The Complete Handbook of Accordions & Concertinas

Chapter 1: Understanding Accordions & Concertinas

Any serious engagement with an instrument needs to start with a simple question: what exactly are you holding, and how does it do what it does? This book will spend its remaining chapters on the art and science of choosing, maintaining, and profiting from accordions and concertinas, but before you can trust a reed, fix a leak, or evaluate a business opportunity, you need a core understanding of the hardware itself. Misinformation and myth remain stubbornly attached to these instruments, from claims about their "ancient origins" to the persistent confusion between the different families. This chapter will cut through that noise and establish the mechanical and structural foundation you need, with concrete examples of why this knowledge matters when a technician, buyer, or player is faced with a real-world decision.

The Free Reed Principle and Its Consequences

Both accordions and concertinas are members of the free-reed family. This is the same family that includes harmonicas and reed organs, and it is the fundamental physics that separates them from a clarinet or a flute. A free reed is a thin strip of metal, typically steel, that is riveted at one end to a rigid frame, called a plate or a foot, with a precisely machined slot. The free end of the reed sits over this slot. When the player provides air pressure or vacuum, the reed is forced into the slot. As it passes through, the airstream creates a low-pressure zone above it, which pulls