Introduction to the Accordion: a Free Online Music Lesson for Beginners

Series Summary

Music is one of the primary forms of communication on Earth. Whether the use of tones and melodies developed before, after, or in conjunction with spoken language is unknown; yet music is unique in that it helps us to talk to each other in ways that language cannot achieve. It creates a connection between people that is not limited by time, distance, or relationship; a song can speak to anyone, anywhere. That’s why music continually changes and grows, is still loved and still proliferates. Music is a living language. The accordion might be considered one of the dialects of that language. An accordion is a bellows instrument, using a mixture of keys and stops to create a distinct timbre and resonance that lend themselves easily to Zydeco, Tejano, and Polka music. It is played by squeezing and expanding the bellows while depressing keys, buttons, or stops, depending upon the variety of accordion. The sound an accordion makes is usually light and full of harmony, hence the types of music the instrument is typically associated with. Yet, it can also represent a wider range of human emotion; its tonal registers can express sadness, longing, and contemplation, as evidenced in traditional French music. Some players, including Judy Tenuda and “Weird Al” Yankovic have found that the accordion is the perfect instrument for comedy.

Whatever your musical interest is, learn the techniques you need to start playing today. In this free music lesson on video, get the tips and tricks every beginner needs to make music on the accordion, including demonstrations of how to hold the instrument, operate the bellows, and sound notes on the keyboard. Our expert music teacher will even show you how to play simple accordion songs.

Video Transcript

"Hi my name is Brett. This is an accordion, a piano accordion to be exact, because of this piano keyboard side. Full size accordion, and this is my favorite instrument. It is a complex instrument, and it has three things that you have to do simultaneously. You have to pull in and out on the billows. They push air through the reeds. These are the billows in the middle. On the right hand side, we have a keyboard where we can play melodies just like on a piano. On the left hand side, we have buttons where we play bass and harmonies to what we are playing on the right hand side. So as you can see, you are doing three different things at the same time. Moving the billows in and out, moving your right hand playing a melody and moving your left hand playing bass notes, and sometimes you are going at odds against yourself. Right hand is moving one way. Left hand is moving the other. Billows are going up, maybe down. It is a very complex and challenging instrument, but I hope to make it easier for you over these next few lessons."