Klezmer Accordion

[RatpackMD]

What accordion would be appropriate to play Klezmer? I read an article
online that said the best instrument for Klezmer is a 5 row chromatic.
However, I see very few Klezmer players use one - I most often see piano
accordion.

I guess the real issue is what configuration of reeds, what registers? I
have heard everything from a "Van Damme" jazz type sound to French Musette
to Bandoneon. Is it just a matter of personal preference?

[w.d.]

The real Klezmer music was born on Eastern territories of pre-second
Warld War Poland, and from there the people have to search what kind of
accordions mostly Jewish, Polish, Ukrainian, Belorussian and Russians
players used. That music evolved from those cultures mixed together.
The real Klezmer music is a kind of sad and sentimental music,
sometimes slow or fast, but most of the time slow and fast mixed
together.

Knowing the background where that music came from we can establish what
kind accordions they played. Before the Second World War they played
piano look alike chromatic called harmonias, bayans and also piano
accordions.
The configuration of better accordions in those old days was LMM or
LMMM, tuned precisely tuned musette on wet side. There were accordions
confiugured as MM for ladies. They did not have LMH accordions, because
technology was prohibitive to make very good high picollo reeds. Only
when craze with Rock-n-Roll started, accordions with LMH configuration
appeared. It looks from perspective that those accordions with LMH
configuration didn't keep the interest in accordions going very long. I
can see that from buying junk LMH accordions on eBay for parts. Those
LMH accordions were less used and arn't as much bitten up, and still
most of the people do not want them today if they know what they are.
Accordionist that once fall in love with musette never changes it back
to dry tuning, however, some people despite reading so much about
configuration of accordions still fall into trap and buy LMH. Some
sellers aren't truthful and hide from people all information about
configuration of accordions they sell. Newbie buyers get them and still
don't like accordions for their sound, because LMH is disturbing to the
mind and the soul. It's best when LMH is used in one clarinet register.
I cannot stand LMH sound and that's why I'm changig any accordion with
LMH to LMM or MMM, desepite that I have to make two-three reed blocks
to accommodate two sets or three sets of clarinet reeds. Irony in that
is that the prospect of the sale of LMM or MMM accordion is still not
secured because too many people think that even high quality rebuilt
accordions in excellent shape should be sold for very low price.

Enjoy it,
W.D.

[Gunther]

Post by RatpackMD
What accordion would be appropriate to play Klezmer? I read an article
online that said the best instrument for Klezmer is a 5 row chromatic.
However, I see very few Klezmer players use one - I most often see piano
accordion.
I guess the real issue is what configuration of reeds, what registers? I
have heard everything from a "Van Damme" jazz type sound to French Musette
to Bandoneon. Is it just a matter of personal preference?

Since I play klezmer on accordion for several years I might as well give
you some information here:

The expert on this matter is Joshua Horowitz. He has written several
articles and you can also find some information on the website of his
band Budowitz (http://www.budowitz.com)

Here is the info on the accordion he uses (from the website):

The accordion used in Budowitz was built in 1889 By Karl Budowitz. It
represents the earliest type of fully chromatic button accordion, and is
the predecessor of the Russian Bayan developed in the early 20th
Century. The reedy, warm sound, which at times yields the uncanny
illuson of a small wind orchestra, is made possible through the
materials used for its construction - bone, wood, goat leather and
brass, and its ability to ornament and phrase like the human voice is
achieved largely through the smaller, more controllable bellows. The
earliest recordings of Klezmer music on accordion (ca. 1913) reveal an
almost identical sound and style to that found in Budowitz.

You can also find a photo of his instrument on the website. What's
interesting is the fact, that although it is a chromatic button
accordion on the right side, it is a diatonic one on the left side with
only ten (or was it eight) buttons.

