I've always used the 4th finger for the root note. In a beginning (and so on for another 6 or 7 months) I played the minor chords with my 3rd, and that was ok for the first and easiest songs. Then, I noticed that for more complicated and elaborated forms of playing the bass bottoms, its waaaay more easy to play de minor chord with the 2nd finger and left the 3rd to alternate the bass or to play the root note and use the 4th to play another note that's not close. So, I had to re-learn and get used to this (not easy at all after this time playing that way), but, how you say, its worthy once you notice that you can do more things, and in a effortless way. Ps. you have made much more simple and entertaining my personal journey into the accordion. I love you, and I mean it. Greetings from Chile

Just what I needed!

Thank you, the alternating bass was all I wanted to know. I used to do the um-pas with my 3-2 then switch to 4-3-2 when doing the alternating bass. Then I thought "wait, didn't I see somewhere someone saying that I shouldn't change my finger style?" so I started practicing doing alternating bass with just 3-2. But just in case, I don't wanna learn a bad habit that I need to unlearn later, so I tried to find someone who explains how to do the alternating bass. I will try both styles to see what I prefer. I feel that 3-2 is easier because it's always "left, right, left, right" while 4-3-2 is "left, middle, right, middle, left, middle" which is kinda why I thought I might be doing it wrong and switched to just 3-2 for everything.

I thought certain times of my life were challenging, then I started studying acccordion left-had technique 😂Really enjoy your videos! Went with three finger major scales starting with finger 3 on tonic and for minor scales, finger 2 on tonic so I could make the downward reach to the CB row. I'm probably guilty of neglecting my pinky, some would say.

I played around with both styles when I started playing accordion, and eventually settled on 4-3, because it’s just much more flexible in my opinion. The 3-2 can come in handy for scales though because it makes it easy to use the 4th finger to transition to counterbass buttons.

Thanks! Just what I was looking for as a new player :)

Thanks ! You answered my question perfectly !

I always use 4 on the counterbass and 2 on the minor, 7th and dim chords. For the fundamental bass and major chords it can be 2, 3, 4 or 5 depending on what fits. It's good to find your way around the bass keyboard with varying patterns

I always use my ringfinger on the groundbass...this allows you to make it easy play "walking" ground bass patterns.

I had played for a few years 3/2 but at your suggestion to a comment I posted switched to 4/2. I found it shockingly easy although perhaps it's because I use a hybrid. 4 for base, 3 for major and minor, 2 for 7ths with some variations. It helped a lot. Thanks.

i sometimes use either method depending on the key minor or major or the song

I wish someone would have shown me this 4 years ago. Having no lessons, I picked up the accordion and just did the 3-2 method. I was shown the 4-3 method last year, and tried to pick it up, but by that time the bad habit had been learned. I'm still on the 3-2 method, and it is suiting me just fine so far. Glad to have some justification that its ok.. Thank you

I use the 3 figure ill try the 4 seems realy good.thank you

Thank you very much for your explanation! I like accordion music for it gives both warmth and cooling effects. It gives the effect of woodwind quintet when melody on right hand piano style keyboard manual and rhythm of bass notes and chords on left hand button type manual simultaneously played. Such effect gives warmth. It gives the effect of mouth-harmonica when right hand piano style keyboard manual only played without accompaniment on left hand button type manual. Such effect gives cooling.

Wouldn't be a great idea to start a series for begginers, from practice to some easy songs?:) For me as a under a month lerner would be super usefull, and I'm sure that for others as well. Keep up the good work anyway!

When I started play accordion I use 4-3 method because most people use this technique, but I better feel the rythm when I use 3-2 method, I don't know why but that works better for me ;-)

I recently switched to 4th finger and by doing so have increased my repertoire quite a bit, and my enjoyment of accordion. I only miss some of the bass scales which are easier with 3rd finger.

Self-taught, but I never thought that there might be a ‘right/wrong’ fingering and I can’t tell you what fingering I use out of context! Whichever fingering is easiest for me, I would guess. If I play a chord sequence C F G, with a typical oompah bass figure (?) I would guess 4 3 2 3 for C (finger 2 on the alternate G bass note), 5 4 3 4 for F, and 3 2 3 2 for G. Yeah, just tried it and it seems comfortable.

