Chromatic button accordion

Chromatic button accordion

Classification	Free-reed aerophone
Playing range
Right-hand manual: The Russian bayan and chromatic button accordions have a much greater right-hand range in scientific pitch notation than an accordion with a piano keyboard: five octaves plus a minor third (written range = E2-G7, actual range = E1-D9, some have a 32 ft Register on the Treble to go even lower down to E0.[1] Left-hand manual Stradella bass system Free-bass system
Musicians
List of accordionists
More articles or information
Accordion, Chromatic button accordion, Bayan, Diatonic button accordion, Piano accordion, Stradella bass system, Free-bass system, Accordion reed ranks and switches

A chromatic button accordion is a type of button accordion where the melody-side keyboard consists of rows of buttons arranged chromatically. The bass-side keyboard is usually the Stradella system or one of the various free-bass systems. Included among chromatic button accordions are the Russian bayan and Schrammel accordion. There can be 3 to 5 rows of vertical treble buttons. In a 5 row chromatic, two additional rows repeat the first 2 rows to facilitate options in fingering.

Comparing the layout to the piano accordion,^[2] the advantages of a chromatic button accordion are the greater range and better fingering options.^{[notes 1]} On the other hand, some fingering positions require twisting of the wrist and the aspect of alternative fingering patterns may stunt one in sessions of difficult sight reading.^[2]

Throughout the former Yugoslavia a 6-row chromatic button layout is used based on the B system. It is referred to as dugmetara.

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