There is also an interview on the website where he tells more about his
accordion:

"It's amazing how much more you can ornament on these old ones. Our
instruments were made in 1889 and at the turn of the century, which is
ancient for an accordion, and the unrelenting work to restore them and
get them working has really paid off. Their warmth comes mainly from the
fact that the reeds are riveted to brass plates, rather than to aluminum
or zinc, which eventually replaced brass. The reeds are also from a
richer alloy than you find in modern reeds, and the goat leather used on
the plates also adds warmth. We often get comments that they don't even
sound like accordions, because they're so delicate and rich, and because
they sometimes seem to "speak." The idea of the free-swinging reed and
bellows-propelled air mass is actually very old, so the archaic sound we
get fits really well into the concept of our sound. Our instruments are
small and soft, yet it takes much more physical energy to play them than
it does a modern accordion. Their inefficiency makes possible more
nuance, because the lightly touched embellishment notes come out more
faintly than on a modern accordion, where they're too crudely audible.
The earliest model we have for our accordion style is Max Yankowitz,
whose 1913 recordings gave us our foundation. There were other
accordionists, too, and we've learned and gone beyond those examples. We
base our sound and technique on the voice; our whole approach to
fingering and bellows technique is geared toward producing the nuances
of Yiddish singing. Like the early clavecin players before Bach, we
basically use three fingers, though we include the thumb. The 4th finger
is usually reserved as a krekhts finger, often touching the note above
the main melody note to get that weeping thing, and the 5th finger is
mostly used in emergencies'."

According to this: does it need to be a button accordion to play
klezmer? No, you can also play a PA. The other expert on klezmer
accordion is Alan Bern. He plays a modern piano accordion (a Guerrini),
and it is amazing, what sound he is able to produce from his instrument.
The style is different from Horowitz' though, but I like both.

Both, Horowitz and Bern, give workshops every now and then (both in
Europe and in the States), and I very much recommend those workshops,
having attended a couple of them myself. Both are very nice persons and
very good teachers. (Besides, Alan Bern is fluent in other accordion
styles as well).

I hope I could help you a bit,

Günther

[RatpackMD]

Gunther,

Since you play Klezmer yourself, what instrument to you use? What is the
reed configuration, and what are your favorite registers.

Same question about Alan Bern's accordion. How many reeds, what
configuration and what registers does he use?

I played Klezmer as a child, though mostly clarinet and piano. I learned
many of the songs from the Kammen International Dance Folio and played
regularly at the "Downtown Home for the Jewish Aged". However, at that time
(early 60s) accordion was pretty much out of fashion. I didn't start
playing accordion until recently (I am professional pianist/conductor in
Las Vegas). It didn't take long for me to run accross the contemporary
Klezmer bands with the beautiful accordion work being done. So I decided to
learn to play (re-learn?) this form. Thanks for everyone's help.

Jeff
--

Post by Gunther

Post by RatpackMD
What accordion would be appropriate to play Klezmer? I read an article
online that said the best instrument for Klezmer is a 5 row chromatic.
However, I see very few Klezmer players use one - I most often see piano
accordion.
I guess the real issue is what configuration of reeds, what registers? I
have heard everything from a "Van Damme" jazz type sound to French Musette
to Bandoneon. Is it just a matter of personal preference?

Since I play klezmer on accordion for several years I might as well give
The expert on this matter is Joshua Horowitz. He has written several
articles and you can also find some information on the website of his
band Budowitz (http://www.budowitz.com)
The accordion used in Budowitz was built in 1889 By Karl Budowitz. It
represents the earliest type of fully chromatic button accordion, and is
the predecessor of the Russian Bayan developed in the early 20th
Century. The reedy, warm sound, which at times yields the uncanny
illuson of a small wind orchestra, is made possible through the
materials used for its construction - bone, wood, goat leather and
brass, and its ability to ornament and phrase like the human voice is
achieved largely through the smaller, more controllable bellows. The
earliest recordings of Klezmer music on accordion (ca. 1913) reveal an
almost identical sound and style to that found in Budowitz.
You can also find a photo of his instrument on the website. What's
interesting is the fact, that although it is a chromatic button
accordion on the right side, it is a diatonic one on the left side with
only ten (or was it eight) buttons.
There is also an interview on the website where he tells more about his
"It's amazing how much more you can ornament on these old ones. Our
instruments were made in 1889 and at the turn of the century, which is
ancient for an accordion, and the unrelenting work to restore them and
get them working has really paid off. Their warmth comes mainly from the
fact that the reeds are riveted to brass plates, rather than to aluminum
or zinc, which eventually replaced brass. The reeds are also from a
richer alloy than you find in modern reeds, and the goat leather used on
the plates also adds warmth. We often get comments that they don't even
sound like accordions, because they're so delicate and rich, and because
they sometimes seem to "speak." The idea of the free-swinging reed and
bellows-propelled air mass is actually very old, so the archaic sound we
get fits really well into the concept of our sound. Our instruments are
small and soft, yet it takes much more physical energy to play them than
it does a modern accordion. Their inefficiency makes possible more
nuance, because the lightly touched embellishment notes come out more
faintly than on a modern accordion, where they're too crudely audible.
The earliest model we have for our accordion style is Max Yankowitz,
whose 1913 recordings gave us our foundation. There were other
accordionists, too, and we've learned and gone beyond those examples. We
base our sound and technique on the voice; our whole approach to
fingering and bellows technique is geared toward producing the nuances
of Yiddish singing. Like the early clavecin players before Bach, we
basically use three fingers, though we include the thumb. The 4th finger
is usually reserved as a krekhts finger, often touching the note above
the main melody note to get that weeping thing, and the 5th finger is
mostly used in emergencies'."
According to this: does it need to be a button accordion to play
klezmer? No, you can also play a PA. The other expert on klezmer
accordion is Alan Bern. He plays a modern piano accordion (a Guerrini),
and it is amazing, what sound he is able to produce from his instrument.
The style is different from Horowitz' though, but I like both.
Both, Horowitz and Bern, give workshops every now and then (both in
Europe and in the States), and I very much recommend those workshops,
having attended a couple of them myself. Both are very nice persons and
very good teachers. (Besides, Alan Bern is fluent in other accordion
styles as well).
I hope I could help you a bit,
Günther

