The more people here play buttons accordions, the more demand there will be. It is really worth the effort, if you love this instrument. It will open a new world for you of possibilities.

Congratulations! From a piano accordion player from Romania! Well done with learning this wonderful instrument!

As a piano accordion player, I’ve always wanted to learn the chromatic accordion. Appreciate this post!

I just want to say that I'm happy that teacher Ronnen is playing a button accordion and that he likes it.

I made the switch a couple years ago after 18 months on piano accordion and never looked back. Like you said, it is much harder to find them in North America. I’ve had to buy mine from sellers in Europe. On the plus side I’m now way less tempted to acquire any of the more plentiful PA boxes!😊

Good afternoon. In Russia, the chromatic accordion is called Bayan. It is considered a folk instrument. And much more common than the piano accordion. And there are a lot of such accordions (accordions) that are cheap, not new. I bought myself a not new one for $10. I repaired it.

I just have to say that seeing how in love with music and this instruments you are is really heartwarming and motivating ! Thank you for that

I switched some years back and don't regret it. I really appreciate the layout, although like every instrument it takes time and new compromises. :) (I learned B-system)

I have been playing somewhat amateurishly for 20 years. I started with a piano accordion, about 10 years ago I switched to chromatic. And now I'm starting to experiment with the free-bass system. However, finding reasonable materials for a chromatic free-bass accordion, that is a challenge. 😁 But so far this combination seems like something I should have learned immediately. From my current perspective, the only real reason to do otherwise is not knowing there is such a possibility. 😁

This Dino Baffetti is a total beauty. We really don`t see them to often here. Up here the button B-system seems to be kind of a standard, beside the piano system. The button B or C system is supposed to be a little bit more tricky to learn, being not that intuitive then the piano layout. But once learned, you will play easily in any key, and playing two or three vioces feels all natural. Nice video😀

I play piano, diatonic, and the Steiriche (diatonic). I was a pianist first. Diatonic follows the same learning curve you outlined. I’m tempted to also learn the chromatic button accordion as many of my favourite accordionists are chromatic button accordion players, but I think the lack of learning resources puts me off. What attracts me to it is that you get more notes in a smaller form factor. The 120/41 that I have is unmanageable for me (I’m in my 60s), so I usually play a 37/96. The advantage of the chromatic button box is that you can have essentially the same versatility of the 120/41 but with a much smaller size and lighter weight. Love your videos, by the way. (Edited: Also, B and C System chromatic button accordions are ridiculously expensive compared to similar piano accordions - up to double the price, so there’s that as well.)

Just think of a piano keyboard cut 3 by 3 notes and put diagonally going from the top of the instrument towards the bottom. Start using the first 3 rows, the 4th and 5th (and sometimes 6th) are repeats of the outer 2 (or 3) rows. With the C-griff the C is on the outer row, we go right to left and down in the notes progression. With the B-griff the C is in the third row and we go left to right. One important aspect of the chromatic keyboard is that it is "isomorphic", meaning that a fingering can be transposed to play the same note sequence in a different key just by moving your hand on the keyboard!

Hey! That’s a nice accordion. I moved from the piano accordion to the chromatic button accordion about 3 months after I had started learning and I love the CBA. I accidentally bumped into one being sold on the market place near where I live and I went and saw it, without even knowing what that was. Here in northern Mexico, diatonic accordions are the most common ones, and some people play piano accordions but as you said, almost none will play a CBA, let alone sell one or teach you lessons about it. I told the man I would investigate and if I found out that it was a good option for me, being new to accordions in general, I would come back and buy it, and I did! I transferred the few 5-tune melodies I had learned so far on the piano accordion to the CBA in a couple days and I have not gone back to the piano one ever since. What I love about the CBA is that now I can effortlessly change the key note of any of the melodies I know, and play it! All I have to do is find the bass buttons and change the starting position on the 5-row keyboard and go!

I also noticed the difference in the chromatic accordion (bayan). On it you can learn 1st scale, arrlicature. And then simply moving to the desired key, change the key. Playing with the same fingering. But on the piano accordion, it doesn’t work that way in the right hand, I’m looking for a way, but I haven’t found it yet. It turns out that on the piano accordion you need to learn each scale separately?

Nice representation of the chromatic accordion, very popular in Europe 👍 Kind regards

I have piano acc, two row diatonic and 5 row c system acc. I find once a tune is learned it is so easy to transpose to other keys as you play the same finger pattern just starting on another button. When I first started I was able to do difficult passages that I couldn’t do on my piano acc.

@moshezuchter i fell for the accordion back in NOV 2023 when I was in Germany and saw a street busker playing an amazing violin concerto. I went down a rabbit hole and was overwhelmed with the choices in accordions and wasnt ready to make a decision or spend a lot of money so I ended up with an anglo concertina. Ive been learning the concertina for a couple months but hearing all the amazing things that are being done on chromatic instruments such as your channel are really making me realize that the limitations of the concertina do not suit what I want to do and Im ready to upgrade instruments with a decent budget. I can get trade in credit and have a line on a nice vintage Scandalli CBA. I could equally choose piano but feel drawn to the CBA. Your channel has been an inspiration for me and Im wondering if I have a CBA will I still be able to apply the lessons from Accordion Love?

