What is the smallest accordion I could learn French musette music on?

[horsehorsehorse]

Hi all, this is my first post and it's lovely to be here!

I'm looking to buy a small musette piano accordion, with the goal of learning to play simple classic musette songs (Amelie theme, La Vie En Rose etc). I'm unfortunately on a bit of a budget (under £300) so scouring the used market, but not really sure what I'm looking for! Could I get away with a 48 bass to play this sort of thing? I'd love to have something pretty small and light if possible. Also, how can I tell by looking at the switches if it is the right kind of reeds for that "French café" sound?

Excuse my ignorance, and many thanks for your help!

 

[Walker]

Hi horse,

I dont want to get on my high-horse here. I would only just say this... not sure I would actively seek out the very smallest instrument. If it were me, I'd save up a little longer and look for an old Hohner Concerto III with 34/72 bass. They have a lovely bright violin sound. Nice for all sorts of folk and trad styles. If you are ever short of keys with 34, just resort to the art of arrangement...

 

[Tom]

Hey Horse,

Welcome!!!!

Any accordion can be used for french musette tunes. (This may be considered herasy but hear me out.)

You are constrained by cost. I believe you are better off getting the accordion in the best physical shape you can. Used accordions often need a little fix up, which is difficult to acquire unless you are a do it yourselfer.

A 48 bass (non musette) accordion in good, playable shape is better than a 120 bass musette voiced accordion in bad shape.

There are approximately 1.76368 million youtube videos of people playing Amelie on non musette accordions. Even 12 bass and diatonic. It's not a problem.

Get the best condition accordion you can, musette or not. In fact, come over my house this afternoon and I'll GIVE you an accordion. In fact, I'll pay you $25 if you take three. (Yesterday someone threatened to bring me two more, a diatonic button and a piano. Oh my. Another project. )

When (if) you decide accordion is for you, save a few shekels and buy the beautiful musette you always wanted, even with a wood body and gold hardware.

Just my 2 cents, saner voices will undoubtedly prevail.

 

[JeffJetton]

Could I get away with a 48 bass to play this sort of thing?

Yes. You might have to adapt some tunes to put them in a key better-suited to a 48-bass accordion, but you could "get away" with using one. The two songs you mention (usually played in the keys of Am and C, respectively) should work fine.

Although I agree with Walker that a 72-bass would be worth shooting for if possible. A very good compromise, IMHO, between size/weight and capability/flexibility. and something you're less likely to outgrow.

Also, how can I tell by looking at the switches if it is the right kind of reeds for that "French café" sound?

The sound you're probably looking for is made by two (or more) sets of reeds that are tuned to the same octave. The tuning isn't exact though, and the slight differences in pitch between them make for the sort of warm vibrato that's characteristic of popular French/Italian accordion music. The greater the pitch differences, the bigger the "warble".

A switch that gives you that sound will often have two (or, less commonly, three) dots right next to each other on the same row, indicating two (or three) reeds in the same octave. This would be in contrast to dots that are above and below each other, indicating reeds in higher/lower octaves from each other.

Some accordions use instrumental terms instead of symbols, in which case you'd want to look for a switch labeled "violin", "musette", or "tremolo".

This wiki article should tell you everything you need to know: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accordion_reed_ranks_and_switches

 

[Ventura]

there were a very few small accordions made with
what we refer to as "MM"
meaning it just has two sets of middle sized reeds
for the piano keys side, which is typically a mild Meusette tuning

there were many more LMM student sized accordions built
meaning it has two sets of middle sized reeds plus one (octave) lower reedset
for the piano keys side, which is typically a mild Meusette tuning plus other
switchable mixtures

there were mostly LMH student sized accordions built
meaning it has one set of low, one middle, plus one high reedset
these do not sound like meusette at all, but might sound nice
for other French music like Gypsy Jazz

if you search old articles, you can find info on how to convert old LMM
student accordions to MMM
(3 sets of middle reeds tuned apart for a more "true" Meusette sound

and of course you will find big accordions with LMMM reedsets
that are very versatile, but somewhat heavy, specifically intended for French Music

L=low pitched
M =middle M- = middle tuned a bit low M+ middle tuned a bit high
H=high pitched

 

[Dingo40]

Hi all, this is my first post and it's lovely to be here!

