You want to have lessons, go ahead, and good luck Jeff. Me, I'd suggest not too much worry about what the instructors get you playing, just make sure you learn the "fingering". Get that, and a good accordion, and you will confound all your critics--all those with any ear for music at least. And playing the BELLOWS is just as essential as bass or keyboard. In a group session, or as part of a band, you may find that the bass provided either by either the guitars or a bass player gives you the option of playing keyboard only. This is practised by many group players. And a well played "single voice" melody can outshine fiddle or whistle, particularly on slow airs. As is the case with ANY instrument, playing it at its best doesn't mean trying to be the loudest on stage. Group music is, much more than any other shared art, a co-operative pastime.Forget that,and you might as well not try it!
Long-winded stuff from Boab---who never did learn the proper fingering---and now realises the gap in his talents----