Question about Elsbeth Moser's "The Chromatic Button Accordion C-Keyboard System: A Systematic Approach"

[Dark Phoenix]

I've just started looking into this method, as I'm a CBA player (Roland FR-1XB). Her description of the righthand set of buttons is exactly what I would expect, but her description of the lefthand set of buttons--as being a mirror image of the righthand set--makes no sense to me. I thought that my Roland had a fairly standard layout of the lefthand keys, but they do not mirror the layout of the key on the righthand. Can anyone offer any insight into this discrepancy? Do European CBAs have mirror-image layouts of the right- and left-hand sets of buttons?

 

[dunlustin]

Your Fr1X does have this as an option in Freebass mode - see the manual for the layout - it also shows other choices of Freebass eg Quint

 

[JerryPH]

To .match a C-system right hand, setup on the left of your v-accordion use the free bass option to Minor Thirds, then the 4 lower rows match the right hand. Bass and counter bass remain the same.

 

[dak]

I've just started looking into this method, as I'm a CBA player (Roland FR-1XB). Her description of the righthand set of buttons is exactly what I would expect, but her description of the lefthand set of buttons--as being a mirror image of the righthand set--makes no sense to me. I thought that my Roland had a fairly standard layout of the lefthand keys, but they do not mirror the layout of the key on the righthand.

That's because you left your Roland at the standard lefthand button layout which is a 2-4 Stradella bass. Elsbeth Moser, however, talks about free bass/converter mode in the left hand. The FR-1XB has a free bass mode that can do the same.

Can anyone offer any insight into this discrepancy? Do European CBAs have mirror-image layouts of the right- and left-hand sets of buttons?

In free bass mode, yes.

 

[Dark Phoenix]

The first (default) free base setting seems to match up perfectly with Moser's method. Thanks so much for pointing that out.