Welcome, HHH!
As has been suggested, you can play French style music on practically any kind of accordion.
One variety, not mentioned so far, very suitable for a beginner and relatively common on the used market is a 41 treble key, 120 bass button two voiced type
( various makers) which may be found in both "full" and " ladies " sizes. These are, generally, the cheapest on the market and may be recognised by having two treble couplers and (generally) no bass couplers.
Like this one:

Accordion Rare Galanti Ladies / Childs Accordion Beautiful Red - Other Musical Instruments in Burnside SA | Gumtree Australia

Accordion Rare Galanti Ladies Childs Accordion Beautiful Red Accordion Rare Galanti Ladies Childs Accordion Beautiful Red 120 Bass 2 Register unrestored AF one leather strap broken at end needs clean etc bellows in relatively good condition with a little wear from straps ...

www.gumtree.com.au

Good luck!

 

[horsehorsehorse]

Thank you all for your very helpful replies - I think I've gotten too caught up on learning on the "perfect" accordion, so I'm going to stick with a good condition model without worrying too much about the musette thing. But I'm also gonna save up for something really nice in the future

 

[debra]

there were a very few small accordions made with
what we refer to as "MM"
meaning it just has two sets of middle sized reeds
for the piano keys side, which is typically a mild Meusette tuning

...

I have a small (26 notes, 40 bass) (Crucianelli) PA that has been in the family since my childhood, and it is MM. For these small accordions it appears that around here, in Europe, MM was a rather popular configuration. It seems that in other areas in the world LM may have been more popular.

It just so happens that yesterday I was given a "shed find" (like a "barn find, but smaller barn") that is a small 42 notes, 60 bass CBA (Weltmeister) that is in surprisingly good nick (like, no rust) despite having been stored in a shed and found again after 10 years. Now that is a very suitable small accordion with MM configuration because it has a range of notes you can actually work with without worrying constantly that the song will end up going too low or too high...

Update: After opening up the bass side to have a look at the mechanism (which turns out to be mostly plastic, including the pistons (!) I discovered that a lever on the side which I suspected was a "sordino" is actually a convertor switch! This "shed find" has 36 melody basses as a bonus!

 

[Dingo40]

Here's a 27/40 in action:

Here's another make (Cantulia) 40 bass;

Finally, here's a 3 reed (LMM) 26/40 Weltmeister made accordion:

 

[hais1273]

You can do amazing things with a smaller instrument. I've recently downsized to 26/72 (LMM) instrument ( 26 right hand keys 72 bass buttons) and it's absolutely adequate for 99% of the folky dance melodies I tend to play. It would be worth checking out the Allodi Accordions website for an idea of the cost of instrument from the good value to "how much"!, Emilio has a vast number of instruments for sale many of which never make it to the website. There is also a section on the more technical elements of accordion construction. Good luck.

 

[Valski]

Welcome Horse,

I think that you have seen some good advice from our friends on this forum. The accordion market is different everywhere so good advice in one place may not apply to your location, but there are a few universal truths. There are many well loved instruments out in your area just sitting in a closet and don't judge the available ones by size, appearance or price.

In the past few years I've helped a couple of people get started on accordion and was very impressed by what they found on the used market for a very reasonable price. These were purchased from private owners and not dealers or worse, from dealers posing as private sellers. Sometimes you can get a full size 120 bass model for a better price than a smaller instrument because a lot of novice purchasers equate a smaller model with being easier to play and also less expensive. This size to price relation is primarily true with new accordions.

If you end up with a full size model you won’t need to upgrade for a longer period and if the bigger model is a similar price this could be a big benefit. Of course every market is different and my suggestions may not apply to your location. Perhaps if you go to look with cash in hand and give them a take it or leave it offer, you may get a great deal. Good luck

 

[dunlustin]

Just down the road

Hohner 72 bass accordion £375

Hohner 72 bass accordion £375

www.fairdealaccordions.com

Worth a trip?

 

[JeffJetton]

Worth a trip?

Heck, that might be worth the trip for me, and I'm in the States.

The bellows wear that's visible in one of the photos is an eyebrow raiser though. Check it out carefully if you pop down to buy it.

 

[jozz]

Thank you all for your very helpful replies - I think I've gotten too caught up on learning on the "perfect" accordion, so I'm going to stick with a good condition model without worrying too much about the musette thing. But I'm also gonna save up for something really nice in the future

don't worry

Yann played La valse d'Amelie all his life on a standard LMM. It is/was 80 bass though.

