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Learn Accordion

Bellows, buttons and keys working together, one hand at a time.

Free to start. Built from a single prompt. No credit card.

The accordion is a portable reed organ: the bellows push and pull air across metal reeds while the right hand plays melody on a piano keyboard or on buttons and the left hand plays bass notes and ready-made chords. On a piano accordion with Stradella bass, each left-hand row has a job, with bass notes arranged in a circle of fifths and the next rows giving major, minor, seventh and diminished chords. Bellows direction and pressure shape every phrase the way a bow does on a violin. Learnr builds a personalized accordion course from one prompt, taught in short interactive lessons.

How to learn Accordion, step by step

Adjust the straps and find a balanced posture. Sit with the accordion resting on the left thigh and adjust both shoulder straps so the keyboard sits close to your body. The left-hand bass strap should be snug enough to pull the bellows without gripping. Locate the air button under your left thumb.
Practice bellows control alone. Hold one note or bass and open the bellows slowly at an even volume, then close them, changing direction without a gap. Try swelling and fading. Smooth bellows work is what separates a musical accordionist from someone pressing buttons.
Learn right-hand melodies first. On a piano accordion the right hand plays a vertical keyboard, so use normal piano fingering with the thumb on C. Play simple scales and melodies while keeping the bellows moving, and note where you will change direction, usually at the start of a bar or phrase.
Find your way around the Stradella bass. Locate the C bass, usually marked with a dimple, by feel. The fundamental row goes up in fifths, so G sits next to C and F on the other side. The button beside each bass gives its major chord.
Play oom-pah patterns. Alternate bass then chord: for a waltz play C bass, then the C major button twice; for a march, bass then chord. Add alternating basses such as C and G for movement, and keep the left hand light. Short Learnr lessons help memorize the button layout.
Put hands together on simple tunes. Choose folk or polka tunes that use only two or three chords, practice each hand alone, then combine them slowly. Mark bellows changes in your music so the direction never shifts in the middle of a phrase.

What you'll learn

Wear the accordion with correctly adjusted shoulder and bass straps
Control bellows pressure and change direction at phrase points
Find C and the neighboring basses on the Stradella system by feel
Play oom-pah bass patterns in waltz and march time
Play folk tunes and simple songs with both hands together

What's inside your Accordion course

A sample path Learnr builds for Accordion. Your real course adapts to your goal and level.

1. Straps, posture and the air button
2. Bellows control and direction changes
3. Right-hand melody on keys or buttons
4. The Stradella bass layout
5. Bass and chord patterns in 3/4 and 2/4
6. Hands together on folk tunes

How long does it take to learn Accordion?

With 20 to 30 minutes a day, most beginners play simple melodies with basic oom-pah bass in 2 to 4 months. Confident hands-together playing with smooth bellows changes and a wider range of basses usually takes a year or more. Piano experience speeds up the right hand considerably.

What you need before you start

An accordion that fits your body, often a 48 or 72 bass model for beginners, with straps in good condition. Piano experience helps on a piano accordion but is not required.

Common mistakes to avoid

Changing bellows direction in the middle of a phrase, which breaks the line like a singer gasping. Plan direction changes at phrase or bar points.
Looking down at the bass buttons. You cannot see them in playing position, so learn the layout by feel from the C bass marker.
Overpowering the melody with the left hand. Keep chords short and light so the tune stays on top.

How Learnr builds your course

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Accordion questions, answered

What size accordion should a beginner buy?

Many adult beginners start on a 48 or 72 bass piano accordion, which is lighter than a full 120 bass instrument but still has the main bass and chord rows. Try the weight and fit before committing.

Should I learn piano accordion or button accordion?

Choose the type used in the music you love. Piano accordions are common in many genres and suit pianists, while chromatic and diatonic button accordions dominate certain folk traditions such as Irish, Cajun and some Latin styles.