Unusual piano keyboard

[simonking]

Saw this photo of Phil Cunningham on a concert website (incidentally I can recommend going to see him - hes always very amusing and of course an excellent player):

https://www.stgeorgesbristol.co.uk/event/aly-bain-phil-cunningham/

Can anyone else see something unusual about the keyboard?

 

[Mr Mark]

Slightly less un-natural than most I have seen.

 

[Geronimo]

You mean the Saltarelle? Doesn't look that unusual but has a whole lot of bellows folds.

 

[TomBR]

Seems to be standard on the Saltarelle Clifden,
Eg
http://www.eaglemusicshop.com/prod/piano-accordion/saltarelle-clifden.htm#description

It is a unique 60 bass from Saltarelle with an extremely fast action 35 treble keyboard with the advantage of starting on an extra note of D.
More than a short octave, more of a bourdon key.

 

[Geronimo]

Ah, ok. Didn't notice the "missing black key" because it actually starts with D followed by G.

 

[TomBR]

I can see it could be quite handy to have that extra D, and that note certainly makes lots of sense in British/Irish traditional music, but I find it quite hard to imagine that Saltarelle actually decided to add it as a feature rather than "making a virtue of necessity." I suppose it could be a (small) way of making the instrument special and unique for a certain target market.

What would you like as the extra note for the music you play? C, F, E, Bb Eb?

 

[Geronimo]

What would you like as the extra note for the music you play? C, F, E, Bb Eb?

Uh, Im a CBA player. I got them all. Joking aside, 49-note instruments (typical for large 120-button standard bass CBA) tend to start at C♯3 in the M range. My main instrument starts at A2, bayans even at E2.

And yes, its nice that L will reach as low as a cello can.

 

[TomBR]

What would you like as the extra note for the music you play? C, F, E, Bb Eb?

Uh, Im a CBA player. I got them all.

Same here!
...though on both of my instruments the range stops at something thats not much use for the keys I play in, if I was doing a full refurb I might swap for something more useful. ( Thinks about the instrument thats waiting in the workshop.... :idea: )
Tom

 

[simonking]

I see, I assumed it was 'missing an F#' but it seems like, reading the link someone posted, it is an extra D below the low G.

I can see it being of any use if you're playing certain traditional Irish and Scottish style music, but even then only in the key of G! In which case you'd probably be better off with a melodeon anyway. Must have originally been a special order by Phil C I suppose.

 

[Geronimo]

What would you like as the extra note for the music you play? C, F, E, Bb Eb?

Uh, Im a CBA player. I got them all.

Same here!
...though on both of my instruments the range stops at something thats not much use for the keys I play in, if I was doing a full refurb I might swap for something more useful. ( Thinks about the instrument thats waiting in the workshop.... :idea: )
Tom

I actually find that I use my low A2 fairly often (typically in D minor contexts). Which makes me glad I ended up with C system: the B system Morino Artistes start at B♭2 instead. Apparently Morino did not believe in either dead buttons or asymmetric button arrangements, so the A2 is a lone holdout in the 4th row, and the corresponding B system instruments would have their 4th row extra at B7 at the high end (decidedly less interesting at least to me).

The more common C♯3 is actually also mostly useful for D minor Id guess. I have instruments with that, and I usually find that Id have wanted C as well.

 

[debra]

I actually find that I use my low A2 fairly often (typically in D minor contexts). Which makes me glad I ended up with C system: the B system Morino Artistes start at B♭2 instead. Apparently Morino did not believe in either dead buttons or asymmetric button arrangements, so the A2 is a lone holdout in the 4th row, and the corresponding B system instruments would have their 4th row extra at B7 at the high end (decidedly less interesting at least to me).

The more common C♯3 is actually also mostly useful for D minor Id guess. I have instruments with that, and I usually find that Id have wanted C as well.

I too like having that low A on my morino. On a PA I could live with a 49 note range from D to D but that is rare (41 is very common, 45 somewhat common, 47 rare and 49 very rare).
Having a note that stands out, like that low D just below G may have its use but I would (too) often miss the notes in between.