My grandfather had a polka band, and he knew I played piano, so he gave me his accordion. (Grandpa's instrument was the trumpet, so the accordion was a mystery to him.) I've had it for 20+ years and I'm still not past the three button/chord songs. It's a nightmare. It's all the difficulty of the piano, turned on its side, with an aerobic workout and an attached computer keyboard in a language you don't speak.
I highly recommend the Palmer-Hughes accordion books. I started for essentially the same reason - was given one & thought it would be easy as a pianist. Once you get better at the basses & maybe understand reeds a bit more (I'm a reed player too so idk), it should become easy. The main concept that really helped me is hand shapes/patterns if that makes sense. Similar to guitar, once you learn a certain pattern of fingerings, you can play that in any key by starting in a different spot... And there aren't that many to learn to be good at a basic level. The first 3 books of Palmer-Hughes got me playing all the different types of chords & notes in the more common keys (C, G, F, A, D, Bb, etc) although I do have to figure out where to start from if it's one farther from C. I don't anticipate much more challenges with basses but I'm still kind of a beginner so not sure what else there is to learn.
That's why I want to master it! Kinda badass to be able to play such a difficult instrument 😂 anyway like Luke said, it has the potential to be one of the easiest instruments coz of the harmonic "cleverness" but turns out is a beast because of the structural features lol
Not only did I really enjoy Music Theory with Luke, I now feel the need to go out and buy an accordion. My poor neighbours had better prepare themselves.
if you have touchy neighbors, you could buy a Roland v-accordion such as a FR-1x, and play with the headphones on. nobody will be able to hear anything, even if you decide to practice in the middle of the night.
The accordion is the coolest, dorkiest musical instrument ever. It has equal potential of amazement or annoyance. It's completely unnatural to play. It's a physical workout to play and even hold. It's just barely a "portable" instrument. It requires no electricity. It's a one-person miniature orchestra. It's a strange bird, alright.
Oh, yeah, definitely a bit of a workout. I am very slowly learning to play, and mine is only a 48-bass one (admittedly a 4-row stradella so the right side has as many keys as a standard 72-bass) not a full-sized 120-bass, but it is HEAVY. Good fun though, and sounds fab when you get it right.
Depends from what country you are from to consider it dorky, it is a key instrument in Mexico for corridos, cumbia and just all it’s regional Mexican music.
Are you ever afraid that if you opened it up you’d find it was full of musically-talented bees who can all vibrate at the pitch you’re playing and they’d be so mad at the intrusion that they’d rush out toward you and give you a stern lecture about minding your own damn business and then when you came to play next time some of them would still be mad so wouldn’t buzz and the sound wouldn’t be quite so rich and full of vibrancy and you’d be disappointed and never again able to hit that first high of the whole bee-chorus and life wouldn’t feel quite so magical anymore?
What I like is Lukes commitment. He wants an accordion for one of his songs. Fair enough. Does he use a synthesiser? No? Hire a session musician? Nope, he buys his own, then learns it. That's awesome.
He's what I call a "DAW warrior". Mind you, that's not an insult; I play the accordion that way too. 😂 Play small parts, then glue them all together. We are DAW warriors. We didn't learn anything. He didn't, I didn't. But to then say the accordion is the easiest instrument does not seem totally fair and a bit dishonest. Every instrument is very easy when you play a couple notes each time and then glue everything together in the DAW. Even bagpipes and violin are super easy if you look at it that way. DAW warriors cannot perform a live performance unlike a real accordion player who actually learned to play, since well... it's live and there is no DAW to save us with cutting and pasting and slicing. So it's not fair to say that we learned it nor that it is easy. If it *was* in fact easy, we wouldn't need a DAW in the first place. That said, it still takes skill to know what notes to play and what chords are needed to accompany the melody, knowing how to work with a DAW etc etc. So as I said, it's not an insult, rather a correction to set facts straight. In the end, no matter if one is a real accordionist or a DAW warrior, the end result is the exact same and we all colour the world with our beautiful tunes! 🎵 The DAW warrior badge is to be worn with pride!! 😄
My grandpa passed away 2 years ago, i remember when i was a kid and i would often spend time at my grandparents, and me and my cousin would rush upstairs to the living room the second we heard our grandpa playing it, since he died no family gathering has been the same without his music
Great video! I inherited an accordion years ago. The button system is actually so clever. The only thing that I struggle with is the actual motion of opening and closing the bellows! 😊
Maybe try different ways of position: Some have an easier time playing while standing, others (like myself) have an easier time sitting and resting it on the thighs. (Honestly i am just lazy 🙂) This way you can (if the seating position lends itself to it) basically let your left leg do the bellow work. (that's the lazy version) Generally controlling the bellow is one of the first things i learned with the accordeon. ->managing volume, changin bellow direction without really stopping the note ect. takes some practice, but is not as hard as it seems, just like with driving a car: _think ahead_ for when you will need to change bellow direction. Needs less training if you do it inbetween notes or during a pause.
@@nirfz Depends what you want to play too. in sitting position you can perform vibrato much easier and better than in standing for example (at least in my experience). also how you open and close the bellow matters too since for easier songs you dont really need technique but for more complicated if you want to consistently hit them you shouldnt lift the lower part of the bellow cuz it makes it easier to hit the notes in left hand. that is at least how i was taught but comfort matters the most since you dont want carpal tunnel. this is just from my experience tho and i have only been playing it for 7 years now so i still have much to learn.
@@NahIdSword Seems you already reached the state of nuances and personal preferences and figured out what works for you 👍 I learned that instrument more than 30 years ago, and don't play much anymore nowadays. (a few times a year to assure myself that i still am able to play and that it still works) So you got way more current active experience than me. I found relatively early that when i let it rest on my left thigh which then does the vertical support, i can control the bellow way more accrately during playing, and i don't need the leather sleave to be tightened as much. (and due to that technique i don't move the lower part of the bellow that much unless i really need volume) And as i said one big thing is comfort and lazyness on my part. (I mean i have rested my chin on the upper part for years because of that. And when i don't use a note holder and have them just laying on the table in front of me i still do that sometimes)🤷♂
Immediately came to subscribe after seeing the new video on Xtra. Best wishes for your new venture! I play the melodeon which is a kind of accordion. :)
I know right !!!! An instrument being made with the circule of fiths as the prime design factor sounds fascinating ! (Excuse my grammar btw, I learned music theory in spanish hahaha)
I love the accordion. I played as a kid and am just getting back into it. Playing it presents literally a lot of moving parts. Unlike other instruments, the box is a solo, stand-alone instrument that can handle a song with no accompaniment.
Love that the Google Doodle today is celebrating the accordion and this video is both the top link and top image for the results. Luke nailing the algos
Luke, this video is brilliant! I've been playing the accordion since 1959..... And I have never heard it explained in such a clear and fun way as you did. I've always thought that it was one of the easiest instruments to play, but I've had a hard time explaining that to people who ask, "Why?" You just answered that question in the most delightful way!!!
when i was first learning accordion, the book my dad gave me advised practising in front of a mirror - then you can see what you're doing!! wonderful video!!
You really hit the nail on the head with the idea that the accordion is an incredibly intimidating-looking instrument that hides a secret of exquisite simplicity! The chord buttons are one of my favorite obscure musical facts to pull out on the rare occasion that music theory comes up in everyday conversation. Also congrats on 10k! 🙌🎆
As a life time gigging musician on pipe and electronic organ, keyboards, sythesizers, classical guitar, and accordion...both acoustic and digital....my favorite by far is the accordion. While you can get some simple notes out of one if you are a hacker...at least on the piano keyboard, But it has an inredible level of complexity, nuances and dynamics thanks to its bellows which allows a good player to get those nuances and dynamics like you can with a violin or wind isntrument. It also provides its own accompaniment via the left side. I play both Stradella bass as well as Free Bass when all those notes play individidual notes. Combined with the right side it will have a greater note range than a 88 key piano. in the hands of a master an accordion can play with all the skill of a top concert musician in any other instrument.....and it is a lot easier to carry around than a pipe organ ;-)
I’ve been playing the accordion for a couple of years now, it’s cool to see others discover it’s secrets. Just wait until you learn the bellow shake. Great video!
9:19 for acoustic guitar, if you have the right posture the fretboard is also supposed to be facing away from you. that's why the little dots on the side of the fretboard exist
As a concertina player I assume all accordion players to be geniuses. Thanks so much for this video! Thoroughly enjoyable and fascinating, or fascenjoyinating if you will.
I believe I was the person who sparked this all off one stream when I asked if that was an accordion behind you (or if you were just happy to see us) and if you played. And oh man, I would have killed to have had such a good explanation of the instrument when I was brute forcing my way through it, too, a few years ago. Thanks for going above and beyond once again, Luke, and as friendly tip: never attempt "Lovefool" on that thing.
