The great difference of the accordion types

Button accordion or Bayan was the result of improvements to the accordion. Unlike the accordion, it has a chromatic scale (12-stage equal tuning), and the volume range up to 5 octaves, so its music capabilities are much wider.

It is used to accompany vocal performances, and solo performances of musical pieces.

The design of the left keyboard of accordion mechanisms is divided into Standard, Free Bass and a combination of Free and Standard Bass systems.

The standard system is the mechanism that allows getting a fixed sound of a chord of three or four sounds by pressing just one button.

The free Bass system allows the player to make chords by pressing two or more buttons at the same time. It significantly expands the range of sound of an instrument, bringing it closer to the range of the piano.

Playing the button accordion with the Free Bass mechanism is difficult, so they are not widespread. The free Bass mechanism includes, as it were, two mechanisms: Standard Chords and Free Bass chords.

By a special switch register, the instrument can be transferred from one type to another. The free Bass system is much more complicated than the previous one.
Depending on the purpose, design features, the largest number of simultaneously sounding reeds, and the types of bayan’s register switches, it can be divided into several groups:

1. Two-voice accordions with different sound ranges without register switches. These are the instruments with reduced sound range, and small size, designed primarily for teaching children.

2. Accordions with two-, three-voice or four-voice with register switches, where is possible to obtain different combinations of simultaneously sounding reeds by pressing one key of the melody.

3. Button accordions with free bass accompaniment. – The most sophisticated in its design and perfect for performing, playing and acoustic quality.

4. Orchestral accordions – piccolo, prima, alto, tenor, bass, double bass.

In its constructive device, they differ from ordinary accordions that have a keyboard on the right side of the body and vary in the sound range:
accordion piccolo has 3 octaves, prima – 4 octaves, alto – 3 1/2 octaves, tenor – 3 octaves, bass – 3 octaves, double bass accordion – 2 1/2 octaves.

5. Timbre accordions: accordion-trumpet, accordion-flute, accordion-bassoon, accordion-oboe, accordion-clarinet. These accordions are fundamentally different from all the accordion designs discussed earlier, they imitate the sound of the trumpet, flute, bassoon, oboe, and clarinet.

Depending on the purpose, and design features, the largest number of
simultaneously sounding reeds, the types of bayan’s register switches, can be divided into several groups

Depending on the configuration of the reeds that sound simultaneously when you press a certain button, button accordions are of two types: so-called “Dry and “Wet” sounds.

Button accordions with “dry” sounds are used in the “classical” training on the accordion and to accompany folk songs and dances. Button accordions with a “wet” sound are used for the performance of light and pop music.