Atzarin Bandonion Button Size and Spacing

As Atzarin enables an open style of fingering, eliminating the need to cross fingers when playing scale type movements, the distance between buttons when playing certain chords, such as major thirds and fifths, is not ideal when using large, 14mm and 16mm, accordion type buttons spaced at 18mm, 19mm or 20mm.

This means the spacing must be reduced, particularly as one of the main aims is to be able to play the very broad chords that can be played with just one hand on a traditional bandoneon. The Atzarin bandonion button arcs acheive this by having ergonomic, curved and sloping rows of closely spaced traditional bandoneon type buttons.

Bulky 14-16mm buttons from the treble side of button accordions are too large and ungainly for a bandonion for both practical and aesthetic reasons. They do not allow much reduction in spacing and there would be a danger of unintentionally pressing down neighbouring buttons with the target button. Their large size would also look out of keeping with the generally compact nature of the instrument.

On accordions the minimum spacing is, in fact, found on the bass side, where the spacing is often 15mm, using smaller, rather uncomfortable peg like buttons between 6mm and 9mm. Concertinas, which generally have a very compact spacing, 16mm on a Hayden concertina for example, also tend to make use of uncomfortable, scrawny pegs that dig into the player's finger tips.

Atzarin bandonions have buttons 11.8mm in diametre, arranged in curves that slope towards the thumb and spaced at 15.5mm on the first row, 16.5mm on the second row and 17.5mm on the third row, with 14mm between rows giving a distance of 17mm between buttons along first diagonals and 16mm along second diagonals. This strikes the best balance of ergonomics, comfort and compactness.