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INSTRUMENT GUIDE / 01

Instrument types

Akochun

Accordions, concertinas, bandoneons—let's compare their shapes and keyboards!

How sound works

How the accordion types fit together

Melody-button rows

Cajun, Erica G/C, Corona G/C/F, and the illustrated Styrian layout have one, two, three, and four melody rows. The Swiss Schwyzerörgeli has two diatonic rows plus an accessory row.

Maker's reference

C system and B system

The Nova chart uses C system; the Fun Pro 120 chart shows B system, associated with the bayan tradition. Both are chromatic button layouts.

Maker's reference

Standard bass and free bass

Standard bass buttons provide single bass notes and preset chords. On a free-bass instrument, the left-hand buttons play individual notes; a converter model can switch between both layouts.

Maker's reference

Accordions

The melody side can have piano keys or buttons. Regional button instruments include Irish B/C, Basque trikitixa, Italian organetto, the Club system, Styrian harmonika, Viennese Schrammelharmonika, Czech and Slovak heligónka, Swiss Schwyzerörgeli, and the Russian khromka; the bayan belongs to the chromatic button family.

Piano accordion

A chromatic accordion with a piano-style melody keyboard.

Melody controls
Piano keys on the right

Free-bass accordion

The left hand can play individual notes across a chromatic range instead of relying on preset chords. The chart uses the maker's compact Bravo I 49F; converter models can switch between free bass and standard bass.

Melody controls
HOHNER Bravo I 49F: 26 piano keys and 49 free-bass buttons

Chromatic button accordion

A chromatic melody keyboard made of buttons rather than piano keys.

Melody controls
Buttons on the right

B-system accordion (bayan family)

The Russian bayan is part of the chromatic button accordion family. This B-system comparison uses HOHNER Fun Pro 120, with 70 melody buttons and 120 standard-bass buttons; a concert bayan may use a different range or free bass.

Melody controls
Four melody rows · 70 buttons in the HOHNER example

Diatonic button accordion

Its melody rows follow diatonic key patterns. Many models are bisonoric, while some regional types, including the Russian khromka, are unisonoric.

Melody controls
Buttons on the right

Irish B/C button accordion

The B and C melody rows are a semitone apart. The illustrated HOHNER chart has 21 melody buttons and eight bass and chord buttons.

Melody controls
Two melody rows · 21 buttons in the HOHNER chart

Three-row diatonic accordion

The illustrated HOHNER Corona II Classic G/C/F adds a third melody row to the two-row format. It has 12 left-hand bass and chord buttons; other tunings are available.

Melody controls
Three rows, 31 melody buttons

Trikitixa

A compact diatonic accordion at the heart of Basque dance music. The chart follows a complete G/C keyboard published by Basque accordion shop Acordeones Dumboa.

Melody controls
G/C reference: 23 melody and 12 bass/chord buttons

Club accordion

A three-row Club layout with a short auxiliary row. The pictured C/F reference includes the central Club button and all eight left-hand controls.

Melody controls
C/F 30-button chart: 30 melody and 8 bass/chord buttons

Steirische Harmonika

A Styrian accordion for Alpine folk music, known for its deep Helikon basses and distinctive melody layout. The illustrated Schaborak G/C/F/B♭ arrangement has 46 melody and 18 bass buttons.

Melody controls
Four melody rows · 46 buttons in the G/C/F/B♭ chart

Schrammelharmonika

A Viennese accordion tradition with a chromatic button melody keyboard and a distinctive bass side. The chart shows Jamnik's modern Schrammelharmonika 2.0, rather than a historical 12-bass instrument.

Melody controls
Jamnik Schröpfer B-system chart: 66 melody and 36 left-hand buttons

Heligónka

A compact two-row accordion heard in Czech and Slovak folk music. Helikon bass reeds give the left hand a deep sound. The chart uses a C/F layout with a stoják button.

Melody controls
C/F reference: 21 melody and 8 bass/chord buttons

Schwyzerörgeli

This Swiss folk accordion combines two diatonic melody rows with an accessory row. The illustrated B♭/E♭ layout has 31 melody buttons and 18 left-hand buttons for nine bass notes and nine major chords.

Melody controls
Three melody rows · 31 buttons in the B♭/E♭ chart

Khromka garmon

A Russian folk garmon with two melody rows. The illustrated 25×25 arrangement places a mostly diatonic scale on the right and bass notes with ready-made chords on the left.

Melody controls
C-major example · 25 melody and 25 bass/chord buttons

Saratov garmon

A one-row garmon from Russia's Volga region. Its small metal bells add a ringing accent. The diagram identifies every button on the museum's 1967 example without assigning unverified pitches.

Melody controls
Fedin Museum's 1967 instrument: 12 right-hand buttons, 1 bass and 2 bell controls

Cajun accordion

A one-row diatonic accordion used in Louisiana's Cajun and Creole music. A typical model has four reed stops above the melody side and two left-hand buttons for bass and chord.

Melody controls
One row of 10 right-hand buttons

Two-bass organetto (du' botte)

A compact Italian diatonic organetto used for regional dance music. The G-key reference adds three short melody buttons to its main row; the left hand has one chord and one bass button.

Melody controls
G-key chart: 9 main-row and 3 short-row melody buttons; 2 left-hand buttons

Concertinas

Concertinas have buttons at both ends. English, Anglo, Duet, and Chemnitzer systems have distinct layouts. Hayden, Crane, and MacCann are three Duet keyboards shown below.

English concertina

A chromatic system in which playing a scale alternates between the hands.

Melody controls
Buttons at both ends

Anglo concertina

Its note layout differs from the English system and is often organised around two home keys.

Melody controls
Buttons at both ends

Jeffries-layout Anglo concertina

A named Anglo keyboard variant used on Jeffries instruments. The diagram follows the complete C/G 30-button chart published in the Concertina FAQ.

Melody controls
C/G 30-button chart: 15 at each end

Hayden duet concertina

Low notes are mainly on the left and high notes on the right, making melody with accompaniment possible. The chart shows a 46-button Hayden layout.

Melody controls
Illustrated model: 21 left and 25 right buttons

Crane duet concertina

Also called the Triumph system. Its curved button columns form a duet layout distinct from Hayden. The chart follows a complete 48-key Lachenal example published by the International Concertina Association.

Melody controls
Illustrated Lachenal model: 20 left and 28 right buttons

MacCann duet concertina

An early fully chromatic duet system. The complete chart shows a 61-button Lachenal Edeophone, with melody and accompaniment spread across its two ends.

Melody controls
Lachenal Edeophone s/n 4161: 28 left and 33 right buttons

Chemnitzer concertina

A large square-bodied German concertina. The illustrated 104-tone layout has 28 buttons for the right hand and 24 for the left.

Melody controls
52 buttons across both ends (24 left, 28 right)

CONCERTINA SYSTEMS

The main concertina systems

A concertina has a bellows between two button ends. Its systems differ in how notes are arranged and whether a button changes pitch when the bellows reverse.

Bandoneon

Developed in Germany and closely associated with Argentine tango. The common 142-tone tango model has buttons on both ends; most produce different notes on push and pull.

Bandoneon

The 142-tone Rheinische layout common in tango has 71 buttons. Its left-hand buttons play individual notes rather than the preset bass chords found on many accordions. Other bandoneon systems also exist.

Button positions
Buttons at both ends (33 left, 38 right in the 142-tone model)