Accordion Free Bass System
Accordion Free Bass System
Accordion Free Bass System
Two related layouts exist as mirror versions of the chromatic button accordion, these
were marketed in the US by the Giulietti company as "bassetti".[2]
The "quint" free-bass system invented by Bill Palmer - later patented by Titano,
has extra bass rows to extend the existing bass arrangement of the stradella
system.[3]
The quint version and chromatic button versions were available in "converter"
(or "transformer") models with a control to switch from standard stradella to
free-bass.[4]
A piano-like layout exists that mirrors the right-hand keyboard of a piano
accordion, with round buttons laid out like piano keys. This system is popular in
Asian piano accordions, especially in Azeri garmon.
Other less popular arrangements also exist, including the Moschino and the
Kuehl.
Contents
[hide]
1History
2Notes
3References
History[edit]
By the year 1900, the Stradella bass system had principally reached its current
construction with 120 buttons over 6 rows. However, while that setup worked
well for major and minor music accompanied by many chords, the performer
would only have access to about a single octave of notes while playing - two
with a timely shift of registers. The problem was solved in the early 1900s by
adding three rows of chromatically ordered single notes next to the standard bass.
[5] In 1900 in Moscow Russian master Bakanov made a garmon with piano
keyboards for both right and left hands. From 1906 the brothers Kiselevs'
factory in Tula began to produce bayans with the three-row free-bass left
keyboard.[6]