, and they can also be found used.

As far as I know, Steirische has Gleichton (every row but the first) and Heligonka hasn't.

 

[RYLUNDO]

I don't really know how common the gleichtons are everywhere else in the US, but at least in Nebraska, nobody has the standing notes. They all choose to use systems that are fully diatonic for every note. I believe it more correlates with the Czech-style keyboard layout. I have a 3 row Hlavacek that doesn't have gleichtons. It appears to be an option about whether you want to learn the Slovenian style or czech style. I'm also very new to the instrument so I could be very wrong, this is just how I see it.

 

[DaveB]

I don't really know how common the gleichtons are everywhere else in the US, but at least in Nebraska, nobody has the standing notes. They all choose to use systems that are fully diatonic for every note. I believe it more correlates with the Czech-style keyboard layout. I have a 3 row Hlavacek that doesn't have gleichtons. It appears to be an option about whether you want to learn the Slovenian style or czech style. I'm also very new to the instrument so I could be very wrong, this is just how I see it.

Growing up in Minnesota, I had some exposure to the Czech style, and what you described about the gleichtons is generally what I experienced as well. It's rare, but not completely unheard of to see someone play Slovenian polkas on a box without gleichtons. I ordered my two Strasser boxes from the factory in Austria, and gleichtons come standard in all rows except the bottom row, but the layout can be modified (see their configurator at the link below). Since I've always played with gleichtons, I found it perplexing to play without them the two or three times that I tried.

https://www.harmonika.com/en/tone-types