Will it Darwin? Trying out Steely Dan's "Peg"...

[CC_PDX]

I've seen some recent discussions on "less is more" with so-called "simpler" systems and I found myself in agreement with some of the comments. It is true that having fewer options can often spur some creative thinking and workarounds. When I acquired got this box at Thanksgiving with "just" 3 rows and 24 bass buttons, I thought it would be primarily for Irish and other Folk / Trad and had no expectation of using it for other genres like this.

Someone mentioned this tune other night at the pub where I was playing. I'm always up for a challenge so I gave it a go with an off the cuff rendition, It wasn't half bad, so I came home and worked up a more robust arrangement and this is the result...

 

[Tom]

I see your picture.... Nice! Blueprint blue (background), sure looks good on you.

 

[stickista]

Tres cool!
What is the instrument brand and model? Something that lightweight really would tempt me.
Is it unisonic cba/stradella or a diatonic 2 key folk box? Can’t tell from the video.

or is this it?

Marc Sérafini – Darwin

Caractéristiques et avis d'utilisateurs sur le modèle d'accordéon diatonique Darwin de Marc Sérafini (3 rang(s) 24 basses).

dia.to

 

[SteveBox]

Another source for a small CBA with a Darwin bass is Atelier Loffet. I have one of these, and it is a great instrument for playing folk music. It is revolutionary that a CBA player can have a 10-pound box, provided you can give up the Stradella for a simpler open chord system.

GRAET E BREIZH, 24 basses

C’est un modèle polyvalent, qui peut aussi bien être chromatique que diatonique. En effet, bien qu’il soit le plus souvent proposé en chromatique, il est possible de le fabriquer en système mixte (main droite diatonique, et main gauche chromatique) ou bien complètement diatonique.

www.atelierloffet.com

To my knowledge, three French accordion makers, Serafini, Loffet, and Gramontain, are producing these instruments. The are essentially 3-row melodeon-style boxes that can be configured as either diatonic or chromatic. The Darwin system can also be combined with a diatonic right hand, eliminating all the restrictions of a diatonic bass. Castagnari is also offering diatonic models with a Darwin bass, but so far, no chromatics.

 

[dunlustin]

It's good to see innovative builders getting more attention.
The notion of "full size" replaced by "what is important to me."
Also, they seem less inclined to compromise on reed quality.

 

[CC_PDX]

Tres cool!
What is the instrument brand and model? Something that lightweight really would tempt me.
Is it unisonic cba/stradella or a diatonic 2 key folk box? Can’t tell from the video.

or is this it?

Marc Sérafini – Darwin

Caractéristiques et avis d'utilisateurs sur le modèle d'accordéon diatonique Darwin de Marc Sérafini (3 rang(s) 24 basses).

dia.to

Yes. That is the one. Left side is unisonoric Darwin and Marc swapped the right side reeds around for me to switch a diatonic to CBA C griff. Kudos to @SteveBox for pointing me to Serafini and Loffet and extensive advice based on his experience. I still love my Castagnari but this seems to be the one I pick up most of the time now.

 

[stickista]

Yes. That is the one. Left side is unisonoric Darwin and Marc swapped the right side reeds around for me to switch a diatonic to CBA C griff. Kudos to @SteveBox for pointing me to Serafini and Loffet and extensive advice based on his experience. I still love my Castagnari but this seems to be the one I pick up most of the time now.

So if I’m understanding this correctly, the first 2 rows zig zag thru the circle of 5ths, and the 2nd 2 rows are dupes, an octave higher?
So its all free bass?

 

[SteveBox]

This is the standard Darwin 24-bass layout. There are other 24-bass layouts (that may not be called "Darwin"), but this is the most popular. Open chords are root and fifth only. Some box makers add a stop to remove the fifths, which then gives you two octaves of single bass notes.

 

[CC_PDX]

This is the standard Darwin 24-bass layout. There are other 24-bass layouts (that may not be called "Darwin"), but this is the most popular. Open chords are root and fifth only. Some box makers add a stop to remove the fifths, which then gives you two octaves of single bass notes.

That is my configuration— option to remove the fifth for a 2 octave free bass. The real innovation for me is stripping out the thirds on the “chords” so they are indeterminate and you can shade them in with the right hand to be whatever you want them to be.