Sounds of digital accordions

For several years accordions are available, which sound are created digitally.

The sounds of  natural instruments  have been analyzed mathematically and  with that knowledge, the sounds are synthetically created.

These digital accordions can therefore create sounds from guitars, violins etc.   But because the accordion cannot simulate the playing techniques of these instruments, one can hear, that there is a difference in the sounds.

The company Roland seems to be the leading company, producing digital accordions.

What are the benefits of these instruments ?

• compared to traditional accordions, they offer a much larger  variety of sounds.
• the keyboard of the button accordions can be switched from C- to  B
• melody bass ( M3 ) is included
• compared to traditional top accordions, they are much cheaper

What are the drawbacks ?

• a traditional accordion has sound characteristics, which make it a special instrument. Each one has its own   „personality“.
• the feeling to play the instruments is different

What should one do ?

• try to master a traditional accordion,   up to some degree
• if one has the money, buy also a digital accordion and enjoy, to play also music with a lot of other instrumental  sounds

Should one use an accordion with a button key or with  a piano keyboard  ?

• if one plays also piano, keyboard or organ, then the natural choice may be a piano keyboard
• if one focuses on the accordion alone, then one should use a chromatic button accordion
  • much larger variety, how to play
    • much less work to master to play different musical scales
  • it is quite easy to cover more than 1 octave with the right hand. There is no difference for the left hand between piano accordion and button accordion.

Links

Here are some links to music, played with the digital accordions from Roland:

• country music
• Malaguena
• music from Bach

This should be compared with music, played with a classical top accordion.

• music from Bach 1
• some other music

A fair comparison depends on many factors like:

• Player:  how good does he  master his   instrument and how good does he interpret the music
• how good is the instrument
• how good is the recording of the music
• and what is also very  important:  do we like this piece of music ?

( I use  he, because of the limitation of natural languages.   Perhaps we should use in  the future   heshe,  hisher and  himher ?  :- )