When I was eight years old, I lived in Senegal, West Africa. My parents were missionaries, and one of their colleagues was retiring. She had an accordion she didn’t want to ship all the way back to Washington state … so she gave it to me!
As you can imagine, I was super excited. What I didn’t count on was how heavy it would be; I promptly fell over the first time I held it!
Since then, I’ve come a long way with my musical proficiency. I majored in piano, and played clarinet in band. Yet I’ve always had a fascination with the accordion, even if I didn’t practice it regularly.
You know the “squeezy” part of the accordion that pushes air through it? Those are called the “bellows,” and accordions are far from the only instruments that use them.
In this article, I explore the world of bellowed instruments. They’ve always fascinated me because they’re the perfect combination of mechanical keyboards and human singing. I’ll discuss history, craftsmanship, and examples of how they’re used.
Rather than going in-depth into everything, my goal is to pique your curiosity enough to check them out yourself. So don’t worry, I won’t bore you with obscure names and technical terms!
Table of Contents
Accordion: the Instrument You Didn’t Realize Could Be So Useful
There’s a comic by acclaimed cartoonist Gary Larson that shows Satan handing out accordions to a line of people. The caption saying, “Welcome to hell … Here’s your accordion.”
Unfortunately, the stereotypes of the accordion as an obnoxious instrument belies its beautiful sound. If you peruse the internet long enough, you’ll be surprised at how many popular bands use them regularly; Mumford and Sons, Arcade Fire, the Decemberists, and the Band, just to name a few.
Chances are, if the accordion reminds you of a specific kind of music, it is an ethnic folk genre. There’s a solid explanation for this; the accordion was invented in Germany in 1822 as a self-contained accompaniment instrument.
Previously, traveling bards and musicians used pianos and guitars to accompany their songs. Both were great, but had limitations. You couldn’t pack a piano with you, and guitars weren’t very loud.
The accordion fixed both these problems. It was portable, and most importantly – LOUD! You could easily rise above the din of a tavern.
In addition to this, accordions could play two distinct melodies at the same time. Their piano keyboard on the right played melodies, while the buttons on the left played basslines.
Today, a standard accordion has 120 bass buttons. That might sound intimidating, but they’re arranged in a comprehensible pattern. Each row’s buttons play chords with the same root, while the rows are arranged vertically in the circle of fifths.
For example, the middle row is based around C. The buttons include C by itself, C major, C minor, C7, and C diminished. The row above is in G, and the row below is in F. If you’re confused, check out this article!
With that history, we can understand the accordion’s association with folk traditions. Solo acts could travel with the sound of a full band behind them, which inevitably spread songs and styles across regions.
The Germans spread it across Europe, and European immigrants brought it to other continents. Today it’s used in everything from Irish jigs and German polka to American zydeco and Brazilian forro.
So, what does all this mean for you? How could you use the accordion?
Well, I’m glad you asked!!
Exploring world music is a good reason in itself, so we’ll begin there. It may take some investigation, but it’s worth trying out the theory, rhythms, and forms of various ethnic traditions in your music.
For a prime example, Paul Simon used South African folk traditions to create his iconic Graceland album. It starts out with “The Boy in the Bubble,” which is driven by an accordion imitating mbaqanga music.
For another creative avenue, check out the accordion’s use in modern folk, alt-rock, and indie rock.
Contrary to its stereotype as a blaringly loud instrument, the accordion is used in subtle ways in these styles. In fact, you don’t have to be an expert to play it; many bands use it minimally, to great effect.
Some bands, like the Pigpen Theater Company, use the keyboard to play simple melodies. Others, like Mumford and Sons, just use chord buttons to create ambient-like pads. And if you’re the Dropkick Murphys – well, in that case it’s the lead!
I’ll finish this section by saying this; in my opinion, the power of the accordion comes from how many ways you can manipulate its bellows. You can play long, quiet chords. You can play gradual crescendos. You can do the “bellow shake,” where you make it aggressively go “loud-soft-loud-soft” … you get the idea.
Next time you’re listening to an accordion, listen for its expressiveness, both as accompaniment and solo!
Harmoniums: The Ultimate Drone King!
Harmoniums look very similar to accordions, and you would be forgiven for thinking they function similarly. While they’re both made of wood and require hand-pumping, they use different techniques and produce slightly different sounds.
Between the two, the harmonium is less widespread. It’s used in fewer traditions. Despite this, it’s extremely common in Eastern India, Finland, and rural America (well sort of … we’ll get to that).
Unlike the accordion, the harmonium is laid on a flat surface and only has a keyboard. Often, it’s one to three octaves wide. The bellows unfold freely in the back, and are pushed in by hand.
Even though you can only play notes with one hand, with only three octaves of range, the harmonium has an extremely rich timbre and wonderful expressiveness. This is because the bellows are constantly pumping air, regardless of whether they’re pushing in or out.
As a result, the harmonium will always be producing sound. For a demonstration, check out this fantastic French ballade by Olivia Chaney. Her arrangement is a masterclass in harmonium tricks.
She starts out a cappella, then accompanies herself with a constant root-and-fifth drone. By verse three she’s playing occasional countermelodies. By the end it sounds like she’s got a full backing-band – and it’s all played with five fingers!
I personally love the harmonium because of its drone-like sound, which is more constant than an accordion. And while it can do this, it can also play a mean melody that’s both subtle and articulate.
Chaney’s video shows the harmonium’s prominence in English and French folk. However, it’s even more popular in India, where it has a long and rich history.
Introduced to Calcutta 200 years ago, it lent itself perfectly to the ragas and chants of traditional Indian classical music. Soon enough, it found itself in every Eastern Indian family’s house, much like the piano in Europe. Today, it is used in religious music worldwide.
