International Diatonic Accordion

The diatonic accordion, as used in the English tradition, across the European continent and all over Latin America, has two or three rows of buttons each with the notes of a different major diatonic scale. The musical interval between the scales of adjacent rows is a Perfect Fourth (P4), two whole tones and a semitone. There are also models that have 4 or 5 rows that are popular in some Alpine areas.

The keyboard layout on this kind of accordion enables a very comfortable, simple, open fingering style in which the finger preparing to play the following note stays next to or moves away from the currently playing finger, but never under or over any other finger, and so avoiding clumsy or uncomfortable finger crossing. Very fast playing technique is easy on a diatonic accordion.

Howver, as well as suffering from all the drawbacks outlined in the section on the disadvantages of conventional bisonoric instruments, the diatonic accordion is particularly limited, as it is only really suited to play in the major key of each row of buttons and its relative minor key. Using a C/F diatonic accordion, for example, diatonic music can be played in C Major and its relative A minor, and in F major and its relative D minor. Chromatic music, however, is beyond the scope of the instrument.

Many different kinds of modified diatonic accordion layouts exist which try to overcome the limitations of the instrument. However, don't expect to be able play Blues, Jazz, Tango or classical music of much complexity in a variety of musical keys with similar ease, even using a modified diatonic accordion that has a chromatic range. If you want to play any kind of music in any key and save yourself time, hassle and future frustrations, you should think about getting an Atzarin instrument!

Diatonic accordion keyboard layouts