Accordion Free Bass System

F r e e b a s ss y s t e m  Main article: Accordion article: Accordion  bass buttons  buttons on an accordion, arranged to give system  is a system of  bass A free-bass system is the  performer  greater  greater access to playing melodies on the left-hand manual of the instrument and to forming one's own chords, by providing a buttonboard of single-note buttons with a range of three octaves or more, in contrast to the standard Stradella bass system which only allows bass notes (range of a major seventh) and preset major, minor, dominant seventh, and diminished chords.  The term free-bass free-bass system refers to various various left-hand manual manual systems that that provide this functionality![1]

 Three chromatic chromatic free-bass free-bass systems systems compared compared •

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 Two related layouts  Two layouts e"ist as mirror mirror versions versions of the chromatic button accordion, these were mar#eted mar#eted in the $% by the Giulietti company as bassetti.[2]  The &uint free-bass free-bass system invented invented by Bill Palmer   - later patented by Titano, has e"tra bass rows to e"tend the e"isting bass arrangement arrangement of the stradella system.[3]  The &uint version and chromatic chromatic button button versions were were available in converter (or transformer) transformer) models with a control to switch from standard stradella to free-bass. [4] A piano-li#e layout e"ists that mirrors the right-hand #eyboard of a piano accordion, with round buttons laid out li#e piano #eys. This system is popular in Asian piano accordions, especially in Azeri armon.

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ther less popular arrangements also e"ist, including the oschino and the uehl.

Contents *hide+

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1!istory

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1"1 Popularizin the free#bass accordion

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2 $otes

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3%eferences

istory*edit+ y the year /00, the Stradella bass system had principally reached its current construction with 10 buttons over 2 rows. owever, while that setup wor#ed well for ma&or and minor  music accompanied by many chords, the performer would only have access to about a single octave of notes while playing - two with a timely shift of registers. The problem was solved in the early /00s by adding three rows of chromatically ordered single notes ne"t to the standard bass. ['] 3n /00 in oscow 4ussian master a#anov made a armon with piano #eyboards for both right and left hands. 5rom /02 the brothers iselevs' factory in Tula began to produce bayans with the three-row free-bass left #eyboard.[(]

Popularizing the free-bass accordion*edit+  The !ohner  company decided to enlarge the mar#et for accordions[notes 1] by turning the instrument from its traditional music roots into an established instrument for orchestras.[)] An orchestra was put together, touring 6ermany to introduce the new concept. The company also supplied sheet music for this new type of accordion.[)] Although these were reportedly popular, it wasn't until later when the instrument became more widespread. 3n 7orth 8urope, free-bass accordionist *oens +lleaard helped populari9e the instrument and inspire compositions for it.[notes 2] 3n an interview he describes how the free-bass accordion was still practically non-e"istent in his childhood (born /:;), but how composers in his native ,enmar-  began to write wor#s for him since /;<.[.] 3n /2< he arranged the manufacture of accordions with nothing but free-bass layouts to accommodate newcomers, as free-bass accordions would otherwise always include standard bass. 3n some 4ussian, =anadian and 8uropean music conservatories, free bass accordion is considered a serious instrument for study and there is now a large modern repertoire for it. 3n the $nited %tates, free bass instruments are much less well #nown despite attempts to populari9e them by >almer and ughes and the Giulietti Accordion =ompany in the /20s and /?0s. @uring this period several American accordionists demonstrated the uni&ue orchestral sound of the instrument through live performances as well as by composing original wor#s which featured the instrument. 3ncluded among this group was /ohn Serry0 Sr" whose Concerto For Free Bass Accordion was completed during the /20s. [] (See  Accordion music genres)