Thank you so much! I just started learning how to play, the book i have says to use either 3/4 or 2/3 but doesn't explain any further. Since this will literally be my second day ever playing I'm going to try 3/4. Even though my accordion only has two bass rows, I think it will be useful in the future. Thanks again!

man, just tried the 4th finger way.. so better. thankfully I'm still a begginer so there is not to much damage.

i am using ring finger all the time . The other method it's make harder to do alternate bass patern as you mentioned

Liberty Bellows has this advice : There's a lot of debate on this topic. What I have deduced over the years is that the 4-3 method is easier for casual players who mainly play rhythm accompaniment on the left hand. It has the benefit that you can use 3 fingers which tends to give more stability and structure for beginners. The 3-2 method however is better in the long run because it allow for easier transition to complex scales and bass runs that are more awkward with the 4-3 method (though still possible if you have a strong pinky). Stas (and most virtuoso players who are classically trained) will use the 3-2 method. In theory you should be able to play either way 3-2 or 4-3 as needed. I am trying to learn the 4-2-3 for alternate bass (7th and minor chords), but get confused when going up and down , ie, I get used to the pattern going down (from B7 to Fm in the tune I am currently trying to learn), and then get confused on the way back up after, if that makes sense ? Practice makes perfect though I guess !

I was taught in the 80ies as a child...I'm a middle finger player, haha. Thanks for this series. Greetings from Greece!

I learned the 4 3 2 finger method and that was 40 years . I have just picked it back up after 30 years and it's still in grained into me . Not that I can full member it

Thank you for this, I am a bare bones, so far self taught beginner who has been getting accustomed to having my ring finger be the one on the primary bass row. Much of my left hand effort is involved in moving up and down it without drifting into the major chord or more commonly, the counter bass row. I watched this earlier and as I was about to reply, my internet connection was interrupted, I went for my instrument. Didn't manage the oom pah with alternating with G, but did discover that my 2nd finger gave easier access to the C major. I'll have that after another few viewings I'm sure. Just played early method material that has the primary note and major chords together and it drowned out my treble. My first instrument did that with single bass notes! Need to learn light touch on the buttons while I'm learning to put both ends together. Will have to break up all those whole and dotted half notes :)

so, my fingering is a mish-mash :D, for the major chord i use 4-3, for the minor one, 3-2, and for the seventh, 4-2, its comfortable for me and it was shown me like that from my teacher

32 doesnt have to be limiting though! Most virtuosos use 32, I need to use both systems, as a previous motorcycle accident means I need to be creative, and my little finger gets a lot of work! 😁 Great video as always 👍

I find the 3-2 method (which is what is being presented as “the way” in the book I’m using) to be painful past the minor stretch. I would have to use my thumb for the dim…so I might try out 4-2 and stop fighting it.

Started off on 3-2 nearly 50 years ago.. Too hard to change now, but the reach for dim7 is a bit hard.

I basically use 4/3 . there are some songs that I use 3/2. I use that when most of the chords are below the tonic

I started learning by myself and settled on 4-2, maybe because my fingers are big and my accordion's bass buttons are very close together.

Are you a third finger, or fourth finger kind of player? Did you switch from 3 to 4? What's your experience been like?

Im new to accordion, but I bought a 120 bass to start. It's fun, but my fingers hurt when I use the ring index middle index method towards the bottom. And tips or suggestions?

Do you ever use your 2nd, 3rd, and 4th fingers in the same song? I'm working on a song that involves some larger jumps than I am used to and it's a lot easier using 2-3-4, rather than 1 & 2 jumping up and down.

I have fat fingers. Are there any brands that use wider spaced buttons ?

I have a question. But I fear it might be too far from your expertise. Could you make a video about / help me with diatonic button accordion? I struggle to find useful information and I struggle to learn it. To me it seems that it has no useful pattern or technique I can learn and the buttons might as well be randomly placed on the accordion. I know that the rows are have notes of one scale but half needs to be played with push and half with pull so in the end its useless. Can you help?

3-2 went out with the dinosaurs back in the 1940,s also 4-3 you can make big cord jumps a lot more easy to play, at times i even use my pinky finger on the the bass notes, any good accordion teacher today will teach you the 4-3,it makes common logic the more fingers you use the better you will play.

Confusing because Liberty Bellows' instructor claims 100% of professionals use 3-2 😅

My GF left me and said: "call me when you know how to play the accordion". 🤨 What the h*** was she talking abo...Oh know I get it 😐

It's very hard to use base notes because I never learnt it properly

Another KZfaqr mentioned Continental style, does that have anything to do with this?

I NEVER taught the 3 method. You have more than 2 fingers for a reason.

WTF. I only have half of My Left index . That means im Screw . Thank you Anyways

And...what about the 5th finger? Not at all???

the more fingers you use the more notes you can play its that simple. that is why 3-2 went out of style back in the 19 40,s....

my teacher always taught us students the 4-3 method the 3-2 seems very odd to me cuz you can not make big bass jumps most good players use 4-3.