I would recommend playing very very slowly. When you start to feel that you're playing too slowly, then slow down some more. When your brain is blocking you from learning something it's good to let muscle memory do the work. Muscle memory works best when same movements are repeated over and over slowly, but with precision. So concentrate on making NO mistakes and keep slowing down until you achieve that goal consistently over 100s of repetitions. Then try to increase speed.
This is THE definitive video on YT on the basics of the traditional bayan. You mentioned that row 4 & 5 give flexibility on fingering positions. But another advantage is that for popular music, it enables you to learn a single fingering and use it to play in any key. On a 3-row bayan you have to learn 3 fingerings to cover all keys.
For crying out loud, I am a musician and this setting of the keyboard was always a mystery to me. And all button-accordion players I take as being a bit of voodoo priests. Thanks a LOT for explaining me how actually the keys go! Of course it would take ages before I learnt it, but still.... :) Pure magic! Hats off!
My grandad taught my dad to play the accordion when he was 7 and he became a lifelong player. Sadly dad passed away in 2021 and mum said if I want his accordion, I have to learn to play it or it will be sold, so here I am and truly grateful for this tutorial as the layout on dads button accordion is the same as yours!!!… Thank you so much for making this video🙏🏽🙏🏽❤️❤️❤️🪗🪗🪗
I only found this instrument because I was recently talking to a Ukrainian friend of mine about my love of the tone of the bandoneon, and she (well actually, her mother) said “that sounds exactly like a Bayan” to which I said “WHAT is a Bayan??” I must say this seems (from the few youtube videos I’ve watched) to have exactly that beautiful pure tone, dynamic range and hard to put your finger on “singing” quality that I’ve been enthralled with all of these years. After watching this video, the fingering system seems like something I could really get along with too, so I guess all that’s left to say is thank you to you for making this video, and thank you to my friend’s mother for bringing me here, and I think I’m going to have to buy a Bayan!
When I got back into playing accordion, I would always watch this video. The more I watched, the more I wanted to learn Bayan. Its been since August of last year that I've been studying the instrument. Your vid, along with all Bayan performances on YT, has kept me wanting to continue exploring its seemingly endless reaches!
From Poland, we were lucky to have some young people come to our Annual Polish Festival in Minneapolis and play the chromatic accordion. It was awesome! Thank you for sharing your love of music and the chromatic accordion!
There're no real rules as far as which finger goes on which button, or row. When learning new music try to use fingers that "flow" better, so that they are not stumbling over each other. Most music can be played with multiple fingering combinations, but you will find that only one will work the smoothest. When I learn a new piece, I try to use fingers that require least effort to reach each button, so later when I pick up speed I'm not fighting myself. Also your hand should always be relaxed.
I don't recall that the lecturer mentioned that the left-hand buttons in the bayan and in the piano accordion have the same layout. Fair enough, as the lecture is about the bayan. It was very wonderful and informative presentation.
Imagine the first 3 rows of a chromatic keyboard like a piano keyboard that was cut in slices of 3 notes, which slices were then put in a line at the end of each other, with a slight angle. I find the B system easier to use than C, as notes flow naturally from left to right, and you do not end up with fingers clashing on each other!
I play a converter free bass accordion but piano keyboard on right side and B system on bass. Frankly it is just a matter of getting used to either. The advantage of a C system on the treble side is it allows you to use your thumb more effectively whereas many bayanists who have B systems rarely use their thumbs on the right side....just the way they were taught. But in the end....both have players that play at the highest level in competition and concerts. I have a good friend who is a famous concert bayan player in Europe. He started on piano keyboard and than decided to also play C system chromatic keyboard. He is playing at the highest level on both and has won 3 world championships. He says that both keyboard styles are equal...some things are easier on one....others are easier on the other.
The root note left hand buttons use a circle of fifths arrangement that puts the root of the IV and V chords to the left and right of the root of the I chord. If you play a I-IV-V song, you don't have to move your left hand. So, it's a very logical arrangement.
Both B and C systems are called chromatic accordion. Bayan is just a Russian version of a chromatic accordion with few minor differences in construction and appearance. Main difference being the sound. All Bayans are B-system, and when switched to "free-bass", or "ready elective" mode (long vertical switch near bellows) the left hand will also be in B-system. Keys are laid out identically to the right hand, except upside down. Only outer 4 rows convert to free-bass. Inner 2 stay as base notes.