Great thanx for the video! 🎉 It was interesting for me who tried a piano accordion after B system bayan. Now I love them both.

Hi Martin! Greetings from London! Thank you for sharing your 'first practice ' experiences of a 'chromatic'. I've just invested in a Roland FX-1b (the 'b' means chromatic 'button'). I already play a D/G Castagnari Melodeon - so this is my next step. Your 'intro' lesson has been a) inspiring and b) the best first lesson for everyone. You say you have come from a keyboard discipline and it has been a joy to learn a new instrument. I come from a 'fiddle' and 'tin whistle' discipline - and I believe all the ornaments on both fiddle and whistle are more easily acquired on a chromatic button accordion. Thanks for your amazing analytical inspiration! Warm regards from London!

I usually always start out on the middle (3rd) row when playing anything. It's just how I taught myself and I started out figuring it out with an app on my Kindle fire.

I have one. I need to get back into it. I am just a beginner, but I did enjoy it. Just javent touched it in quite a while. Consistent practice has always been hard especially when alone/just online.

My (uneducated!) understanding it that the really big advantage of button is that the patterns for scales & chords are the same in all keys. Much like Stradella bass. I've been playing keyboards way too long to bother switching at this point ... but there are times when I wish I had.

I played piano accordion for about 20 years and switched to the chromatic button accordion about six years ago, haven't gone back to the former and never will. My right hand is in a more comfortable position and the octave stretch isn't nearly as far for my smaller hands, also the pattern is the same for every key played in.

Very interesting video...thank you very much for sharing it...🪗🌹

Hi Ronen, I purchased my first accordion today. As Shakespeare wrote, "The game is afoot". 😂 It's a $200 dollar wreck but other than the bass register selector being on the fritz, it can outplay me any day, LOL. Finally I have something in my hands to start practice with the unfamiliar left hand. The case is warped a little on the back causing a bellows leak but a bit of rubber cement silenced the culprit. I know, I know, heresy... but the problem is fixed. At least I can start practicing scales in both hands. Oh hey! Also ordered a Lutheran hymnal so I can start exploring chorale harmonies. I have no idea what this accordion is, other than it's stamped "Made In Italy" and was subcontracted to a local Milwaukee music store... probably back in the 60's... and for $200 at least I have something in my hand to start learning. Lutheran 1958 hymnal on the table, incredibly small ladies' model accordion in my hands (yeah, I got out a leather punch to make some room for my shoulders)... I'm finally making the big leap. Your videos helped a bunch and one day when I have some semblance of mastery I'll buy a proper instrument but for now, I'm having a blast! Best regards, Mark in Milwaukee.

This leaflet provides on page 50/164 a cheatsheet of different layouts of button accordions

It takes many hours to dedicate to learning. A method book also helps, but from what I've noticed on KZfaq videos, French accordionists have a different technique than Italians. The French rarely use the thumb in contrast to the Italians. I think the technique of the Italians is closer to the technique of the piano keyboard.

How to learn the accordion: accordionlove.com/how-to-practice-the-accordion/

Hi Ronen, I've been watching and enjoying your videos. Many years ago I majored in music (composition) and I'm dangerously close to diving into the world of accordion. I'm curious about the chromatic system... did you reach a point where you were able to graphically visualize the notes on the keyboard as you would with a piano? For example, if I mentioned a C7 chord, your mind would instantly create the visual intervals on a piano keyboard. The reason I'm asking this is because if I do acquire an accordion I'll want to read simple music (such as hymnal songs) and if it's crazy hard to visualize the intervals and the note locations on the keyboard that might be a little bit frustrating. Sorry for the long comment but I've been watching lots of your videos and I've just about talked myself into taking the plunge 🙂

Uh oh. A new addiction! Have fun!

Good video! I own an Italian made very high grade CBA for sound and feel and also a Roland FR-1x for practice. I'm a mulit-instrumentalist and I want to learn the accordion. Such a great instrument!

What a hellish device. I tried one one time and I was like bbbut why is there buttons on both sides haha.

Piano accordions are also chromatic; it's called a button accordion

I will never go back to the piano accordion!

Hi, do you teach online private lessons?

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I went on a similar rabbit hole last year. I played all of Palmer Hughes book 1 on my CBA. But I decided to stick with my piano accordion because of reasons that might not apply for everyone. kzfaq.info/sun/PLvrZG7iv4c_MKD0gVIt1N0vDWeaq8z4OX

B griff >>>>>>>>>>>>>

free bass next, right?

Of course a piano accordion is also chromatic !

Lol go to Bosnia Croatia or Serbia then it'll be cheap

What is that awful musette tuning? Yikes! You'll have to wring out your shirt using a musette that wet! That's what? Almost a minor second out? Nails. on. a. chalkboard!