Love the humour in this. Great overview! I liked how you touched on some of the introductory basics and even brought in a little bit of music theory but not so much to blow everyone away. Just enough to tease out some understanding and some cool "a-ha!" moments. I was lucky enough to borrow someone's accordion for a couple of months when I was younger. I've always been in love with the _idea_ of an accordion, ever since I was a little kid. You know what they say about expectations... well, the accordion blew mine out of the water. Never have I had such a long-term hype on something and then come face-to-face with reality to have those expectations met and smashed into the next world. I had to return the instrument after those few months; pretty heartbreaking. But I just got some money together with generous help of many friends and will be looking towards getting myself my very first own accordion........ can't wait.
The accordion is very underrated and I see so many people associate it first with European roots and Polka style music. My Father's Hispanic, I grew up with accordion, so I always associate it with Latino roots. They can absolutely shred and arpeggiate the accordion, those ones with buttons only, like a crazy guitar solo. I'm always impressed because I'm only able to play the accordion like it's a piano, and not an accordion. They can also be heavy af.
I've actually been really wanting to learn how to play an accordion and this has definitely put to ease some of the doubts and concerns I had about the jumbled mess of buttons that was ever so intimidating. I am glad I found this video, thanks!
The buttons look intimidating but aren’t really so bad, like the Russian alphabet. It looks horrifying but it’s not impossible to learn and once you practice it becomes natural. Like anything , it’s a lot of work, but rewarding.
just be aware that that layout isn't the same with all sorts of accordeons and harmonicas. (So when you get one make sure it's this layout, they come in different sizes both left and right side. And are mostly counted on the lefthand side: 32 buttons, 64 buttons 72 buttons and 120 buttons for the base. I have a 32 and 72 button one.)
This really took me back to when I took accordion lessons in middle school (clearly the coolest kid out there) and boy it would have been more helpful to do that AFTER I got an entire music degree - thanks Luke! 😂
Rhiannon Giddens described "perfect pitch" as when the banjo flies through the air and lands in the garbage bin, without touching the sides, right on top of the accordion. She is, among other things, a fine banjo player.
I would imagine that our video presenter knows this, but the C fundamental button is identifiable by touch, usually being indented instead of being rounded outwards, on every accordion I've handled, sometimes also the B fundamental, but always the C, giving the player a home position to relate to, much as a typist has a "home" position. There may be those that don't, but I've yet to see one without a "home" button. I love this video. Both my long-late dad and his late dad before him were keyboard wizards, specializing in the piano accordion in particular, instilling in me a love of, if not a talent for producing, the sound of a gracefully played piano accordion. I remember waltzes as being favorites of mine. It's been 55 years since last hearing dad entrance me with his beautiful music as I was a ten-year-old boy. RIP, Dad and Grandpa. I'm more of a guitar guy myself, but I have both my dad's and grandpa's accordions in my possession. If there's ever a fire in my house, I'm grabbing the accordions. Dad's is an early-50s Titano Stroller, in mother of toilet seat pearl with gold glittered accidental keys, with 120 button bass in Stradella conformation. I used to think as a kid that it was a bit strange looking compared to the standard black accordions I'd see on TV. Now I think that it is a wonder to behold. It's in fine operational condition. It could use new straps, but I found a way to provide support to the weak points on the old straps. By the way, I love the look of the video presenter's instrument. It's very pleasing to the eye. I'd like to know the name of that color, brindle maybe. Whatever it is, it's pretty cool looking. Grandpa's accordion is an Italo-American, circa 1920-ish, maybe a bit older, absolutely 100% handmade, black and ivory, rhinestoned to h-e-double hockey sticks and back, with our family name, HERGET emblazoned across the front as was the style of the day. It was in extremely serious need of some TLC, so I took it upon myself to rebuild and fully adjust it back to playing condition. Wow, what an undertaking that turned out to be. A SURPRISE awaited me inside. I found that somewhere along its life, someone had ingeniously suspended a microphone that had originally come from a vintage telephone handset inside the bass side of the bellows and wired it to an output jack. Yowzaa!! Grandpa's accordion is electrified!! And man, does it pump out the sound!! Holy crap!!! I found as I worked on it that the bass buttonboard was different than the 120 bass buttonboard on my dad's accordion. Confusion, research, more confusion, more research, holy crap, this thing is a monster!!! AGGGHHH!!! It turned out to have a 140-button bass buttonboard featuring minor counter basses in addition to counter basses, fundamental basses, and the major, minor, dominant 7th and diminished chord rows. The full impact of my discovery of the fact that it had the 140-button bass side was not felt until after disassembly, of course! I had to figure out its configuration as it lay in hundreds of pieces on my shop floor, being completely unfamiliar as a guitar player with the notion of counter basses, much less a possible minor counter bass row versus a row of augmented chords, depending on which style of 140-button bass I was dealing with. Being a guitar guy, my mind was blown. To the guy that finishes what he starts, that guy being me, it was time to get to work. Me, muttering to myself, nearly-blinded from staring at loose accordion parts, "OK, if I were to push this button that has 4 tits on its rod, those four tits push on these particular connecting links, wait, which ones, oh man, they're so far out of adjustment that I have to guess which valves get, oh man, I lost track, maybe a different one will be easier to see, let's see, I push this button that has two tits, what(?), two tits, what the hell, where did a two tit button rod come from. Oh, man, I think that one has a tit broken off of it. I think there should be (after what should not have been an agonizingly long time, but was) either 1, 3, or 4 tits per button rod, which end up opening myriad possibilities of numbers of valves. OK, note that two-titter to repair later." I was heard muttering semi-coherently for days. Even my now-late also, beloved little dog, Max, appeared to be wary of venturing towards my direction during that period of time. The look on his face seemed to say, "Dad just doesn't seem like himself these days, I'm staying away". I have to tell you, it's heartbreaking when your little canine pal is breaking up with you over the fact that you've become obsessed with piecing together hundreds of century-old accordion parts and you don't know what the hell you're doing. Yeah. Heartbreaking. Well, I finally got her figured out and many, many hours later, with many, many repairs and adjustments having been made, she plays like she should. It is one of the proudest achievements of my life, I must say. If I had known going in what a massive project it was going to be, I'm really not sure I'd have tackled it, but I did, and it is done. My little buddy, Max, eventually came back around to loving me again, too, so it all worked out in the end. Though my dad's accordion playing was for the pleasure of himself and our family, grandpa's accordion had been through 50-plus very hard years of playing wedding parties, city park concerts, downtown sidewalk strolling with a trombone guy and a trumpet guy to entice paying customers to stick around and spend some bucks in the local stores, lord only knows how many taverns, student instruction, whatever, wherever he could pick up a buck playing the accordion or piano, and man, could he play. I liken the heavily used condition of grandpa's accordion to the condition of the everyday tool pouch and tools that I carried throughout my career as an electro-mechanical technician. Heavily, heavily used but still performing its function after already providing many, many years of great service. I just loving marveling at stuff like that. I didn't get possession of grandpa's accordion until many, many years after his passing, with it having sat in some atrocious temperature and humidity conditions in the ensuing decades. It was really rough when it was handed to me. After the necessary TLC, it's back to being well-worn, and still good to provide service. I'm going to take a moment to drop a couple of names here. I was told by my recently departed mother that Myron Floren, while living in St. Louis as a young man, took accordion lessons from my grandpa for a period of time. I have no reason to disbelieve that story. So there, my grandpa taught Myron Floren at least some accordion, for what it's worth. Or maybe the situation was mutual, or even vice versa. Myron was a hell of an accordionist. Myron was 17 years younger than grandpa, so who knows, maybe they just jammed and showed each other their tricks. As long as I'm name-dropping, I'll drop another one, this one regarding baseball. You've heard this name. Babe Ruth. You may not have heard this one. Rollie Stiles, or Leapin' Lena Stiles. He was Uncle Roland to me, my accordion-playing grandpa's sister's husband. Rollie was my granduncle by marriage. Rollie Stiles was the last living major league baseball to have struck out and to have pitched to Babe Ruth, if my facts are correct. He was also the oldest living MLB player for a period of time before he passed in 2007 at age 100. I never even knew that Uncle Roland was a baseball player until sometime in the 1980s, maybe. He played for the St. Louis Browns for a few years in the early 1930s. So, there's a few of my stories. If you read them, I hope you were at least mildly entertained. If not, thanks for reading anyway. I'm of the theory that as long as someone alive remembers you, you're still kind of here amongst the living. So, we have mentioned our video presenter, my dad, mom, grandpa, grandpa's sister, Myron Floren, Babe Ruth, Rollie Stiles, my canine pal Max, the trumpet and trombone guys but I can't find the pic with their names right now, myself, and you, dear reader. Out of those mentioned, hopefully, our video presenter, Luke, I guess is his name, is still kicking, I am also as of this writing, and also, you, dear reader. The rest have gone on to where we'll all end up. Some memories have been kept alive. I've had a good time reminiscing about great past times. I hope you, dear reader, enjoyed the journey. This is my first visit to Luke's channel. I have absolutely no idea as to the subject of his channel content. The accordion grabbed me. I'm going to go find out what he's all about. Cheers to all!!! P.S. - I have an additional comment that absolutely must be added. Get ready. This story hits me hard when sharing it with others, as I've done with several other individuals. You know how leather clothing will, over enough time, take on the aroma of the wearer? Both my dad and my grandpa played so often that their respective leather accordion straps extremely strongly bear the fragrance of each of them, even after all these years since their passing, 1970 for dad and 1972 for grandpa. It has faded very slightly since over 50 years have passed, but, yeah, open the accordion case and there is the smell of my beloved dad, grandpa's even more so. Powerful stuff. Yeah. Powerful. There's nothing like the smell of a loved one for comfort, especially a loved one who has been gone for 53 years. Yeah. Thanks for the space here to share that with you. Peace.