C system is considered to be for folk music, or what's known as "accordion music". B system is considered to be better for classical music and more complex stuff. In 3 row B system, "C" is on row closest to bellows. In 3 row C system, "C" is on row closest to edge. They are mirror image of each other, that's all. That being said, a 5 row keyboard will have both B and C system within it. 5 row B system will have a B system on 3 rows closest to edge, and a C system on 3 rows in the middle.
Thanks much for posting this. I saw Ri Hui Kyeong of the Moranbong Band playing one of these things and I had no idea what it was. It looks fiendishly difficult to play but she made it look easy. And it weighs 36 lbs? Wow!
That's correct. They will not take liability for shipping instruments. I had to fly there to pick it up. They disconnected the bellows, packaged them nicely into bubble wrap and even attached carrying handle to each - it is much easier to deal with 2 small carry-ons on the airplane than with one big one. Even though the whole instrument in its case will fit into overhead bin, it exceeds the required size limit. Note - most airlines don't allow 2 carry-ons for one passenger, so bring a friend.
There's alot to be said about the Bayan. I think the USA is only beginning to find out about these most unusual kinds of accordions. The B system is much more ergonomic than the C (Italian system), although a little trickier for complex chords. Sorry to contradict you Tiverton, but the "concertina" you show at 13:04" is not a concertina at all, it's a diatonic argentinian bandonion- not at all the same. Every note uses TWO reeds, not one, and they're an octave apart (flat tuning). The concertina (octagonal-shaped) was invented in 1829 by Charles Wheatstone, made in Indian rosewood. It's used until this day in Morris dancing in England. If you can handle French, try reading "L'accordéon" by Pierre Monichon- tells you all.
Well, there are different concertinas. There are actually also square German concertinas (most commonly the Chemnitzer variant) looking very much like a bandonion, but they have only three rows of buttons in the treble. The instrument in the video is indeed, as musamor75 states, a bandonion. While they are most popular in Argentina, there are very few builders in Argentina (and none historically) and most of the instruments they play there were built in Germany before the 50s, with the most popular being the "Alfred Arnold" brand.
Great video. It really demystifies what looks like an intimidating instrument at first. Any recommendations for some good Russian folk songs for bayan beginners?
Joseph Duke not op, but Катюша (katyusha) is fairly easy. Ты неси меня река by Любе is a comparatively new song but is very slow, so it would be easy to learn. I'm having a go at learning farewell of slavianka at the moment, but it's a bit more complicated
Wonderful. Tonight I found World Accordion Day 2012, with 24 hours programming from around the world. I went to hour six or seven, to Iran, Afghanistan and Moldava. And then I find there is a accordion web TV channel, too. Deschamps Channel. Accordion Web TV. I will be hearing things like never before.
I’ve just realised that the bass notes follow the the ‘circle of fifths’; Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle, and backwards: Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles Father.
Just right hand. Some instruments will have left hand stops as well. Left hand has it's own set of reeds. Both hands are completely independent. The only thing that connects them are the bellows.
Just got your reply. You're welcome. Your little demonstration on the next video is what is missing in the first one. I think it might have been wise to end with a little piece just to give an idea about how this instrument really sounds and works. Thank you for posting. Happy music making to you.
13:04 you are talking about a concertina but what the picture shows, is actually a bandoneon. that’s a great difference if I might say so as a dedicated concertina player :) great introduction to the Bayan, however - thanks :)
Great video, thank you for making it. I've been learning to play a piano accordion for about a month and the left hand explanation was very helpful. Also I have a bayan on its way from Ukraine because after studying the different key layouts the B system really looks to be very well thought out and ergonomic. Do you know of any other you tube channels with tutorials or resources for learning to play bayan?
B-system is really great. However, if you are transitioning from piano keyboard, the ergonomy of C-system might be more suitable for faster results. Moreover, the C-system left free-bass manual is a mirror image of the right one. When you learn one, you know both ! :) good luck !
@Bill: It comes from lat. "durus" (hard) and "molle" (soft). In many languages (for example in Germans) major and minor chords also receive those names, major being Dur (durus), minor being Moll (molle).
