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Step 1
Find the bass buttons. When you play the accordion, your right hand plays piano keys and your left hand plays bass buttons. These buttons will enable you to play a swell in any note or chord combo you want.
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Step 2
Push down the bass button.
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Step 3
Use the bellows. The "bellows" are the wind part of the instrument. To start, begin expanding the accordion by drawing your hands apart. You'll hear a note in the desired bass key.
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Step 4
Change direction and start contracting for another swell when you reach the end of the accordion's expansion capacity.
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Step 5
Change your swell by changing bass buttons. You can play a single note, a major chord, a minor chord, a seventh chord or a diminished chord. Take advantage of the cornucopia of sounds offered by the bass button layout.
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Step 6
Play the keys over your bass swell. Get a good rhythm going, then add your right hand into the mix. You'll hear the pleasant sound of single notes sliding over a static "basso profundo" sound. Practice until your swells sound more like those of a veteran player and less like the sounds of a beached whale.






