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Type of Accordion for the New Kid on the Block

  • Thread starter Thread starter Mullanphy
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Mullanphy

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Considering my musical interests, listed below, I believe a DBA would be most appropriate for me, but any input would be appreciated.
  • US Old Time (I play at playing the fiddle)
  • Hokey, fun, toe-tappin' music
  • Folk/dance music from around the world
  • OT Gospel
  • Tex-Mex
  • Symphonic (a better description, I think, than "classical")
Am I looking in the right direction?
 
You can do about anything on a DBA, but classical/symphonic music would be a greater challenge on that than a more "standard" accordion due to the fact that DBAs are really designed to excel and specialize in folk music and their range and design is not optimized for 3 octave scales and arpeggios in all the keys. :)
 
Hello, New Kid on the Block! I read your list of requirements step-by-step, and a DBA would be the right stuff for all of them except that last one. Symphonic/classical music will likely be too harmonically/melodically complex for a diatonic instrument to faithfully reproduce.
 
As others say, drop the last or at least leave for later.
Your challenge is to work out the smallest number of DBAs needed for the rest.
Remember:
1. Few accordionists have just one instrument, for DBA this drops to none.
2. Next step will be how many rows and in which keys.
3. A DBA left in a dark cupboard will readily spawn more, similar instruments. The differences, though small, mean you will have to keep them all.
 
Starting with a DBA in GCF, a Gabbinelli, Dino Baffetti or old standby Hohner Corona 2, is my recommendation to get you going on most of your music. I agree that if you are like most, you can supplement it with a bisonoric, either piano or chromatic. Main thing is to get going. Most people discover what type(s) they really like after playing for a while, so recommend starting with a lower priced, used instrumeent (unless you are super well heeled).
 
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I think I'd use "unisonoric" for piano and chromatic there Tom but I agree with what you say.

I totally agree with "get going" after "due diligence" in research, but not too much!

As has been said, DBA's don't have the versatility of pianoboxes or CBAs. I think you'd want an A row on a DBA for playing Old-Time with other people.

The other factor is about the getting going. Unless Mullanphy has piano-keyboard skills already a DBA will give more music sooner than a pianobox or CBA.
 
I think I'd use "unisonoric" for piano and chromatic there Tom but I agree with what you say.

I totally agree with "get going" after "due diligence" in research, but not too much!

As has been said, DBA's don't have the versatility of pianoboxes or CBAs. I think you'd want an A row on a DBA for playing Old-Time with other people.

The other factor is about the getting going. Unless Mullanphy has piano-keyboard skills already a DBA will give more music sooner than a pianobox or CBA.
Thanks Tom!
 
The other thing to think about is authentic tone. I have an organetto DBA and it has a unique voice. Try as I might, these tunes just don't sound the same on my CBA.
 
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