Trikitixa - Trikitrixa

The Trikitixa or Trikitrixa, is the popular Basque name for a type of international diatonic accordion that is used in the Basque Country. As such, it has rows separated by a fourth and a fast, comfortable, open fingering style and it reduces the need for bellows reversals by duplicating notes on the draw and on the push. Trikitixas have two rows of 11 & 12 buttons on the inner and outer rows respectively and have two notable characteristics that distinguish it from other two row diatonic accordions.

One characteristic of trikitixas is that the bass, in the left hand, is not bisonoric but unisonoric, as they produce the same notes in both directions of the bellows. This allows greater precision in the accompaniment to the melody.

The other characteristic is that at the treble end of the right hand, each row has two buttons of accidental notes, the sharps and flats, where just one button is normal. The notes belong to the central and high octave and are the notes missing from the chromatic scale.

Although great for Folk music in 2 or 3 major and 2 or 3 minor keys, music becomes much more difficult or impossible when it is less closely related to the home keys of the instrument or when it is chromatic. Do not expect to play music of much complexity in a variety of musical keys with similar ease using a Trikitixa!

If you like bisonoric accordions but want to play any kind of music in any key with similar ease, much better chording, much smoother, easier bellows work with less reversals, and you are willing to learn new fingering patterns, you should think about getting an Atzarin instrument!