"soft" and "hard" for accidentals goes back even farther into medieval music. In music that was written in the church mode system (this is before major and minor and functional harmony were named and used), the mode that went from F to F (as if playing only white keys on a piano) included a B-natural. That formed a tritone between the F and the B, which was a forbidden interval. So in the F mode (Lydian), the B had to be altered to what we call B flat (or B moll, Bémol, etc.). Think about what a flat sign looks like: a "b" written in a sloped way, rounded on the top of the loop, but slanted at the bottom. This shape is called the "soft b." In contrast, the b-natural is a very square ("hard") looking lower-case "b" with a slightly elongated vertical line on the right. B-dur means "B-hard." At first the only accidental was the B-flat and it was "cancelled" with the B-natural. Then the sharp accidental developed quite soon afterwards, as a way of raising the note by a half step. (F becomes F-sharp). The sharp sign looks a little like a # and resembles the natural sign. Both the sharp and the natural raise the note by a half step. E-flat becomes E through the addition of the natural. F becomes F-sharp through the addition of the sharp. That's where "mol" or "soft" or "mollus" and "dur" or "hard" or "durus" and other versions come from in designating notes and keys in music. By the way, "mol" and "dur" are in English words "mollify" (to soften someone's argument or objection) and "durable" (something hard or strong enough to withstand hitting or pressing.
Hello! First of all, thank you so much for this video! I'm writing a piece for ensemble with bayan and your video has been really helpful for me. I have a few questions in regards to writing for the bayan: - Being a transposing instrument, if I write for the piccolo/bassoon range combined with any other range (or with each other), how do I write the notes down on the staff? Should I write it as if I was writing for the clarinet/concertina range? And if I write for only the piccolo/bassoon range, I assume I then need to write it as if it was transposed? - Do the change of ranges affect the range of the free system as well, or does it stay the same in every range change? Also, do all professional bayans have a free-bass system?
Greetings tiverton, Thanks for the very helpful video! I plan to learn the concert bayan and am hoping to find out a bit more about the free-lefthand button layout. What is the name of the free-lefhand button layout on typical concert bayans (e.g. those manufactured by Jupiter)? Is it just called B-system? Is there a button diagram I can reference? When I eventually get around to start learning bayan, I want to make sure I have an instrument with the correct button layout. Many thanks, Chris
I never played on C system, so it is hard for me to recommend it. I started on B, and have been playing on it for 30 years. From research I've done for this video, B system is supposed to be more versatile for classical music.
Not really....it is just a matter of what you were taught on. B system players tend to not use their thumb on the treble side (that is how they were taught). C system is better if you want to use your thumb or you are also used to playing a piano keyboard where your thumb will be more developed muscular wise. Same for piano keyboard vs. chromatic.....just a matter of how you were taught. Performers play both C and B system and piano keyboard accordions and win world championships. Myself....I play piano keyboard with a B system converter free bass....the way I was taught. Never played chromatic treble though...although I would have liked to give it a try but too old now to do it ;-)
Thank you very much - very interesting. A question: do the 'stops' (clarinet/piccolo etc) apply to the left hand as well? And if so, is that both in chordal and free bass modes, or just one of them? If not, does the left hand have it's own set of reeds? Hmm, that's more than one question, sorry.
I bought a B system button accordion having only played piano accordion in the past. In one day I was transferring my repertoire to the new instrument. But of course, that depends on the player, doesn't it?
Greetings from Costa Rica. Do you think you would be able to make a video with in-depth instructions and recommendations for the fingering on the basic 3 rows, for five fingers? I'm currently awaiting the arrival of my Rubin bayan, it's coming all the way from Ukraine. Unfortunately, here there is no possibility whatsoever of getting a bayan instructor. I was thinking of getting Friedrich Lips's method book, but it'll have to wait until I get the money to import it as well. Thanks in advance.
Interesting, I've never before heard of sharp notes being called "hard" and flat notes being called "soft". Is this a standard terminology w. accordions?
