A little bit of information and history
The accordion (or accordeon or accordian) is a bellows driven free reed instrument It uses the bellows to drive air through the reeds to create tones. It is a pretty new instrument compared to most non electric instruments. It is based on the "free reed" type reed that was first believed to come from China. Early free reed instruments such as the sheng and the snake charmers flute used this type of reed about 200 years ago. Very early reeds were actually made out of a reed, but this was later replaced with brass as it was less affected by moisture from the breath of the player. One could think of the free reed as a air driven tuning fork.
The first accordions as such were developed in Austria in the early 1800's and soon spread to France and Italy where may different types of instruments were developed ,the first examples of piano accordions appeared within 20 years and many of the instruments such as the Melodeon and the Concertina allready were being developed.
Many early instruments used reed plates similar to the ones in harmonicas and some early melodeons and anglo concertinas were little more than harmonicas with bellows and keys.
The free reed family includes Harmoniums, Chemnitzers, Bandeoneons, Melodicas, Harmonicas, Pump Organs, Harmoniums, and Concertinas. Some pipe organs use free reeds and these appear to predate accordions by several decades.
The first accordions as such were developed in Austria in the early 1800's and soon spread to France and Italy where may different types of instruments were developed ,the first examples of piano accordions appeared within 20 years and many of the instruments such as the Melodeon and the Concertina allready were being developed.
Many early instruments used reed plates similar to the ones in harmonicas and some early melodeons and anglo concertinas were little more than harmonicas with bellows and keys.
The free reed family includes Harmoniums, Chemnitzers, Bandeoneons, Melodicas, Harmonicas, Pump Organs, Harmoniums, and Concertinas. Some pipe organs use free reeds and these appear to predate accordions by several decades.
The Piano Accordion
Versions of Piano Accordions appeared pretty early on in accordion development but the did not really become popular until some big name in the accordion world like Pietro and Guido Diero made them really popular in the 1920's. Piano accordions were marketed in the US as a sort of portable piano, and chromatic accordions were eclipsed, A musician by the name of Frosini played an accordion that looked like a piano accordion that in fact was a chromatic. These still show up once in awhile.