I think something else that adds a lot of difficulty to the accordion is having more complex chords on the left side which makes you combine different chords and notes. Also, playing individual notes even just chromatically is extremely difficult with the bass button if you don’t have the muscle memory to know the placement with the circle of fifths and the row of thirds above it.
The accordion is a harmonica for those without lips. Congrats on 10K, Astor Westaway! Your plan on slowly creeping up on Pewdiepie has hit the next goal. Thanks for the video!
As a 56 year old newbie, I appreciated your insight, and urge you to get that beautiful instrumental tuned, serviced and the USE it. I can already see how my left hand frustration is very transitory. And that special voice. Go for it!
As someone who learned this insturment as a child and early teenager and nowadays only seldom uses it, this was great fun to watch. A few years ago i bought a keyboard and to this day i have trouble playing things on it: The white keys are wider than on the accordeon making my muscle memory if spreading my fingers go wrong, it is more strenuos on my wrists than the accordeon, and the left hand and volume control... As you pointed out the genius layout of the accordeons lefthand buttons i never learned music theory, just didn't need to. I never knew of which notes which chord consists of, i only had to find and use the appropriate button. And volume: i have to really concentrate to hit the keys with the right force for volume control. So much easier with the bellow of the accordeon.
I came from a music theory and piano background and was just playing around with my Fathers accordion and a light bulb went off in my head where I was like holy shit this instrument was designed with music theory in mind first.
That just do thing thing happened to me with the guitar. Absolutely no clue what notes I was playing, just here's the right root, now this shape and it's what the teacher asks for. But I didn't really know what I was playing, that only came with the piano.
This video is so entertaining and well made, thank you! I play the accordion professionally now but first taught myself with only a piano background. Your thoughts are exactly what mine were in the beginning days. It looks hard because you can't see anything but being able to play an entire chord with the tap of one finger is amazing! I feel totally out of my depth when I sit at a piano now and I have SO MANY keys to press at the same time. There's so many places to look! I've gotten so used to seeing in my minds eye that I don't know how to use my eyes properly.
That was bloody brilliant, really enjoyed this video! I did music and media at uni but had absolutely no idea how an accordion worked but found this really interesting! Would love to see more stuff like this 👍
Been learning on accordion lately. I love the instrument, anything you play on it, it immediately gets this weird, cheezy vibe. Having played piano and guitar before and being familiar to music theory I was just as as amazed by the simplicity and overwhelming effectivity of the stradella system as you were. Playing it you can feel that this instrument was not designed to play etudes, scales ir orchestral pieces but to play songs to sing along to.
Danza kuduro, lambada, on the floor, stereo love.. those songs aren’t dorky/cheesy. The accordion sounds cheesy when people play it with the same tired oompah and waltz bass pattern.
I knew a young Hispanic man in high school who would play the accordion often in our woodshop class. I'm a guitarist now but had dabbled in the world of woodwinds in school band. That accordion was the most beautiful instrument I had ever heard. I could sit for the whole two hours and what that guy play without ever once diverting my gaze for a single moment, in absolute and utter awe, to much dismay from our teacher (we all we aware that he greatly enjoyed the music as well). One particular day I happened to ask when I could expect to hear his amazing playing again and he revealed to me that he had sold the accordion to provide some much needed funds for his family. A uniquely salty tear sprung from my eye when I heard that and not knowing really what to say, all I could manage was a simple, "I'm sorry to hear that," which did not do justice to the turmoil which stirred in my gut at that time. I often think of him. Nothing but the deepest respect is reserved for him. Not only the dedication to learn to play such a instrument, but the selflessness to sell it for the benefit of his family, and the poise to take it with an outwardly stoic attitude. I'm sad to say that now I cannot even remember his name, but it is my deepest hope that he has been reunited with that joyous instrument. Of one thing I will forever be sure; the world NEEDS his music, the world needs the accordion.
Remember meeting you at a Bandai Namco press event in 2017 or 18 I remember asking who you worked for and when you said Outside Xbox I felt like a div for not recognising you. I was too busy crashing my plane. We had a lovely chat and seem like a really broadly talented fella. Glad you are doing well
This was fun to watch and learn a bit. Funny and educational at the same time! Also congrats on hiting the 10k subs Luke, so what have you planned for 20k?? :]
So glad I stumbled upon your video. Great explanations of some theory principles and tidbits of trivia certainly were cool. I've been noodling around with the ole squeeze box for a few years. It's a replacement for another instrument I was attempting to learn but due to a hand injury couldn't form the chords anymore. I still have the fine motor skills to do the counter bass to the 7ths on the left and the right hand is fully functional. I appreciate your simple but specific info with the silly but good humor. Hope you make some more videos. Thanks, All the best.
One of my favorite songs off that album. The accordion pulled it together like no instrument could. Thanks for the cool look into such a quirky and overlooked instrament!
You should check out an instrument called the Chord Organ, many of them nowadays just synthesize the sounds electronically but many of them from the 1970s and 1980s were literally just accordions laid out flat with an electric fan that continuously blew so there was no need to pump it. Incredibly cool and unfortunately overlooked instruments.
Honestly, the fact that you can't see what you're playing and have to go with feeling alone is probably a blessing in disguise. It may be hard to wrap your head around in the beginning, but once you get used to it, the relief from constantly needing to look at your hands is gonna be such a weight off your shoulders. Most musicians get to that point eventually, but insteuments where you can't see what you're doing rip that band aid right off first thing.
Yes! As a non-accordion musician, i was able to pick an accordion and play along with an irish band on a live gig once or twice. If you know piano (and u should) and how pop music works (3 chords and a story), you're golden.
Very amusing video! Your analysis is spot-on! I am a fairly experienced pianist 🎹and bought an accordion🪗 with the help of a professional accordionist recently to challenge myself. I know all the music theory and understand the ingenious design of the Stradella bass system, but to know is not the same as to play!!! 🤣 On piano I can see the keys in front of me, the patterns the notes make. On accordion bass, I have to learn chord progression patterns, proper fingering (to facilitate moving to the next chord) and finding the keys all blindly! Even the keyboard (right hand) is a little interesting to play sideways. However, as you said, after some practice and building "muscle memory" it becomes surprisingly intuitive and you find your fingers🖐jumping to the proper places!
When I saw the video title I was like "wait, no, this is not entirely true, let's watch it", but turns out that you got that "nearly" right. There's so much to master, especially the bellow motions. But every instrument got it's difficulties.
Grade A content! I received an accordion from my wife's grandma last year and wanted to learn how to play it, but those darn buttons were a massive hindrance. Now that I understand it better, I might have to give it a try again.
As an Accordionist, this is a great introduction to the basics of the Accordion. You can even get electrical accordions these days. I'm currently learning about accordion repair, and when you open the grill above the piano keys, each key opens a set of holes which are controlled by the coupler. The holes open depend on which coupler you're using, and accordions also need servicing about once a year.
Hilarious and informative! I'm not very familiar with music theory and you explained it well without going overboard with details, and all the jokes were well-timed and funny. This is a good style of presentation, and I hope to see more videos like it in the future!
Luke, FYI accordions need to be stored facing upwards for long periods of time. Make sure its standing upright with the bass strap on the floor. This is to prevent the leathers from losing their functionality over time.
I both love and hate Luke's music theory understanding because it's so complicated and yet he can explain it simply in a way that makes more sense than my actual music theory classes did. Also, thank you for answering the question of buying an accordion just for one song, 100% worth it.