[Gunther]

Hi Jeff,

I'm sorry that I forgot to tell you what accordion I use. Well, I use a
PA (Excelsior, 96 bass) with a LMMH configuration. My favorite register
is MM, but it really depends on the pieces I play. For bulgars I use the
MMH register to get a richer sound, when playing solo I also like LM
very much. My accordion is rather wet tuned.

I can't remember the reed configuration of Alan Bern's PA, but I do
remember that he prefers MM over LM. I'm going to ask him next time I
see him, in about two weeks.

For me it is not so important whether the accordion is tuned wet or not
and what registers you use. The most important thing is to know the
style and the technique involved.

Günther

Post by RatpackMD
Gunther,
Since you play Klezmer yourself, what instrument to you use? What is the
reed configuration, and what are your favorite registers.
Same question about Alan Bern's accordion. How many reeds, what
configuration and what registers does he use?
I played Klezmer as a child, though mostly clarinet and piano. I learned
many of the songs from the Kammen International Dance Folio and played
regularly at the "Downtown Home for the Jewish Aged". However, at that time
(early 60s) accordion was pretty much out of fashion. I didn't start
playing accordion until recently (I am professional pianist/conductor in
Las Vegas). It didn't take long for me to run accross the contemporary
Klezmer bands with the beautiful accordion work being done. So I decided to
learn to play (re-learn?) this form. Thanks for everyone's help.
Jeff

[Johann Pascher]

Hi, Gunther!


Very good explanation!

I would like to add, that this old Accordions usually are called
Schrammelharmonika or Budewizer here in Austria.

If one rally wants to get the old sound there is no way around restoring
a old instrument with handmade original reeds. Some old reed blocks with
the handmade reeds did get sold for very high price in the past. So
there are some newer Instrument with old reed blocks in use.
Tuning is also a question, because the ware all tuned in a different
way. The scale was not equal temper. To the amount of musette, the ware
rather little beating not as much as on France musette or on diatonic
instrument used for folk music.
In the past musicians had there individual Accordion builder and the did
stick to this person a live time, because the considered only the one
the war I contact with could do the tuning as the did like it. So in
reality there war a bit of variety in sound and tuning depending on the
musician and on the Accordion builder.

Johann

Post by Gunther

Post by RatpackMD
What accordion would be appropriate to play Klezmer? I read an article
online that said the best instrument for Klezmer is a 5 row chromatic.
However, I see very few Klezmer players use one - I most often see piano
accordion.
I guess the real issue is what configuration of reeds, what registers? I
have heard everything from a "Van Damme" jazz type sound to French Musette
to Bandoneon. Is it just a matter of personal preference?

