How to Play Accordion

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By Wanda Marie Thibodeaux
eHow Contributing Writer

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The accordion has a very unique sound and is essential to polka music. There are many different sizes of accordions, so almost anyone can learn to play it comfortably. First you must learn the basics of how to hold the instrument, what the keys and buttons do, and how to make the instrument use air.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Accordion

Putting the Accordion On

Step 1

Locate the buttons on one side of the accordion and the keys that resemble a piano keyboard on the other. Stand in front of the accordion so that the piano keys are on your right and the buttons are on your left.
Step 2

Slip your arms through the support straps. Lift the accordion up and allow it to hang comfortably from the straps.
Step 3

Take the accordion off and readjust the straps if the accordion hangs very low on your torso; it should rest over your chest and a bit of your stomach. Once the accordion is in the right position, slip your left hand through the pull strap on the left of the instrument.

Learn the Right Hand

Step 1

Put your right hand on the piano keys on the right. Press down on any note and let the weight of the instrument pull the instrument open.
Step 2

Bring the left side of the instrument back to the original position by pushing on it with your left palm. The right side of the instrument is fixed in place, so all of the work for pushing air through the accordion bellows is done with the left hand.
Step 3

Repeat steps 1 and 2 of this section several times to get used to the weight of the instrument until you are comfortable making the instrument sound.
Step 4

Try playing several notes in succession on the right hand while pumping the accordion with your left. Try playing any notes in a random order, or play a simple song you already know such as "Mary Had a Little Lamb." This will help you coordinate the movement of your left and right hand.

Learn the Left Hand

Step 1

With the fingertips of your left hand, find the bass C, which is in the second row from the bellows. (The middle C on many accordions is indented for a quick find.)
Step 2

Let the weight of the accordion pull it open while you press the bass C. Practice letting the instrument fall open and pushing the bellows together while pressing buttons up and down the left side. You will notice that chords move up in fifths and down in fourths.
Step 3

Practice learning the layout of the buttons by playing a basic I, IV, V progression in different keys.

Put the Hands Together

Step 1

Pick a key in which you want to play using both the bass and piano keys.
Step 2

While working the bellows, press the bass note for the key you have chosen with your left hand and play the arpeggio for that key with your right. Repeat this several times with different keys.
Step 3

Move on to playing simple songs once you are comfortable with the location of the bass notes and can play the arpeggios with your right hand.