If Luke had been my music theory teacher I might have actually passed my A Levels. I also have that song as a permanent part of my playlist for WFH, so I'm getting Luke's money's worth out of the purchase!
Luke, I have no experience in law but I'll happily represent you for free and take this westaway chump down. 😁 Also this was super interesting (and as always very funny) so more videos like this would be great!
I joked on Twitter that I'd be watching this to keep me hyped for the Weird Al movie, but it's genuinely helping me understand how musically talented Mr Yankovic really is.
Watched this when it first came out, have been hankering after an accordion ever since. Two years later, I'm now watching it about two hours before my first lesson! Thanks, Luke :)
I don't know why youtube never showed me your channel before today. I don't know why it showed me your accordion video before any others. I don't know why I never thought to look for your personal channel after watching so many outsidextra videos over the years. But hot DAMN did it pick a banger. Great video! I've always been fascinated by the accordion but the few times I've wanted to get one for myself something's come up and the deal fell through. This time I'm doing it. Just as soon as I get a job. And pay off my late bills.
Mother had an accordian (48 Button 26 keys I think) Between the ages of 7 and 15 I spent a number of years annoying the whole family before giving up. Then I took pity on and purchased a rather sad slightly shop soiled 80 button 37 key. Spent time fighting with the weight of it and working out the buttons. Could play a few basic tunes though but sold it after some 30 years to a lady in Wales. She informed that she was delighted with it. She was already a very capable player. I still itch to be able to play one again but do I lack the three brains required to drive these beasts. A great video by the way and very educational. Thank you, Andy
Thanks for the video!! I've had a full-fledged accordion (120 Bass/keyboard) sitting in a closet for years. Took lessons as a kid. Just saw a blues band with an accordion player. Fabulous music!! I will start playing it again!
Apparently the reason accordion and concertinas, flutinas and squeezeboxes are associated with sea shanties and pirates is because they were very popular in the 19th century among sailors, and so became associated with sea shanties and sailors. Even though the closest thing they had in the age of piracy was primitive harmonicas and bagpipes.
No harmonicas on pirate ships, they were developed around the same time as the accordion, ca 1800-1830. Pirates probably played fiddles (pipes & Hurdy-giddies were certainly around too). Fiddle players were sometimes included in the sick bay medical payroll because they thought dancing and staying healthy kept away scurvy. I call all this the “Pirate Accordion Anachronism.” th-cam.com/video/onZRwwsM1cw/w-d-xo.html Honestly without any other evidence to the contrary I think Pirates are associated with Accordions because of the movies. But I haven’t tracked down a “first appearance” yet. The first appearance of Accordions in film is easy though, because the forth movie ever made, in 1888, is a six second epic called “accordion player.” But there were no pirates in this first (silent) movie musical. Thank you for creating this video, continuing that motion picture tradition. I love that you have done a quality music theory lesson with a 100 year old out of tune instrument. Bold statement in the age of autotune. I wonder what such a digital repair tool would make of an accordion? They produce a remarkably complex sound, with up to five reeds sounding for each note. When they start going out of tune you end up with this monster of harmonics and acoustic distortion. I suspect this might drive autotune mad. Please make this your follow-up video 🪗🤯
I work as a security guard in a predominantly Hispanic area. I bring this up because the accordion seems to be an important instrument to Hispanic culture. I’ve worked a few concerts for local bands and the amount of exposure I’ve had to the accordion is probably much higher than the average person. It brings such a unique and lively feel to music when played live.
My late dad used to play an accordian before and after he was in the military. It's probably no surprise he really liked pirate stuff. Jolly ol man had a skull and cross bone flag in his room at the ripe age of 80. I remember sitting on the porch listening to him playing with a big smile on his face when I was small. I miss him. I wish I could say I took over his accordian duties, but I unfortunately don't know how to play it. I still have it, but I'm not really into playing music instruments.
That accordian looks gorgeous. And i had no idea the buttons were that simple and easy to navigate! Those gazillion buttons (and the price) are the main reason I haven't gotten one yet.
No problem my friend. Just start on a thirty-two bass instrument. They range from 8 Bass right through to 120. My 48-bass model has two octaves of piano keys. Hohner does fantastic beginner models for reasonable prices.
There is nothing else quite like the accordion in Western music. It's historically been known as a beggar's or poor folk's instrument, but is undeniably classy. The accordion was practically the synthesizer of the 1800s. It used a technology unlike anything else at the time - metallic free reeds. Most reed instruments used pipes to reinforce and tune the reed's vibration. Free reeds made of metal were stiffer and didn't require a resonator to produce a stable pitch. They were also cheaper to manufacture, though decent free reed instruments can still set you back. They worked a bit like the metal tines of music boxes, driven by breath instead of a pluck, and the narrow openings around them would allow the reed to chop the air as it vibrated, amplifying the vibration further. This was a pretty new technology in the accordion's heyday, and the closest thing was a few Chinese free reed instruments. These free reeds also found their way into small organs and harmonicas.
I learned this as a kid and have wanted one ever since. I knew basic chords playing guitar and went to my uncles. He showed me the chord buttons and I spent maybe 4 hours while the adults were in the other round just cycling through different chord progressions one button at a time. Amazing. You've reminded me I want one of these.
Dude, that was hilarious. I honestly laughed out loud several times. Your bonjour had me in tears and your explanation of a crowds reaction, to when you pull out the accordion was funny as hell. They'll ask you politely to leave, but you can hear it over the sound you make.
As a new accordion player, all of this is extremely accurate. I got so excited that chords could be played at the touch of a button... but then you have to find which button. Also I am never really sure when it's safe to practice because it is indeed quite loud even if you are barely moving air through it and trying to play softly.
My grandfather had a polka band, and he knew I played piano, so he gave me his accordion. (Grandpa's instrument was the trumpet, so the accordion was a mystery to him.) I've had it for 20+ years and I'm still not past the three button/chord songs. It's a nightmare. It's all the difficulty of the piano, turned on its side, with an aerobic workout and an attached computer keyboard in a language you don't speak.
I believe this may be the most accurate explanation of the accordion I’ve ever heard before. Thank you.
@@silentwolfarena9935 my scottich grandfathere compared it to learning to play the typewriter as if it were an instrument
I highly recommend the Palmer-Hughes accordion books. I started for essentially the same reason - was given one & thought it would be easy as a pianist. Once you get better at the basses & maybe understand reeds a bit more (I'm a reed player too so idk), it should become easy. The main concept that really helped me is hand shapes/patterns if that makes sense. Similar to guitar, once you learn a certain pattern of fingerings, you can play that in any key by starting in a different spot... And there aren't that many to learn to be good at a basic level. The first 3 books of Palmer-Hughes got me playing all the different types of chords & notes in the more common keys (C, G, F, A, D, Bb, etc) although I do have to figure out where to start from if it's one farther from C. I don't anticipate much more challenges with basses but I'm still kind of a beginner so not sure what else there is to learn.
Going upwards the bass side is in fifths
That's why I want to master it! Kinda badass to be able to play such a difficult instrument 😂 anyway like Luke said, it has the potential to be one of the easiest instruments coz of the harmonic "cleverness" but turns out is a beast because of the structural features lol
Not only did I really enjoy Music Theory with Luke, I now feel the need to go out and buy an accordion. My poor neighbours had better prepare themselves.
Do it.
I bought a Swedish bagpipes set.
@@andersjackson4014 we got the jon arbuckle quintet up here
if you have touchy neighbors, you could buy a Roland v-accordion such as a FR-1x, and play with the headphones on. nobody will be able to hear anything, even if you decide to practice in the middle of the night.
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
The accordion is the coolest, dorkiest musical instrument ever. It has equal potential of amazement or annoyance. It's completely unnatural to play. It's a physical workout to play and even hold. It's just barely a "portable" instrument. It requires no electricity. It's a one-person miniature orchestra. It's a strange bird, alright.
Oh, yeah, definitely a bit of a workout. I am very slowly learning to play, and mine is only a 48-bass one (admittedly a 4-row stradella so the right side has as many keys as a standard 72-bass) not a full-sized 120-bass, but it is HEAVY. Good fun though, and sounds fab when you get it right.
@@Sassenach1745 only 48-bass? oh you can surely look forward to the 120-bass one. Its fun to coordinate 💀
A concertina is much lighter and smaller. Would be interesting to see you play or learn that
AWESOME analysis of the accordion!
Depends from what country you are from to consider it dorky, it is a key instrument in Mexico for corridos, cumbia and just all it’s regional Mexican music.
Are you ever afraid that if you opened it up you’d find it was full of musically-talented bees who can all vibrate at the pitch you’re playing and they’d be so mad at the intrusion that they’d rush out toward you and give you a stern lecture about minding your own damn business and then when you came to play next time some of them would still be mad so wouldn’t buzz and the sound wouldn’t be quite so rich and full of vibrancy and you’d be disappointed and never again able to hit that first high of the whole bee-chorus and life wouldn’t feel quite so magical anymore?
