Disccordion, uploaded by creaturetheatre
Check out this fantastically decorated accordion, which belongs to a member of the Shadow Circus Creature Theatre in San Francisco. I’d like to think this is the accordion that the devil would have used in Those Darn Accordions’ rendition of “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.”
“Uncle Bob” from the rec.music.makers.squeezebox newsgroup has an interesting project going; he’s building a tuning table for testing accordion reeds and reed blocks. Even better, he’s documenting the entire process on his website with plenty of photos. According tuning is a tricky (but not impossible) art, and this is a fascinating look at what it takes to build a solid test bench.
Be sure to check out some of his other photo galleries, too, including a series where he repairs an old Austrian Styrische accordion and some photos of a quirky Colombo that he recently picked up.
Buyer Beware
uploaded by h. wrenI love this old 1930s Wurlitzer accordion ad. Only the first few lines of text are shown, but it appears to be warning prospective accordion shoppers against the scourge of foreign-made instruments. But what I really love is the matter-of-fact introduction: “For fun, fame and profit play the accordion.” Ah… so that explains the proliferation of rich and famous accordionists everywhere. Sign me up!
I’m not sure we can fit another accordion in our house, but I’d make room for this gorgeous acoustic wood accordion built by Victoria Accordions in Castelfidardo, Italy. Victoria was founded by Dario Dari and Adriano Picchietti in 1919 and continues to produce high-quality accordions today for artists like Richard Galliano, Coba (Yasuhiro Kobayashi), and Bjarke Mogensen. They also make wood diatonic accordions and bandoneons that are equally stunning.
(I found this photo over at Squeezytunes, which is one of our favorite accordion sites. If you enjoy pictures of strange and beautiful keyboard instruments — and who doesn’t? — check it out.)
Accordion-Crazy, uploaded by zydepunks
This photo made me think of our own house — especially the pile of accordions in our living room. I think we have four accordions there right now, plus another in a closet, which yields an accordion-to-person ratio of 2.5 to 1 in our household. What about you — how many accordions do you have hanging around your house?
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acordian man [sic], uploaded by nerdvin
Ice sculptures are the hallmark of any good winter festival and the annual Festival du Voyageur in Winnipeg, Canada, is no exception. Each year, the festival hosts an “International Snow Sculpting Symposium” where artists from around the world express themselves through snow. This shot depicts a larger-than-life accordion player sitting in the back of a canoe. Must be hard to move those bellows when they’re made of ice…
We got a hot tip that Hohner will be introducing some new diatonic accordion models at the NAMM show in Anaheim starting January 18. But thanks to our accordion spies, we have a sneak peek for you today! Check out these three new Hohner models:
To celebrate Hohner’s 150 year anniversary in 2007, a special edition model of the Corona II will be unveiled at the NAMM show. The Corona II Supreme will include upgraded materials, smoother keyboard action, and an improved look and accessories based on the Corona II Classic. Since it’s a special edition, it will have a limited production run.
low down accordion blues, uploaded by aokeh
A man passionately playing the accordion in his underwear, another guy looking incredibly bored, an ironing board covered with newspapers, food, and what appears to be a bottle of gin… I have no idea what’s going on in this photo, but I love it.
Paul Everett always wanted to play a Hayden Duet concertina, but new instruments can cost thousands of dollars and used ones are nearly impossible to find. So he did what anyone else would do: he built his own.
The result isn’t really a concertina — there are no bellows, reeds, or valves — it’s a MIDI keyboard with buttons arranged according to the Hayden Duet system. It’s no substitute for a real concertina, but it looks like a useful little practice gadget.
Check out Paul’s site for more photos and details, as well as some useful links if you’re interested in building your own MIDI device.
[Found via MAKE: Blog]
What kind of ad would look best on an accordion (articulated) bus? An ad for an accordion competition, of course. This clever advertisement was created for the Coupe Mondiale — the annual international competition organized by the Confédération International des Accordéonistes (CIA) — held this past October in Asker, Norway.
[Found via I Believe in Adv]