Converter bass
The converter bass allows the left keyboard of an accordion to be switched from the standard Stradella bass (also known as Manual II) to the melody bass (Manual III). This makes it possible to play melodies instead of accompanying chords on the same keys. The chord buttons are switched; the individual basses are retained.
Compared to a standard bass, the converter bass has additional buttons for changing the manual.
Advantages and disadvantages compared to upstream basses are:
- The instruments are lighter because fewer buttons are needed. With the reeds, however, nothing is saved in terms of weight.
- This is also favorable for accordion players with short fingers (children) who still have a hard time reaching beyond the basic bass.
- Converters have a redundant fourth row of games that further simplifies fingering.
- Players with long fingers, on the other hand, can have problems with the ball of the thumb, as the hand often rolls over the ball of the thumb, which then has to push the bellows together on its own. In the case of upstream bass, the entire palm of the hand is usually on top.
- Another disadvantage is that in both Russian and bayan literature, changes between standard and melody bass often take place without a break. Here it can be problematic to press the converter switch fast enough.
literature
- Gotthard Richter: accordion, manual for musicians and instrument makers , VEB Fachbuchverlag Leipzig, 1990, ISBN 3-7959-0569-9