...well now I am
Here is how it works inside.
th-cam.com/video/TbMg2LK4eFk/w-d-xo.html
"You described my nightmare exactly." --Julius Cesar
This sounds like an animated cartoon from the 30s or 40s.
Jesse what the fuck are you talking about
What I like is Lukes commitment. He wants an accordion for one of his songs. Fair enough. Does he use a synthesiser? No? Hire a session musician? Nope, he buys his own, then learns it. That's awesome.
He's what I call a "DAW warrior". Mind you, that's not an insult; I play the accordion that way too. 😂 Play small parts, then glue them all together. We are DAW warriors. We didn't learn anything. He didn't, I didn't.
But to then say the accordion is the easiest instrument does not seem totally fair and a bit dishonest. Every instrument is very easy when you play a couple notes each time and then glue everything together in the DAW. Even bagpipes and violin are super easy if you look at it that way.
DAW warriors cannot perform a live performance unlike a real accordion player who actually learned to play, since well... it's live and there is no DAW to save us with cutting and pasting and slicing. So it's not fair to say that we learned it nor that it is easy. If it *was* in fact easy, we wouldn't need a DAW in the first place.
That said, it still takes skill to know what notes to play and what chords are needed to accompany the melody, knowing how to work with a DAW etc etc. So as I said, it's not an insult, rather a correction to set facts straight.
In the end, no matter if one is a real accordionist or a DAW warrior, the end result is the exact same and we all colour the world with our beautiful tunes! 🎵
The DAW warrior badge is to be worn with pride!! 😄
My grandpa passed away 2 years ago, i remember when i was a kid and i would often spend time at my grandparents, and me and my cousin would rush upstairs to the living room the second we heard our grandpa playing it, since he died no family gathering has been the same without his music
Great video! I inherited an accordion years ago. The button system is actually so clever. The only thing that I struggle with is the actual motion of opening and closing the bellows! 😊
Maybe try different ways of position: Some have an easier time playing while standing, others (like myself) have an easier time sitting and resting it on the thighs. (Honestly i am just lazy 🙂) This way you can (if the seating position lends itself to it) basically let your left leg do the bellow work. (that's the lazy version)
Generally controlling the bellow is one of the first things i learned with the accordeon. ->managing volume, changin bellow direction without really stopping the note ect. takes some practice, but is not as hard as it seems, just like with driving a car: _think ahead_ for when you will need to change bellow direction. Needs less training if you do it inbetween notes or during a pause.
Lift
@@nirfz Depends what you want to play too. in sitting position you can perform vibrato much easier and better than in standing for example (at least in my experience). also how you open and close the bellow matters too since for easier songs you dont really need technique but for more complicated if you want to consistently hit them you shouldnt lift the lower part of the bellow cuz it makes it easier to hit the notes in left hand. that is at least how i was taught but comfort matters the most since you dont want carpal tunnel. this is just from my experience tho and i have only been playing it for 7 years now so i still have much to learn.
@@NahIdSword Seems you already reached the state of nuances and personal preferences and figured out what works for you 👍
I learned that instrument more than 30 years ago, and don't play much anymore nowadays. (a few times a year to assure myself that i still am able to play and that it still works) So you got way more current active experience than me.
I found relatively early that when i let it rest on my left thigh which then does the vertical support, i can control the bellow way more accrately during playing, and i don't need the leather sleave to be tightened as much. (and due to that technique i don't move the lower part of the bellow that much unless i really need volume)
And as i said one big thing is comfort and lazyness on my part. (I mean i have rested my chin on the upper part for years because of that. And when i don't use a note holder and have them just laying on the table in front of me i still do that sometimes)🤷♂
Immediately came to subscribe after seeing the new video on Xtra. Best wishes for your new venture! I play the melodeon which is a kind of accordion. :)
"A gentleman is someone who can play the accordion, but doesn't." - Tom Waits
I was about to quote that.
You beat me to this quote... the only thing Waits has said that I disagree with. ;)
Obviously, gentlemen prefer bronze 😏
That isn't Tom Waits, it is Sten Broman!
I play accordion! a little harsh I think, but true! Squeeze the box with fellows is fine , At least it's not Morris dancing......
As a musician who plays bass, guitar, drums, piano with a comprehensive understanding of musical theory... all you've done is make me want one lol
I am in the exact same boat hahaha
I was the same, going why would TH-cam recommend this video, now I’m going to have to get an accordion, I already have several instruments to play.
I know right !!!! An instrument being made with the circule of fiths as the prime design factor sounds fascinating ! (Excuse my grammar btw, I learned music theory in spanish hahaha)
Heheheheheh I have one nowwwwwww.
I love the accordion. I played as a kid and am just getting back into it. Playing it presents literally a lot of moving parts. Unlike other instruments, the box is a solo, stand-alone instrument that can handle a song with no accompaniment.
fingerstyle guitar can do that too, but that's argiably harder
@@dutchdykefingernah it doesn't have the same sustain
I never knew I was interested in accordions but here I am, interested in accordions.
Just buy one mate haha. I just did that and its an amazing instrument
Same here hahaha
Every part of this was comedic gold. Literally, everything. perfection.
Love that the Google Doodle today is celebrating the accordion and this video is both the top link and top image for the results. Luke nailing the algos
Luke, this video is brilliant! I've been playing the accordion since 1959..... And I have never heard it explained in such a clear and fun way as you did. I've always thought that it was one of the easiest instruments to play, but I've had a hard time explaining that to people who ask, "Why?" You just answered that question in the most delightful way!!!
when i was first learning accordion, the book my dad gave me advised practising in front of a mirror - then you can see what you're doing!! wonderful video!!
You are aware the author of that book died in a head-on automobile collision, correct?
I learned playing the accordion as a child and started playing again during lockdown. It’s been great fun
Lockdown accordion buddies!!
Evicted yet?
You really hit the nail on the head with the idea that the accordion is an incredibly intimidating-looking instrument that hides a secret of exquisite simplicity! The chord buttons are one of my favorite obscure musical facts to pull out on the rare occasion that music theory comes up in everyday conversation.
Also congrats on 10k! 🙌🎆
I know absolutely nothing about music theory, but I still found this video interesting and informative!
I thought the accordion straps were a cheeky little neckerchief in the preview window and I think that's a look Luke could rock 100%
As a life time gigging musician on pipe and electronic organ, keyboards, sythesizers, classical guitar, and accordion...both acoustic and digital....my favorite by far is the accordion. While you can get some simple notes out of one if you are a hacker...at least on the piano keyboard, But it has an inredible level of complexity, nuances and dynamics thanks to its bellows which allows a good player to get those nuances and dynamics like you can with a violin or wind isntrument. It also provides its own accompaniment via the left side. I play both Stradella bass as well as Free Bass when all those notes play individidual notes. Combined with the right side it will have a greater note range than a 88 key piano. in the hands of a master an accordion can play with all the skill of a top concert musician in any other instrument.....and it is a lot easier to carry around than a pipe organ ;-)
I’ve been playing the accordion for a couple of years now, it’s cool to see others discover it’s secrets. Just wait until you learn the bellow shake. Great video!
9:19 for acoustic guitar, if you have the right posture the fretboard is also supposed to be facing away from you. that's why the little dots on the side of the fretboard exist
sure but it isn't the dimensions of a enormous travel suitcase so when learning you can lean forward and see
You still have, you know, the little dots on the side of the fretboard.
This video was so good that i watched it, bought an accordion, and watched it again to refresh my memory. Cheers!
As a concertina player I assume all accordion players to be geniuses. Thanks so much for this video! Thoroughly enjoyable and fascinating, or fascenjoyinating if you will.
The concertina is the real "pirate instrument"!
The concertina isn't any older than the accordion.
wow, I was always too intimidated by those buttons to even touch an accordion, now I think I want to buy one.
I believe I was the person who sparked this all off one stream when I asked if that was an accordion behind you (or if you were just happy to see us) and if you played. And oh man, I would have killed to have had such a good explanation of the instrument when I was brute forcing my way through it, too, a few years ago. Thanks for going above and beyond once again, Luke, and as friendly tip: never attempt "Lovefool" on that thing.
Love the humour in this. Great overview! I liked how you touched on some of the introductory basics and even brought in a little bit of music theory but not so much to blow everyone away. Just enough to tease out some understanding and some cool "a-ha!" moments.
