G'day fogie,

Have you harmonica players a similar problem ?

Yes! And it becomes even worse if you try to sing with the accordion ... that's taken me decades to get round with familiar songs, i.e. - those I've happily played on the harmonica ... I can sight read music and words simultaneously ... just as long as I don't already know the song!

Amyway, your way of taking up button accordion is very much the traditional way of the past ... every kid got some grounding on harmonica - then found that the button accordion - or Anglo concertina was just an extension of what was already learned on the harmonica.

(BTW: In most European languages, (~) harmonica means "button accordion" ... in German mouth organ is munt harmonika.

Regards,

Bob Bolton