Listening to your video was very educational to me. I am new comer to the accordion and I could start with whatever instrument I can get. However I am planning not doing that. After reading about Accordions, I must follow the many advices: limited weight and size of the instrument, a 72 bass Stradella system, and my preference: B-system 5-rows treble button board, your comments of the Russian accordions having the treble button board located off the person’s body for physical convenience, I have read that the Russian accordions reeds are rectangular which I think may be like the Bandoneon which perhaps gives the Accordion a sound closer to that of the Bandoneon (which I like). I cannot find a 72 bass (6 bass rows) Bayan instrument. What would be your suggestions regarding what I wrote here and how to find a "reliable" Russian accordion with the characteristics described herein?Listening to your video was very educational to me. I am new comer to the accordion and I could start with what ever instrument I can get. However I am planning not doing that. After reading I must follow the many advices: limited weight and size of the instrument, a 72 bass Stradella system, and my preference: B-system 5-rows treble button board, your comments of the Russian accordions having the treble button board located off the persons body for physical convenience, I have read that the Russian accordions reeds are rectangular which I think may be like the Bandoneon which perhaps gives the Accordion a sound closer to that of the Bandoneon (which I like). I cannot find a 72 bass (6 bass rows) Bayan instrument. What would be your suggestions regarding what I wrote here and how to find a "reliable" Russian accordion with the characteristics herein described? which I like). I cannot
Great guide, but I have a question: What's a reasonable price for a beginner's bayan? I saw some old soviet bayan on ebay for $150, but that seems suspiciously cheap. Any advice?
So are there any good ways of getting hold of beginner-level bayans? There's the eBay ones but it's really hard to judge quality on those and most others are horribly expensive, even the reedless electronic ones.
Thank you for the great video! I would have two questions: How much does the 3row instrument weigh? And does a bayan with 96 bass exist? Thanks in advance!
I have been playing a 120 bass piano accordion consistently for the last five years (I have had the accordion for 45 years but did not get serious with it until 5 years ago). I play a concertina too and enjoy the button keyboard. I am seriously considering learning to play a chromatic accordion with a converter to allow Stradella and free bass. I am saving up for a Roland FR-7XB V-Accordion. My concern is which system is easier for someone transitioning from a piano keyboard? C or B system?
Thank you for your reply. Just looking at the key pattern and the location of the notes with the scale progression ascending from the third row (middle) to the outer edge of the keyboard - It looks like it might have a more natural feel for someone who has played a piano accordion or keyboard. I am tempted to look for an inexpensive be system and see how it feels. ;-D
Here's a latest review of Bayan Jupiter with MIDI. It's in Russian, but the language of music is international. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-wg6qkHVIbGI.html
m i friend gives-me a bayan is 3 rods. im ok on bass but the problem is the keboard. can you make video teach the basic the scale and the major crods? thanks
I cant agree, I think the association with "classical" is because so many well trained Russians play the B system. The only type of accordion that I have heard associated exclusively with folk music is the diatonic.
I like you video its very helpful. a friend my he give--me a old bayan.i dont have probl on the bass. my probl, is the combination when i play the keboard whit bass.what you recomend? thanks
Thanks for the wonderful video. Based on this I contacted Jupiter in Moscow but told they would not sell and ship to Canada. Any ideas short of flying to Moscow to be able to purchase a quality Russian made Bayan? And Mephis I am interested in talking to you about your Bulgari
i liked your video. i try to learning my self, a friend give-me bayan. but it just 3 roods. can you make video to teach who to play the basic and the finger positions. thanks .
Diagram and explanation don't correspond to the Rubin7 bayan shown in the video: the 6th row in the C bass row is _not_ Cdim but rather Gdim. This Gdim is actually a different version of C7: instead of the missing fifth in the fifth row (C-E-B♭) it is missing the tonica (G--B♭-E) and thus is the same as either Gdim without D♭ (or Gmin6 without D) or C7 without C. The white/black pattern actually suggests C7 without C, which is what instruments with only 3 chord rows actually have in the third chord row of C, thus actually not needing a diminished chord row. This shifted diminished row is typical for bayans: most button accordions without converter have only 5 rows (100 basses) and this row of major seventh chords without its tonica. The same arrangement is used for French accordions with 3 bass and 3 chord rows. But bayans with 4 chord rows (basically only converter instruments) have Gdim (or C7 without C) where Western instruments and the diagram have Cdim (or G7 without G). Well, Western instruments except my own CBA with C system (and its predecessor in the Trossingen Harmonikamuseum built in the 30s I think). I actually have the same arrangement of diminished chords as a bayan: presumably the soloist for which the instrument was built found that arrangement more compelling.
I was a c system accordion player but now I play a b system player just because they are cheaper.....they must have thousands of bayans in Russia just laying around everywhere for just a couple of hundred bucks you can own one.
@@Rohirn You can send them a message through the website in English. I bought 2 bayans there. One Lux and a smaller kid's one for my children. You can ask them for pricing via message, my Lux 12 years ago was about $13,000. The kid's one I purchased 5 years ago was about $1200.