I was lucky enough to borrow someone's accordion for a couple of months when I was younger. I've always been in love with the _idea_ of an accordion, ever since I was a little kid. You know what they say about expectations... well, the accordion blew mine out of the water. Never have I had such a long-term hype on something and then come face-to-face with reality to have those expectations met and smashed into the next world. I had to return the instrument after those few months; pretty heartbreaking. But I just got some money together with generous help of many friends and will be looking towards getting myself my very first own accordion........ can't wait.
honestly as an accordion player the left hand is so amazing and easy, one of those things that looks so complicated at first glance
The accordion is very underrated and I see so many people associate it first with European roots and Polka style music. My Father's Hispanic, I grew up with accordion, so I always associate it with Latino roots.
They can absolutely shred and arpeggiate the accordion, those ones with buttons only, like a crazy guitar solo. I'm always impressed because I'm only able to play the accordion like it's a piano, and not an accordion. They can also be heavy af.
If this is all of Luke's new videos, I will be over the moon. Luke in any form is delightful.
See, as a completely musically inept person, I thoroughly enjoyed that video, you explained it all brilliantly and entertained. 😁👌
I've actually been really wanting to learn how to play an accordion and this has definitely put to ease some of the doubts and concerns I had about the jumbled mess of buttons that was ever so intimidating. I am glad I found this video, thanks!
The buttons look intimidating but aren’t really so bad, like the Russian alphabet. It looks horrifying but it’s not impossible to learn and once you practice it becomes natural. Like anything , it’s a lot of work, but rewarding.
just be aware that that layout isn't the same with all sorts of accordeons and harmonicas. (So when you get one make sure it's this layout, they come in different sizes both left and right side. And are mostly counted on the lefthand side: 32 buttons, 64 buttons 72 buttons and 120 buttons for the base. I have a 32 and 72 button one.)
@@poppopken As someone who did learn the Russian (Cyrillic) alphabet both in print and cursive, this gives me a lot of hope for my accordion playing.
How dare you try and educate me, sir?!
But in all seriousness, this was actually fascinating and very entertaining. Loved it.
This really took me back to when I took accordion lessons in middle school (clearly the coolest kid out there) and boy it would have been more helpful to do that AFTER I got an entire music degree - thanks Luke! 😂
Rhiannon Giddens described "perfect pitch" as when the banjo flies through the air and lands in the garbage bin, without touching the sides, right on top of the accordion. She is, among other things, a fine banjo player.
I would imagine that our video presenter knows this, but the C fundamental button is identifiable by touch, usually being indented instead of being rounded outwards, on every accordion I've handled, sometimes also the B fundamental, but always the C, giving the player a home position to relate to, much as a typist has a "home" position.
There may be those that don't, but I've yet to see one without a "home" button.
I love this video.
Both my long-late dad and his late dad before him were keyboard wizards, specializing in the piano accordion in particular, instilling in me a love of, if not a talent for producing, the sound of a gracefully played piano accordion.
I remember waltzes as being favorites of mine.
It's been 55 years since last hearing dad entrance me with his beautiful music as I was a ten-year-old boy.
RIP, Dad and Grandpa.
I'm more of a guitar guy myself, but I have both my dad's and grandpa's accordions in my possession.
If there's ever a fire in my house, I'm grabbing the accordions.
Dad's is an early-50s Titano Stroller, in mother of toilet seat pearl with gold glittered accidental keys, with 120 button bass in Stradella conformation.
I used to think as a kid that it was a bit strange looking compared to the standard black accordions I'd see on TV.
Now I think that it is a wonder to behold.
It's in fine operational condition.
It could use new straps, but I found a way to provide support to the weak points on the old straps.
By the way, I love the look of the video presenter's instrument. It's very pleasing to the eye.
I'd like to know the name of that color, brindle maybe.
Whatever it is, it's pretty cool looking.
Grandpa's accordion is an Italo-American, circa 1920-ish, maybe a bit older, absolutely 100% handmade, black and ivory, rhinestoned to h-e-double hockey sticks and back, with our family name, HERGET emblazoned across the front as was the style of the day.
It was in extremely serious need of some TLC, so I took it upon myself to rebuild and fully adjust it back to playing condition.
Wow, what an undertaking that turned out to be.
A SURPRISE awaited me inside.
I found that somewhere along its life, someone had ingeniously suspended a microphone that had originally come from a vintage telephone handset inside the bass side of the bellows and wired it to an output jack.
Yowzaa!!
Grandpa's accordion is electrified!!
And man, does it pump out the sound!!
Holy crap!!!
I found as I worked on it that the bass buttonboard was different than the 120 bass buttonboard on my dad's accordion.
Confusion, research, more confusion, more research, holy crap, this thing is a monster!!!
AGGGHHH!!!
It turned out to have a 140-button bass buttonboard featuring minor counter basses in addition to counter basses, fundamental basses, and the major, minor, dominant 7th and diminished chord rows.
The full impact of my discovery of the fact that it had the 140-button bass side was not felt until after disassembly, of course!
I had to figure out its configuration as it lay in hundreds of pieces on my shop floor, being completely unfamiliar as a guitar player with the notion of counter basses, much less a possible minor counter bass row versus a row of augmented chords, depending on which style of 140-button bass I was dealing with.
Being a guitar guy, my mind was blown.
To the guy that finishes what he starts, that guy being me, it was time to get to work.
Me, muttering to myself, nearly-blinded from staring at loose accordion parts, "OK, if I were to push this button that has 4 tits on its rod, those four tits push on these particular connecting links, wait, which ones, oh man, they're so far out of adjustment that I have to guess which valves get, oh man, I lost track, maybe a different one will be easier to see, let's see, I push this button that has two tits, what(?), two tits, what the hell, where did a two tit button rod come from. Oh, man, I think that one has a tit broken off of it. I think there should be (after what should not have been an agonizingly long time, but was) either 1, 3, or 4 tits per button rod, which end up opening myriad possibilities of numbers of valves. OK, note that two-titter to repair later."
I was heard muttering semi-coherently for days.
Even my now-late also, beloved little dog, Max, appeared to be wary of venturing towards my direction during that period of time.
The look on his face seemed to say, "Dad just doesn't seem like himself these days, I'm staying away".
I have to tell you, it's heartbreaking when your little canine pal is breaking up with you over the fact that you've become obsessed with piecing together hundreds of century-old accordion parts and you don't know what the hell you're doing.
Yeah.
Heartbreaking.
Well, I finally got her figured out and many, many hours later, with many, many repairs and adjustments having been made, she plays like she should.
It is one of the proudest achievements of my life, I must say.
If I had known going in what a massive project it was going to be, I'm really not sure I'd have tackled it, but I did, and it is done.
My little buddy, Max, eventually came back around to loving me again, too, so it all worked out in the end.
Though my dad's accordion playing was for the pleasure of himself and our family, grandpa's accordion had been through 50-plus very hard years of playing wedding parties, city park concerts, downtown sidewalk strolling with a trombone guy and a trumpet guy to entice paying customers to stick around and spend some bucks in the local stores, lord only knows how many taverns, student instruction, whatever, wherever he could pick up a buck playing the accordion or piano, and man, could he play.
I liken the heavily used condition of grandpa's accordion to the condition of the everyday tool pouch and tools that I carried throughout my career as an electro-mechanical technician.
Heavily, heavily used but still performing its function after already providing many, many years of great service.
I just loving marveling at stuff like that.
I didn't get possession of grandpa's accordion until many, many years after his passing, with it having sat in some atrocious temperature and humidity conditions in the ensuing decades.
It was really rough when it was handed to me.
After the necessary TLC, it's back to being well-worn, and still good to provide service.
I'm going to take a moment to drop a couple of names here.
I was told by my recently departed mother that Myron Floren, while living in St. Louis as a young man, took accordion lessons from my grandpa for a period of time.
I have no reason to disbelieve that story.
So there, my grandpa taught Myron Floren at least some accordion, for what it's worth.
Or maybe the situation was mutual, or even vice versa.
Myron was a hell of an accordionist.
Myron was 17 years younger than grandpa, so who knows, maybe they just jammed and showed each other their tricks.
As long as I'm name-dropping, I'll drop another one, this one regarding baseball.
You've heard this name.
Babe Ruth.
You may not have heard this one.
Rollie Stiles, or Leapin' Lena Stiles.
He was Uncle Roland to me, my accordion-playing grandpa's sister's husband.
Rollie was my granduncle by marriage.
Rollie Stiles was the last living major league baseball to have struck out and to have pitched to Babe Ruth, if my facts are correct.
He was also the oldest living MLB player for a period of time before he passed in 2007 at age 100.
I never even knew that Uncle Roland was a baseball player until sometime in the 1980s, maybe.
He played for the St. Louis Browns for a few years in the early 1930s.
So, there's a few of my stories.
If you read them, I hope you were at least mildly entertained.
If not, thanks for reading anyway.
