LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Accordion: Instruments
built 656 days ago
Edward Pecjak grew up fifty miles east of Cleveland, Ohio, and began playing the accordion when he was eighteen years old. He is now seventy-six years old, living in Tucson and occasionally plays publicly. The type of music Ed plays most often is Slovenian polka and waltzes from Austria. He had a band in Ohio, but since his move, Ed has found that there are relatively few people who play the accordion in Tucson. Presently he prefers playing in some of Tucson's parks for about an hour and "won't take money for good times." When playing, Ed dresses up in European attire, wearing the traditional vest and hat of his Slovenian ancestors. He truly enjoys playing this instrument and would like to see the tradition continue for many generations.
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Over the next several decades, various improvements were made to the accordion. One major modification was made in 1850, when the chromatic accordion was introduced. The early diatonic accordions produced different notes when the bellows were drawn opened and pressed closed. The chromatic versions produce the same note regardless of the action of the bellows. Steel reeds were incorporated into the instrument in 1857. As several early companies, such as Hohner, Soprani, and Dallape, began manufacturing the instrument in the 1860s, other changes were made.
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Popular on both sides of the Rio Grande, Ayala began playing his favorite instrument, the accordion, at the age of 6. His songs frequently tell the stories of wronged lovers and hard lives. With more than 100 albums, Grammy-winner Ayala has been a strong presence in the industry for more than four decades. Popular singles include "Tragos Amargos," "Senor Dios," "Mi Piquito de Oro," "Puno de Tierra," "Tejano Enamorado," "Lagrimas," "Nadie Como Tu," and "Tengo Miedo."
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Quality control begins with the incoming raw materials and parts that are used to construct an accordion. If the manufacturer makes their own plastic parts, the starting resin is checked to ensure that it measures up to specifications related to physical appearance, melting point, and molecular weight, to name a few. Wood and steel are ... checked similarly. For parts that are obtained by outside suppliers, the instrument manufacturer often relies on the supplier's quality control checks. During the production process, the quality of each accordion is verified by trained line inspectors and craftspersons. They perform visual inspections at each step and detect most flaws.
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An instrument called accordion was first patented in 1829 by Cyrill Demian in Vienna. Demian's instrument bore little resemblance to modern instruments; it only had a left hand keyboard, with the right hand simply operating the bellows. One key feature for which Demian sought the patent was the sounding of an entire chord by depressing one key. His instrument ... could sound two different chords with the same key: one for each bellows direction (press, draw); this is called a bisonoric action.
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Manufactured by Warwick exclusively for Hohner, these accordion gig bags are available in three different sizes. Every Hohner bag cushions the valuable accordion with an inch of padding surrounding the instrument from every angle. The black heavy-duty woven nylon gig bags can either be carried like a backpack with the adjustable padded nylon shoulder straps, or like a suitcase, by the sturdy, extra-cushioned handle. The rip-resistant nylon lining cradles the instrument, while heavy straps and plastic clasps hold it in place. Dual side zippers make it easy to remove the accordion and pyramid-shaped feet protect the bottom of the bag. The AGB48, -72 and -120 gigbags all have a side pouch for a music stand (music stand not included).
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