Not exactly Lawrence Welk material (Photo by Éamonn O'Brien-Strain) According to some calendars, today is an important day in accordion history: the day Anthony Faas patented the accordion in 1854. But don't break out the party hats just yet! We hate to rain on your accordion parade, but it turns out Faas's patent wasn't actually filed on January 13 (the accordion's birthday might actually be January 14 ... or May 6 ... or May 23 ... or maybe some other day entirely) and, anyway, the accordion was actually invented years before Faas filed his patent. The Chinese cheng, a distant ancestor of the accordion, is the oldest known free-reed instrument, dating back a couple thousand years or so. Today's accordions come in many styles and are known by many names, but the basic idea is the same: air is forced across reeds by a bellows, and notes and chords are produced by pressing buttons, which open valves and change the pitch. If you're now wondering what we're doing spending our time talking about something as hopelessly "uncool" as the accordion, we challenge you to give the much-maligned instrument another try. Somehow over the years accordions have unjustly come to inspire the same scornful mocking often reserved for things like fruitcake and mimes. But accordions aren't all Lawrence Welk and polkas. Accordions are ubiquitous. Sure, you expect them in mariachi bands and in folk music like klezmer and Irish jigs. They're not too surprising in zydeco (even punk zydeco) or Cajun music. Some genres, like Cape Verde's funaná and Mexico's norteño, would be lost without their accordions. And rock music is diverse enough that accordions can easily squeeze into some of its sub-genres. But Swedish synth pop? Jazz? House music? Hip hop? Metal? Yep, even metal. Today might not be an especially notable day in accordion history, but any day is a good day to rediscover the joys of this misunderstood instrument. Please celebrate accordioningly. Suggested Sites... Let's Polka - the most exhaustive and entertaining accordion blog we could hope to find. Squeezytunes - a musician's blog about accordions and other instruments. Accordion Links - prepare to be amazed by how many accordion sites are out there.... Virginia Tech Multimedia Music Dictionary: Accordion - hyperlinked encyclopedia entry on accordions and related instruments. How to Play the Accordion - don't be shy -- you know you want to give it a squeeze.

Directory categories: Accordion, Accordionists, Accordions for Sale, Accordion Organizations, Polka

Archived under: Accordions, Entertainment, Fanatics, Lawrence Welk, Music, Music History, Musical Instruments

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