I'm of the theory that as long as someone alive remembers you, you're still kind of here amongst the living.
So, we have mentioned our video presenter, my dad, mom, grandpa, grandpa's sister, Myron Floren, Babe Ruth, Rollie Stiles, my canine pal Max, the trumpet and trombone guys but I can't find the pic with their names right now, myself, and you, dear reader.
Out of those mentioned, hopefully, our video presenter, Luke, I guess is his name, is still kicking, I am also as of this writing, and also, you, dear reader.
The rest have gone on to where we'll all end up.
Some memories have been kept alive.
I've had a good time reminiscing about great past times.
I hope you, dear reader, enjoyed the journey.
This is my first visit to Luke's channel.
I have absolutely no idea as to the subject of his channel content.
The accordion grabbed me.
I'm going to go find out what he's all about.
Cheers to all!!!
P.S. - I have an additional comment that absolutely must be added.
Get ready.
This story hits me hard when sharing it with others, as I've done with several other individuals.
You know how leather clothing will, over enough time, take on the aroma of the wearer?
Both my dad and my grandpa played so often that their respective leather accordion straps extremely strongly bear the fragrance of each of them, even after all these years since their passing, 1970 for dad and 1972 for grandpa.
It has faded very slightly since over 50 years have passed, but, yeah, open the accordion case and there is the smell of my beloved dad, grandpa's even more so.
Powerful stuff.
Yeah.
Powerful.
There's nothing like the smell of a loved one for comfort, especially a loved one who has been gone for 53 years.
Yeah.
Thanks for the space here to share that with you.
Peace.
I think something else that adds a lot of difficulty to the accordion is having more complex chords on the left side which makes you combine different chords and notes. Also, playing individual notes even just chromatically is extremely difficult with the bass button if you don’t have the muscle memory to know the placement with the circle of fifths and the row of thirds above it.
Not any more complex than playing a piano or violin.
The accordion is a harmonica for those without lips. Congrats on 10K, Astor Westaway! Your plan on slowly creeping up on Pewdiepie has hit the next goal. Thanks for the video!
As a 56 year old newbie, I appreciated your insight, and urge you to get that beautiful instrumental tuned, serviced and the USE it. I can already see how my left hand frustration is very transitory. And that special voice. Go for it!
As someone who learned this insturment as a child and early teenager and nowadays only seldom uses it, this was great fun to watch. A few years ago i bought a keyboard and to this day i have trouble playing things on it: The white keys are wider than on the accordeon making my muscle memory if spreading my fingers go wrong, it is more strenuos on my wrists than the accordeon, and the left hand and volume control...
As you pointed out the genius layout of the accordeons lefthand buttons i never learned music theory, just didn't need to. I never knew of which notes which chord consists of, i only had to find and use the appropriate button.
And volume: i have to really concentrate to hit the keys with the right force for volume control. So much easier with the bellow of the accordeon.
I came from a music theory and piano background and was just playing around with my Fathers accordion and a light bulb went off in my head where I was like holy shit this instrument was designed with music theory in mind first.
That just do thing thing happened to me with the guitar. Absolutely no clue what notes I was playing, just here's the right root, now this shape and it's what the teacher asks for. But I didn't really know what I was playing, that only came with the piano.
So happy to see Google bless your algorithm today Luke! This video was great a year ago and I’m enjoying it all over again 💜
“It’s only after years of practice that I still can’t do it.” That’s pretty much where I got to with guitar, and then switched to ukulele. 😊
This video is so entertaining and well made, thank you! I play the accordion professionally now but first taught myself with only a piano background. Your thoughts are exactly what mine were in the beginning days. It looks hard because you can't see anything but being able to play an entire chord with the tap of one finger is amazing! I feel totally out of my depth when I sit at a piano now and I have SO MANY keys to press at the same time. There's so many places to look! I've gotten so used to seeing in my minds eye that I don't know how to use my eyes properly.
Best accordian vid in the history of EVER!!
I don't get how accordion is not popular anymore. It's so versatile!
because theyre too expensive, nobody wants to blow 300 bucks on an accordion
@@crushing3614 hmmm… are you comparing to a guitar ? ???
@@squeezejoy im comparing to the money in my wallet😂
@@crushing3614 omg! What a clever reply :-)
Sorry but accordion is really popular and used in Spanish music in fact people are willing to spend thousands on one
That was bloody brilliant, really enjoyed this video! I did music and media at uni but had absolutely no idea how an accordion worked but found this really interesting! Would love to see more stuff like this 👍
Been learning on accordion lately. I love the instrument, anything you play on it, it immediately gets this weird, cheezy vibe. Having played piano and guitar before and being familiar to music theory I was just as as amazed by the simplicity and overwhelming effectivity of the stradella system as you were.
Playing it you can feel that this instrument was not designed to play etudes, scales ir orchestral pieces but to play songs to sing along to.
Danza kuduro, lambada, on the floor, stereo love.. those songs aren’t dorky/cheesy. The accordion sounds cheesy when people play it with the same tired oompah and waltz bass pattern.
I knew a young Hispanic man in high school who would play the accordion often in our woodshop class. I'm a guitarist now but had dabbled in the world of woodwinds in school band. That accordion was the most beautiful instrument I had ever heard. I could sit for the whole two hours and what that guy play without ever once diverting my gaze for a single moment, in absolute and utter awe, to much dismay from our teacher (we all we aware that he greatly enjoyed the music as well). One particular day I happened to ask when I could expect to hear his amazing playing again and he revealed to me that he had sold the accordion to provide some much needed funds for his family. A uniquely salty tear sprung from my eye when I heard that and not knowing really what to say, all I could manage was a simple, "I'm sorry to hear that," which did not do justice to the turmoil which stirred in my gut at that time.
I often think of him. Nothing but the deepest respect is reserved for him. Not only the dedication to learn to play such a instrument, but the selflessness to sell it for the benefit of his family, and the poise to take it with an outwardly stoic attitude. I'm sad to say that now I cannot even remember his name, but it is my deepest hope that he has been reunited with that joyous instrument. Of one thing I will forever be sure; the world NEEDS his music, the world needs the accordion.
Remember meeting you at a Bandai Namco press event in 2017 or 18
I remember asking who you worked for and when you said Outside Xbox I felt like a div for not recognising you. I was too busy crashing my plane.
We had a lovely chat and seem like a really broadly talented fella. Glad you are doing well
Not only did I learn a load about the accordion, but I was very entertained! Great video!
This is on the front page of todays Google doodle when you click on it!!! Luke is Google's face of accordions! 🙂 Yay! Well done Luke!
I know right, Amazing!
This was fun to watch and learn a bit. Funny and educational at the same time!
Also congrats on hiting the 10k subs Luke, so what have you planned for 20k?? :]
So glad I stumbled upon your video. Great explanations of some theory principles and tidbits of trivia certainly were cool. I've been noodling around with the ole squeeze box for a few years. It's a replacement for another instrument I was attempting to learn but due to a hand injury couldn't form the chords anymore. I still have the fine motor skills to do the counter bass to the 7ths on the left and the right hand is fully functional. I appreciate your simple but specific info with the silly but good humor. Hope you make some more videos. Thanks, All the best.
That was surprisingly entertaining and informative: "Hmm, how will Luke make accordions interesting? Who does he think he is, Weird Al?"
Accordion player here. It’s fantastically fun to play. I highly recommend it. 😊
One of my favorite songs off that album. The accordion pulled it together like no instrument could. Thanks for the cool look into such a quirky and overlooked instrament!
The association with pirates comes from the concertina (the smaller simpler cousin of the accordion) which was popular and cheap around the 1830s
You should check out an instrument called the Chord Organ, many of them nowadays just synthesize the sounds electronically but many of them from the 1970s and 1980s were literally just accordions laid out flat with an electric fan that continuously blew so there was no need to pump it. Incredibly cool and unfortunately overlooked instruments.
Honestly, the fact that you can't see what you're playing and have to go with feeling alone is probably a blessing in disguise. It may be hard to wrap your head around in the beginning, but once you get used to it, the relief from constantly needing to look at your hands is gonna be such a weight off your shoulders. Most musicians get to that point eventually, but insteuments where you can't see what you're doing rip that band aid right off first thing.
Yes! As a non-accordion musician, i was able to pick an accordion and play along with an irish band on a live gig once or twice. If you know piano (and u should) and how pop music works (3 chords and a story), you're golden.
Thank you for demystifying the accordion.