 

[landro]

Lots of nice sounding Musettes above , and all or mostly from the other side of the pond. Unfortunately in the US , musette was not a prevalent sound or was it as popular until the vets returned from the war in Europe (from what I gather.) I rarely come across any available MM, LMM or LMMH accordions.
Most used ones here are LM and LMH , or dry tuned LMMH . My personal opinion is that musette adds another important dimension to the instrument and so much more to the many who play ethnic accordion music.

 

[Javthedog]

I'd be tempted to check out (?ring n chat to) fairdealaccordions - not a million miles away from you in Brum........I'm biased - I just bought a box from him!

 

[KylieNewman]

Learning to play French musette music on the accordion sounds like a fantastic goal. If you're looking for a small and budget-friendly option, a 48-bass accordion could work well for you. It may not have all the bass buttons of larger models, but it should still allow you to play many classic musette songs.

 

[JKJ]

... The bellows wear that's visible in one of the photos is an eyebrow raiser though. Check it out carefully if you pop down to buy it.

Beginner here. Which photo and wear concerns you? I'm not sure I see it with my uneducated eye.

My recently acquired "old" Hohner has some bellows scuffing on the back, probably from buckles. The technician pronounced it cosmetic and benign. He left me with the impression that testing for air leakage was what mattered. (see if the bellows extends without keying any notes or by gravity). Are there other things on the bellows evaluation list?

JKJ

 

[JeffJetton]

Beginner here. Which photo and wear concerns you? I'm not sure I see it with my uneducated eye.

I don't see it now either. I wonder if they've updated the listing/photos since I made my post back in March?

Edited to add: Oh yeah, they definitely did. The original listing was for a 72-bass Hohner (non-Honica IIRC), and now the link leads to a 48-bass Honica.

 

[OuijaBoard]

I use 26/48, 26/60 and tiny 30-treble-note CBAs for Irish and Scottish/Shetland/Cape Breton playing all the time. 26 treble notes also works great for Tex-Mex, zydeco, and Cajun (which I haven't played much). I do prefer and recommend 30 or 34 treble notes for some other folk or folk-ish genres I love to play, such as French musette, tango, klezmer/Balkan/Roma due to their more extensive use of keys below the 26-key range. But those genres too can be arranged for 26 keys. "Amelie" for sure.

Keywording the word "accordion" on YT with the word "Indifference," the title of one of the most famous musette pieces, by Antonio (Tony) Murena and Joseph Colombo, shows plenty of compact "folk-size" accordions in action. They do appear to be mostly 34 or 30 treble keys in range. Posters above mentioned the classic 3-voice LMM Hohner 34/72 Concerto III, which is a great thought--but don't forget the Hohner 2-voice MM Concerto II, also 34/72. Musette sounds wonderful on those, and there are plenty of vintage offerings around. Should be a bit lighter weight and a bit cheaper.

You can see photos of the gent from Cafe Accordion Orchestra with a nice compact 34/72 in their rendition of "Indifference":



But these pieces can be arranged even for 26 treble keys. The thing about Paris musette is that it can be arranged very simply, as a single-voice folk melody almost. There are tons of lovely clips of folks simply playing a musette piece like "Indifference," as a folk-style waltz. Or . . . it can be arranged in much more elaborate voicing of jazz or classical complexity. Cafe Accordion Orchestra in the clip above is playing it as Django-style gypsy jazz, with improvisation. So when you look up video clips you'll also find people playing very large accordions doing these fabulous, complicated arrangements, and that's awesome. But IMHO, on accordion with some tremolo, be it MM or MMM, single-melody-line musette sounds every bit as beautiful, perhaps more so. This is how "Amelie" captured the hearts of millions. And you don't need to drag around a giant refrigerator to sound soulful, haunting, and romantic playing it.

There are single melody-line arrangements of most of the classic musette pieces for piano or accordion, that retain the essential melody notes but leave out the multi-note chordal/jazz voicings. Here is an example of a simple arrangement for "Indifference." It is rendered here in e minor, so you are not needing the low Bb, a, Ab, or G below middle c.

On the low end, this arrangement does not go lower than your lowest note on a 26-key PA. And the couple of notes that are higher than "High C," are decorative fillips, not essential bones of the melody. You can simply play them an octave down or finesse your melody arrangement so they are not used:

★ Joseph Colombo, Tony Murena-Indifference Sheet Music pdf, - Free Score Download ★

PDF music sheets for free download, pop piano scores,

www.poppiano.org