Inevitably, psychedelic rock adopted the harmonium in the 60s. The Beatles used it in “We Can Work It Out,” and several tunes from Sergeant Pepper’s. Afterwards, it was picked up by Donovan, Pink Floyd, and Elton John.
For more modern and experimental uses, check out Nils Frahm’s reverb-soaked “Ross’s Harmonium” and Tom Wait’s quirky 80s albums.
As a brief aside, the harmonium is also popular in Finnish and Appalachian folk styles. However, they look completely different from Indian ones. They use pedals and look like spinet pianos, but make sound in the same way. If you’re looking into these harmoniums, try looking up “pedal organs” instead.
Pipe Organs: The Original Synthesizer!
I know, I know … you’re probably thinking one of two things: long-fanged vampires hammering out horror music, or uber-serious church folk sitting in a giant cathedral. Campy vampires aside, churches are still the biggest users of pipe organs today.
Still, they have a rich history and truly epic sound. The pipe organ is incredibly old; the first one was built in ancient Greece over 3,000 years ago! Though the technology has changed drastically, they have been used continuously since then.
Pipe organs are extremely expensive to build and maintain, since they’re as big as a building. Two people were needed for them to work; one person played the keyboard while another pumped the bellows.
In medieval times, the church was the only institution with enough money and power to build them. Since the church functioned as a social gathering place too, the organ was destined to be used for religious music.
Now … you might be thinking, “cool story, but what do pipe organs have to do with me?” After all, the aforementioned accordions seemed much more accessible.
I get it. Pipe organs might seem more niche, and perhaps a bit gimmicky. But with any great innovation, with some creative finagling, they could add a new dimension to your music. All you have to do is download a free VST, goof off with some effects in your DAW, and the results could be gold!
Don’t believe me? Well, try asking John Paul Jones from Led Zeppelin! Or Rick Wakeman from prog-rock legends Yes. Or Jon Lord from Deep Purple.
Hard rock and prog-rock ain’t your thing? How about Hans Zimmer’s Interstellar soundtrack, or Tim Hecker’s ambient album Ravedeath (he traveled all the way to Reykjavik for that one!)
Electric Organ: The Ultimate Groovy Keyboard
The electric organ doesn’t need an introduction, as it’s already common. Instead of trying to advocate for them, I wanted to list several electric organ models for you to explore.
The most popular electric organ is the Hammond B3 paired with a Leslie speaker. This iconic pair gives us the classic “wobble” of soulful organs heard in everything from Billy Preston to Van Morrison.
Another electric organ is the Vox Continental, which was extremely popular in the 60s. Classic recordings include the Animal’s “House of the Rising Sun,” and the Monkee’s “I’m a Believer.”
Its most prolific user was Ray Manzerak, who used it on every Doors album. Compared to the Hammond, the Continental gave a more bell-like and “woodwindy” sound that punched you in the face.
Lastly, we have the Farfisa organ, which was common with prog-rockers. It retained the grittiness of electric organs, but its mellow sound was akin to a church organ. Many of Pink Floyd’s slow jams used it, and Philip Glass used it extensively in his early minimalist recordings.
If you’ve never given electric organs much though, it’s worth checking out these iconic models. Each one gives a different vibe, which can be tailored to the specific sounds you want.
More Bellow Instruments to Explore!
The four instruments above make up the bulk of this article, but I decided it would be fun to throw a few more in, for curiosity’s sake. Most of these have minimal exposure in pop music, so maybe you can make a name for yourself with them!
Concertinas, Melodeons, and Wacky Accordions, Oh My!
Categorizing accordions is a daunting task in itself because there are so many variations in design and names. Sometimes it’s hard to even tell if something is technically an accordion in the first place …
With that said, concertinas and melodeons are unique enough to be mentioned separately. Concertinas only use buttons, and their buttons are flat against each side. They’re a mainstay in tango.
Melodeons are simplified accordions, but also use only buttons. They are diatonic, which means they can only play in one or two keys.
While both of these aren’t as extensive as a full 120-button accordion, they are great for beginners!
Bagpipes
Just like accordions, bagpipes are way more confusing than you might think. While commonly linked with Scotland, they actually developed independently all over the world. They go by various names in places as diverse as Italy, Iran, India, and Bulgaria.
Scottish bagpipes have occasionally been featured in pop, but they’re significantly less common than the rest. “Mull of Kintyre” by Paul McCartney, “It’s A Long Way to the Top” by AC/DC, and Rufus Harley’s jazz discography are most prominent.
Portative Organ
I put this one in purely for fun, because it’s such a quirky instrument! The portative organ is a portable pipe organ.
Yup, you read that right! It’s an odd mix of small pipes and harmonium bellows. It was common in the Middle Ages.
Today, it’s extremely niche, and basically a novelty item. But come on, it just sounds so cool!
— What’s that, you think it’s cool too?!
They might be too expensive to buy, but maybe you can always build your own!
Conclusion
In my humble opinion, bellowed instruments are criminally underrated. I’m not a zealot who will demand you to drop everything and earn a Ph.D. in harmonium literature, but I do think they’re worth exploring.
If you find a cheap one for sale somewhere, I encourage you to buy it and try it out. No one says you have to be an expert. Just have fun with it!
In fact, many iconic musicians have found inspiration by noodling around on brand-new instruments. Tom Waits, Tori Amos, and Thom Yorke have all claimed that a childlike approach to new things often leads to newfound creativity.
And let’s be honest … with their beautiful droning sounds and rich timbres, most bellowed instruments are very easy to learn! Why not add them to your arsenal of musical tools?
Whatever you do, enjoy making music, and always, ALWAYS have fun!
In the meantime, you’ll find me practicing accordion … much to my neighbors’ chagrin.