Since I play klezmer on accordion for several years I might as well give
The expert on this matter is Joshua Horowitz. He has written several
articles and you can also find some information on the website of his
band Budowitz (http://www.budowitz.com)
The accordion used in Budowitz was built in 1889 By Karl Budowitz. It
represents the earliest type of fully chromatic button accordion, and is
the predecessor of the Russian Bayan developed in the early 20th
Century. The reedy, warm sound, which at times yields the uncanny
illuson of a small wind orchestra, is made possible through the
materials used for its construction - bone, wood, goat leather and
brass, and its ability to ornament and phrase like the human voice is
achieved largely through the smaller, more controllable bellows. The
earliest recordings of Klezmer music on accordion (ca. 1913) reveal an
almost identical sound and style to that found in Budowitz.
You can also find a photo of his instrument on the website. What's
interesting is the fact, that although it is a chromatic button
accordion on the right side, it is a diatonic one on the left side with
only ten (or was it eight) buttons.
There is also an interview on the website where he tells more about his
"It's amazing how much more you can ornament on these old ones. Our
instruments were made in 1889 and at the turn of the century, which is
ancient for an accordion, and the unrelenting work to restore them and
get them working has really paid off. Their warmth comes mainly from the
fact that the reeds are riveted to brass plates, rather than to aluminum
or zinc, which eventually replaced brass. The reeds are also from a
richer alloy than you find in modern reeds, and the goat leather used on
the plates also adds warmth. We often get comments that they don't even
sound like accordions, because they're so delicate and rich, and because
they sometimes seem to "speak." The idea of the free-swinging reed and
bellows-propelled air mass is actually very old, so the archaic sound we
get fits really well into the concept of our sound. Our instruments are
small and soft, yet it takes much more physical energy to play them than
it does a modern accordion. Their inefficiency makes possible more
nuance, because the lightly touched embellishment notes come out more
faintly than on a modern accordion, where they're too crudely audible.
The earliest model we have for our accordion style is Max Yankowitz,
whose 1913 recordings gave us our foundation. There were other
accordionists, too, and we've learned and gone beyond those examples. We
base our sound and technique on the voice; our whole approach to
fingering and bellows technique is geared toward producing the nuances
of Yiddish singing. Like the early clavecin players before Bach, we
basically use three fingers, though we include the thumb. The 4th finger
is usually reserved as a krekhts finger, often touching the note above
the main melody note to get that weeping thing, and the 5th finger is
mostly used in emergencies'."
According to this: does it need to be a button accordion to play
klezmer? No, you can also play a PA. The other expert on klezmer
accordion is Alan Bern. He plays a modern piano accordion (a Guerrini),
and it is amazing, what sound he is able to produce from his instrument.
The style is different from Horowitz' though, but I like both.
Both, Horowitz and Bern, give workshops every now and then (both in
Europe and in the States), and I very much recommend those workshops,
having attended a couple of them myself. Both are very nice persons and
very good teachers. (Besides, Alan Bern is fluent in other accordion
styles as well).
I hope I could help you a bit,
Günther

[Dave Garland]

Post by RatpackMD
What accordion would be appropriate to play Klezmer?

IMHO, whatever works for you. I think musette is probably most common,
MM or LMM. I've known people who said "and the wetter the better" but
of course if you're playing with a group, a really wet sound may drive
the other musicians (especially the classically trained ones) nuts.

I've got recordings of people playing klez with every conceivable reed
combination (well, maybe not standalone piccolo). None is "wrong",
though some of the players are better than others.

[w.d.]

I second Dave. The "wetter the better" for tuning accordions for
Klezmer music. Listen to well tuned Paulo Soprani or Scandalli that was
made for the Central European market, and you will hear the Klezmer
musette sound.

Americanized Klezmer word derives from the Slavic word "klasowa,
klassownaja," that has opposite meaning that classical music. In
Klezmer terms word "klasowa, klasownaja" means music from ethnic groups
not connected to establishment. Classical musician were supported by
those in power and that's why they still hate Klezmer musette sound
that was the joy and the soul of the "lower" class in their opinion.

Yes, thin piano accordions those with MM and LMM configurations are
those that are preferred in Klezmer musical sound. Klezmer music
doesn't sound good and agree with LM or HLM sound of accordions.

Klezmer accordion have to be tuned in a such way that its sound enhance
other musicians and not interfere with their ability of making music.
If the accordion is tuned properly it will play very important role in
that music of that group or band.
Especially in one of European country that I often watch on dish TV, in
their shows, very nice tuned musette accordion(s) is always there
among other instruments.

Enjoy it,
W.D.