Accordions vs Melodeons, US & Canada

Subject: Accordions vs Melodeons, US & Canada
From: GUEST,Matildie
Date: 25 Jan 12 - 12:03 PM

Is there anyone in the Mudcat who knows enough about accordion demographics to be able to tell me which of these three instruments is more popular in the United States and also in Canada? I'm interested in knowing if more accordions are sold than melodeons or vice versa, and if it's accordions, if more piano accordions are sold than button accordions or vice versa.   I am interested in the U.S. and Canada separately. Any help would be gratefully received.

Matildie

Subject: RE: Accordions vs Melodeons, US & Canada
From: GUEST,Buttons
Date: 25 Jan 12 - 12:14 PM

Beats me why piano accordions are "popular" at all.

Subject: RE: Accordions vs Melodeons, US & Canada
From: GUEST,Matildie
Date: 25 Jan 12 - 12:28 PM

This is a music thread, Buttons. I think the BS is supposed to go below the line.

Subject: RE: Accordions vs Melodeons, US & Canada
From: GUEST,Cinderella
Date: 25 Jan 12 - 12:54 PM

Buttons, please keep your S&M tendencies away from public view!

Subject: RE: Accordions vs Melodeons, US & Canada
From: GUEST,Buttons
Date: 25 Jan 12 - 03:02 PM

As a failed melodeon player although I still have a couple of B/C instruments, I still enjoy the button box over the piano key. It just sounds so much better. As for the USA, well Tex-Mex and Cajun are mostly Button Box tho Zydeco I belive can go either way. Canada is well known for piano key players as well as some 5 row button box players.   

Cinderla ?? S&M ?? Who's been talkin.

Subject: RE: Accordions vs Melodeons, US & Canada
From: GUEST,mg
Date: 25 Jan 12 - 03:04 PM

I think the term melodeon is not used that widely in U.S. COuld be mistaken. mg

Subject: RE: Accordions vs Melodeons, US & Canada
From: Brian Peters
Date: 25 Jan 12 - 03:30 PM

My experience is that the melodeon - as we know it in England, i.e. a diatonic box with two rows a fifth apart - is pretty rare in the US and Canada. The players I've come across are usually expats and/or playing for morris dance teams.

The Quebecois use one-row, ten-button accordions a bit like the cajun ones but much lighter in both weight and sound. They also have some three-rows up there. Tex-Mex players usually use three-row diatonics.

There are lots of piano accordions in the polka scene, which I don't know a lot about, but it seems to be located mostly in the Northern Midwest. Quite a few Klezmer bands use them as well, also some contra dance bands.

There are more anglo concertinas than melodeons around, generally used for Irish music (and guys like Billy McComisky use chromatic button accordions too) or for morris dance.

The Button Box in Massachusetts specialises in concertinas but also sells some melodeons, so they might have an idea about melodeon sales.

Subject: RE: Accordions vs Melodeons, US & Canada
From: GUEST,mg
Date: 25 Jan 12 - 03:34 PM

Big piano accordians used in oompa German bands and all sorts of Scandinavian music, and of course Russian, Mexican, which was influenced by German etc.

Subject: RE: Accordions vs Melodeons, US & Canada
From: GUEST,Matildie
Date: 25 Jan 12 - 10:15 PM

Thanks for the replies. I'm seeing references to German, Scandinavian, Russian, Mexican, Quebecois, Klezmer, Tex-Mex, Cajun, and Zycedo influences, but no-one has mentioned Italian influences. Anyone know if it's only the older players of Italian ancestry who are still playing the accordion, or if younger generations of people with Italian ancestry are playing it also?