Information on accordion and where to begin (Enrico Roselli 120 Bass)

[llan_saint]

Hello everyone! I was hoping to get some information about a piano accordion that I've owned for about 18 years now and get some idea on where to begin on maintaining it and (hopefully) playing it. I played diatonic accordion in mariachi as a child and when my mother's best friend found out about that, she gifted me this piano accordion, which she had played herself. She was in her late 60s at the time of gifting it to me (would have been around 2006) but I'm not sure when she had purchased it so no real guess on the age of it. It is marked with "Enrico Roselli" on the front and I have looked and seen a few other accordions of that brand on this forum, but they all differ slightly from mine. I never ended up learning to play it but I consider it a personal treasure and so I'm not interested in selling it. However, I am curious about what anyone could tell me about its age and condition. I take a look at it now and then and it does not seem to have a musty smell, no buttons stick, and I do not detect any leaking from the bellows. I would love some tips on keeping it in good condition going forward as well. I am also interested in learning to play it and would love to be pointed to some resources for getting started, especially if there are any specific to this accordion, but understand that those are amply available on the site and I will be looking for those! Thank you so much for your help and for this forum as a resource.

 

[Dingo40]

Hello everyone! I was hoping to get some information about a piano accordion that I've owned for about 18 years now

Hi LS and welcome!
Your accordion is probably from the late 1940s to mid-1950s.
Seems to be in remarkably good condition for age and an excellent instrument for the amateur or adult beginner .
I'm not familiar with the name but it could be that of the distributor or a music school .
If you're interested in learning to play, just go for it: cross any bridges as you come to them.

 

[debra]

Welcome Lian,
The shape of the white keys indicates this accordion is from before 1960. Some time during the late 1950's these "waterfall" keys were replaced by the keys we see on all later accordions (no longer that rounded end).
The cosmetic condition of the accordion looks still quite good. But every accordion, much like cars, requires regular maintenance and tuning. From your post I have a suspicion that this accordion has not been maintained and tuned regularly, maybe even never. You are certainly not the only accordion player who thinks that an accordion just stays good as long as it is regularly played.
So the first thing you should do is find a trustworthy accordion repairer and have it given the care it deserves and probably needs.

 

[Ben-jammin]

Something that should be pointed out is that when it is in the case it should be positioned so the feet on the bass side are near the side with the hinge for the lid. The way it is shown in the picture when the case is closed there is extra stress on the keyboard.

 

[Ben-jammin]

For learning there are several courses out there. Palmer Hughes is ok but some of the songs might be a bit dated. If you struggle to find a local teacher there are options to do virtual lessons via zoom or teams.

 

[Pipemajor]

For learning there are several courses out there. Palmer Hughes is ok but some of the songs might be a bit dated. If you struggle to find a local teacher there are options to do virtual lessons via zoom or teams.

Then there is always youtube to get you started

 

[Tom]

Welcome Ilan!

I’m so glad you have decided to learn to play your Enrico Roselli accordion. As we say here that’s “One less guitar.”

Others have given you some info on your beautiful accordion. I will recommend an accordion learning course.

There are many ways to learn accordion. In my opinion, the best way is with an in person teacher or coach. If that is not available, some people find they can learn just by picking it up and playing, working it out by themselves. Others watch one of the myriad YouTube series on learning to play, from Liberty Bellows, Dale Mathis or Mushe Zuchter.

In my humble opinion, one way that will work for some, maybe for you, maybe not, is the Duane Schnur method. This is one of the harder ways to get going, but can be very effective to get you going if you are just starting and know nothing. You have 90 lessons that you have to download and unzip. Most people don’t make it through all the lessons. It’s kind of the “Duolingo (language learning) of Accordion learning).” This is how I got going on accordion and look at me, I am not famous but I am happy.

One more tip. Do the lessons but learn one song at a time, completely. You must pick a song you like, in the style you desire to play. Learn to play it through and play it for a friend or family member before going on to song 2. Carry on from there.

The lessons are here:

Accordion Page

Good luck!!!!

 

[Giovanni]

Something that should be pointed out is that when it is in the case it should be positioned so the feet on the bass side are near the side with the hinge for the lid. The way it is shown in the picture when the case is closed there is extra stress on the keyboard.

A good observation Ben-Jammin I never noticed it !!!

 

[John M]

Many year ago, my teacher had me do the Sedlon series of 8 Books.. You get to learn all the basics and there are many old Standards scattered through out, so you are not just playing boring "Etudes" and exercises all the time.
Sedlon uses the 3-2 fingering on the Bass side.