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How to Play the Accordion

Presented by Brett Larsen

From playing the keyboard and bass notes to operating the bellows, learn all about how to play the accordion in these free online video music lessons for beginners, with tips on playing simple songs and on how to hold and care for your accordion.

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.

Listing 1-15 of 15 videos

Operating the Accordion Bellows

Moving the bellows of an accordion pushes air through the instrument's reed blocks, producing sound. Learn how to operate accordion bellows in this free online video music lesson for beginners.

How to Hold an Accordion

An accordion expert shows you how to properly hold an accordion in this free online video music lesson for beginners.

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