Very amusing video! Your analysis is spot-on! I am a fairly experienced pianist 🎹and bought an accordion🪗 with the help of a professional accordionist recently to challenge myself. I know all the music theory and understand the ingenious design of the Stradella bass system, but to know is not the same as to play!!! 🤣 On piano I can see the keys in front of me, the patterns the notes make. On accordion bass, I have to learn chord progression patterns, proper fingering (to facilitate moving to the next chord) and finding the keys all blindly! Even the keyboard (right hand) is a little interesting to play sideways. However, as you said, after some practice and building "muscle memory" it becomes surprisingly intuitive and you find your fingers🖐jumping to the proper places!
When I saw the video title I was like "wait, no, this is not entirely true, let's watch it", but turns out that you got that "nearly" right. There's so much to master, especially the bellow motions. But every instrument got it's difficulties.
Grade A content! I received an accordion from my wife's grandma last year and wanted to learn how to play it, but those darn buttons were a massive hindrance. Now that I understand it better, I might have to give it a try again.
As an Accordionist, this is a great introduction to the basics of the Accordion. You can even get electrical accordions these days. I'm currently learning about accordion repair, and when you open the grill above the piano keys, each key opens a set of holes which are controlled by the coupler. The holes open depend on which coupler you're using, and accordions also need servicing about once a year.
Hilarious and informative! I'm not very familiar with music theory and you explained it well without going overboard with details, and all the jokes were well-timed and funny.
This is a good style of presentation, and I hope to see more videos like it in the future!
This video has such an indescribable but delightful vibe and I adore it
Luke, FYI accordions need to be stored facing upwards for long periods of time. Make sure its standing upright with the bass strap on the floor. This is to prevent the leathers from losing their functionality over time.
I both love and hate Luke's music theory understanding because it's so complicated and yet he can explain it simply in a way that makes more sense than my actual music theory classes did. Also, thank you for answering the question of buying an accordion just for one song, 100% worth it.
If Luke had been my music theory teacher I might have actually passed my A Levels. I also have that song as a permanent part of my playlist for WFH, so I'm getting Luke's money's worth out of the purchase!
I always looked up to have an accordion, they seem so beatifully complicated yet magnifucent
Luke, I have no experience in law but I'll happily represent you for free and take this westaway chump down. 😁 Also this was super interesting (and as always very funny) so more videos like this would be great!
I joked on Twitter that I'd be watching this to keep me hyped for the Weird Al movie, but it's genuinely helping me understand how musically talented Mr Yankovic really is.
I did watch this seemingly right after Weird Al's 'Hot Ones' interview so it is a pretty neat coincidence
Watched this when it first came out, have been hankering after an accordion ever since. Two years later, I'm now watching it about two hours before my first lesson! Thanks, Luke :)
What a fantastic introduction video. Went from knowing nothing about the accordion to knowing everything!
Thanks, Luke, you really made me understand how the accordion is played. ALSO, you have the greatest blue eyes!
This is a great video. I'm gonna go check out your music
"with this nightmarish device I unleash the awsome power of fifty harmonicas" : basic instructions web comic
I don't know why youtube never showed me your channel before today. I don't know why it showed me your accordion video before any others. I don't know why I never thought to look for your personal channel after watching so many outsidextra videos over the years.
But hot DAMN did it pick a banger. Great video! I've always been fascinated by the accordion but the few times I've wanted to get one for myself something's come up and the deal fell through. This time I'm doing it. Just as soon as I get a job. And pay off my late bills.
Mother had an accordian (48 Button 26 keys I think) Between the ages of 7 and 15 I spent a number of years annoying the whole family before giving up. Then I took pity on and purchased a rather sad slightly shop soiled 80 button 37 key. Spent time fighting with the weight of it and working out the buttons. Could play a few basic tunes though but sold it after some 30 years to a lady in Wales. She informed that she was delighted with it. She was already a very capable player. I still itch to be able to play one again but do I lack the three brains required to drive these beasts. A great video by the way and very educational. Thank you, Andy
Thanks for the video!! I've had a full-fledged accordion (120 Bass/keyboard) sitting in a closet for years. Took lessons as a kid. Just saw a blues band with an accordion player. Fabulous music!! I will start playing it again!
brilliant video, great to learn about the accordion
Apparently the reason accordion and concertinas, flutinas and squeezeboxes are associated with sea shanties and pirates is because they were very popular in the 19th century among sailors, and so became associated with sea shanties and sailors. Even though the closest thing they had in the age of piracy was primitive harmonicas and bagpipes.
No harmonicas on pirate ships, they were developed around the same time as the accordion, ca 1800-1830. Pirates probably played fiddles (pipes & Hurdy-giddies were certainly around too). Fiddle players were sometimes included in the sick bay medical payroll because they thought dancing and staying healthy kept away scurvy. I call all this the “Pirate Accordion Anachronism.”
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Honestly without any other evidence to the contrary I think Pirates are associated with Accordions because of the movies. But I haven’t tracked down a “first appearance” yet. The first appearance of Accordions in film is easy though, because the forth movie ever made, in 1888, is a six second epic called “accordion player.” But there were no pirates in this first (silent) movie musical.
Thank you for creating this video, continuing that motion picture tradition. I love that you have done a quality music theory lesson with a 100 year old out of tune instrument. Bold statement in the age of autotune. I wonder what such a digital repair tool would make of an accordion? They produce a remarkably complex sound, with up to five reeds sounding for each note. When they start going out of tune you end up with this monster of harmonics and acoustic distortion. I suspect this might drive autotune mad. Please make this your follow-up video 🪗🤯
I work as a security guard in a predominantly Hispanic area. I bring this up because the accordion seems to be an important instrument to Hispanic culture. I’ve worked a few concerts for local bands and the amount of exposure I’ve had to the accordion is probably much higher than the average person. It brings such a unique and lively feel to music when played live.
Colombians and Dominicans love the accordion, I like how they made their own style of playing without much influence from European music.
My late dad used to play an accordian before and after he was in the military. It's probably no surprise he really liked pirate stuff. Jolly ol man had a skull and cross bone flag in his room at the ripe age of 80. I remember sitting on the porch listening to him playing with a big smile on his face when I was small. I miss him. I wish I could say I took over his accordian duties, but I unfortunately don't know how to play it. I still have it, but I'm not really into playing music instruments.
This is incredible, thank you for my newfound appreciation for the accordion!!!
I love this, lots of stuff I never thought about while playing
Beautiful explanation who ever arranged the stradella bass notes was a genius!
I’m subscribed, I’ve rang that bell, I’m here for normal adult things!
That accordian looks gorgeous. And i had no idea the buttons were that simple and easy to navigate! Those gazillion buttons (and the price) are the main reason I haven't gotten one yet.
No problem my friend. Just start on a thirty-two bass instrument. They range from 8 Bass right through to 120. My 48-bass model has two octaves of piano keys.
Hohner does fantastic beginner models for reasonable prices.
"Easy to navigate" depends on your skill level and the piece of music you try to play. There are easy ones and hard ones of course.
I regularly check in on this channel for your ghost story and music streams, this was a wonderful surprise today. Thanks Luke!
There is nothing else quite like the accordion in Western music. It's historically been known as a beggar's or poor folk's instrument, but is undeniably classy.
The accordion was practically the synthesizer of the 1800s. It used a technology unlike anything else at the time - metallic free reeds.
Most reed instruments used pipes to reinforce and tune the reed's vibration. Free reeds made of metal were stiffer and didn't require a resonator to produce a stable pitch. They were also cheaper to manufacture, though decent free reed instruments can still set you back. They worked a bit like the metal tines of music boxes, driven by breath instead of a pluck, and the narrow openings around them would allow the reed to chop the air as it vibrated, amplifying the vibration further. This was a pretty new technology in the accordion's heyday, and the closest thing was a few Chinese free reed instruments. These free reeds also found their way into small organs and harmonicas.
Great video! I’ve been playing the accordion for 34 years and I’m still learning!
I learned this as a kid and have wanted one ever since. I knew basic chords playing guitar and went to my uncles. He showed me the chord buttons and I spent maybe 4 hours while the adults were in the other round just cycling through different chord progressions one button at a time.
Amazing. You've reminded me I want one of these.
I'm an accordion player and I had already been playing piano for many years, so it was very easy to pick up :) it's super fun to play!
I picked up an accordion back in March and learning it has been an awesome experience so far, hand coordination is quite a challenge
Dude, that was hilarious. I honestly laughed out loud several times. Your bonjour had me in tears and your explanation of a crowds reaction, to when you pull out the accordion was funny as hell. They'll ask you politely to leave, but you can hear it over the sound you make.
This totally blew my mind!!
Well this was delightful. I could honestly listen to Luke talk somewhat enthusiastically about just about anything. A true entertainer!
As a new accordion player, all of this is extremely accurate. I got so excited that chords could be played at the touch of a button... but then you have to find which button. Also I am never really sure when it's safe to practice because it is indeed quite loud even if you are barely moving air through it and trying to play softly.