Styrian accordion

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Styrian harmonica is a diatonic , alternating tone hand-drawn instrument with a button keyboard .

The "Styrian" is used in folk music in Bavaria , Austria , South Tyrol , the Czech Republic , Slovenia , as well as in many other countries. The word “Styrian” has little to do with the state of Styria . This type of accordion was invented in Vienna. The difference to other diatonic accordions lies in the use of the strong-sounding helicon basses and the common tone . Due to its diatonic structure, it is particularly suitable for playing alpine folk music. In Vienna, this music was called "Styrian" as a synonym for rural music, and therefore the new instrument was called Styrian .

Other common names for the Styrian accordion are: Styrian , accordion , button accordion , harmonica , harmony , Zugorgel , in dialect Ziach , Ziacha , Ziachharmonie , Ziachorgel , Zugin and Quetschn , jokingly Faltenradio , Wanznpress , Zerrwanst or home air compressor .

Old three-row accordion
Styrian harmonica from Michlbauer Novak with 46 melody keys, 16 basses, X-bass and B-bass
Styrian harmonica from the Kärntnerland brand

Types

Instruments are built with three, often four, rarely five, exceptionally six rows, with each treble row representing a key . The triad tones of the respective key ( major triad of the tonic ,) sound in the elevator when the tones in between (associated dominant seventh chord ) sound . Since the fifth tone of the scale occurs both in the tonic and in the dominant , this tone is built into the middle register both in pull and in pressure, so it is played with the same button, with the exception of the outer row. This key, which is present once in each of the following rows, is called the "common tone ". Notes occurring in the melody that do not fit into this scheme are pressed in the other rows. This construction allows an extremely fluid playing style with matching (alpine) melodies.

Instruments with three rows would be sufficient for folk music and are also easier to learn. However, four-row instruments are more common because the playing technique is more uniform for many fingerings. The additional fourth row adds a high tone per key and a semitone per octave. For each row in the treble there is a bass button and a chord button on the outer row of the bass side, also with alternating tones. The tonic sounds when pressed, the dominant when pulled.

The bass keys in the inner row are usually assigned transitional basses (third basses) when pressed; when pressed, the fourth level often sounds in the inner bass row, which is already available when pressed. Minor basses are only installed on request, in the traditional design with pull, now often with pressure. An alternating bass button for the first row is missing. Newer models often have an interchangeable bass for the first row. In this case, the last bass key in the second row is often designed as an alternating bass. A transitional bass (third) is then not available for the first row; the alternating bass key is located at the point where the transitional bass would be. If an additional, X-Bass is installed, there is another key in the first row of bass keys, which is coupled with the alternating bass key of the second row. But the transitional bass for the first row is still missing. Only when a so-called H-bass is installed is the transition bass for the first row available. Florian Michlbauer from Weyregg am Attersee introduced the name H-Bass .

The weight on the bass side is only marginally higher when comparing three- and four-row instruments. The greater part of the weight increase is due to the treble side. The rule of thumb is: the higher the quality of the reed plates, the heavier the instrument. The manufacturer's weight specifications are often incorrect, but instruments of the same model are almost always the same weight.

Style of play

Due to the diatonic construction, it is difficult, at least for beginners, to play from notes. The Helbling publishing house therefore patented a tablature for the two-row diatonic harmonica in 1916 . Max Rosenzopf , a music teacher from Bärnbach in Styria, adapted this older system for the three- and four-row harmonica, called Griffschrift , and in 1975 published a first school work based on this system by the Preissler publishing house, which had 18 editions by 1996. Since then, this fingering system has established itself, so that hardly any harmonica player can imagine playing according to normal notes. Since then, thanks to the easier learning, the spread of the Styrian harmonica has increased significantly again.

Due to the increasing popularity of the Styrian harmonica, there are now versions of the fingering. Each major music school has its own teaching method, which often differs only slightly from the others. There are a number of players and schools who, as in the past, play or teach by grades or by ear. Details on these playing styles and teaching methods can be found under the Lemma Accordion School .

technical description

The typical appearance is the most striking, apart from the typical helicon bass sound. The type of bass construction is shared by the Styrian and the Czech Heligonka .

Various models are produced in Austria , Germany , Italy and Slovenia . Manufacturers in other countries including Italy copy the traditional instruments. In Austria and Bavaria, a variety of models has been increasingly offered in recent decades, often only the external presentation and the type of decoration are different. Wood inlays have always been used. Very early Viennese models were also decorated with artistic decorations. The best-known brands include Kärntnerland, Jamnik, Müller , Öllerer, Strasser, Novak (see below, accordion makers for Styrian harmonicas (selection) ).

Hood and trim

Traditionally, metal roofs and metal decorative places were always used. Every manufacturer has its own pattern by which it can be recognized. Lately, due to the new technical possibilities, wooden roofs and decorative tapes have been increasingly offered that are pre-cut by machine using laser cutting technology or water jet cutting technology. Housing parts are offered in many types of wood and paintwork, and some producers also offer waxed surfaces. From time to time colored celluloid surfaces are also produced. Usually, however, an abrasive varnish surface with a resistant varnish is used. The manufacture of the sanding lacquer coating is labor-intensive, as at least seven layers of lacquer are applied, whereby the surface has to be sanded and polished several times in between. This creates the most durable and hard-wearing coating. Waxed surfaces are much easier to manufacture, but less durable. Instruments with a waxed surface usually show irreparable signs of wear on the housing after a few years. Minor damage can be remedied by slightly moistening it and subsequently sanding it over and then waxing it.

Body

The body is usually made of multilayer wood that has been veneered with the desired wood surface. There are some producers who, if requested, use solid spruce wood for the outer frames (Jamnik, Schmidt, Novak, Zernig). Jamnik and Haglmo manufacture all models exclusively from solid wood (not just spruce). In the past, Novak enclosures were always made of spruce, but not since the last production. A look into the open case can provide clarity. Schmidt manufactures all models with spruce wood frames. There is no need to fear warping of the frames, as the wood is hand-picked and well-seasoned. The wooden posts are pre-split in a similar way as for roof shingles. This ensures that the grain is aligned evenly and at right angles to the surface. For the floors (filling) Schmidt uses beech plywood, Jamnik solid alder wood. Strasser has a model in its range that uses solid cherry wood for the case frames. Zernig builds two model series, one made of plywood, the second made of solid wood in alder, spruce, pear and nut. The material used for the case frames has some influence on the sound, but this should not be overestimated. The wood used is not as important as with string instruments. The primary property is that the housing has few natural vibrations and meets the mechanical requirements. With soft types of wood you can achieve a softer complaint, even if these are used in the form of multilayer boards. Veneered, five-millimeter-thick plywood is well suited in terms of mechanical properties. Practically all materials can therefore be used for the body. The materials for the sound post and the built-in chambers in the bass section are more critical. More mass works towards a stronger, more brilliant sound. Each instrument has its own individual sound character. The deviations in sound are small and were considered insignificant, at least for some time when initial tests were published. There is a divided opinion among the accordion makers.

bellows

The bellows is made even with some producers in part or from a supplier company from Italy or the Czech Republic. Essentially, the bellows hardly differ. With all products, it is important that the bellows run smoothly and are extremely tight. The companies Müller, Strasser and Zernig manufacture the bellows themselves. Some jobs are outsourced to work from home. Bellows with rounded corners usually come from Italy. The metallic corner protectors on bellows from Austria are usually jagged, angular and wider, which can lead to a somewhat wider bellows with the same number of folds, but which is more flexible than a comparable bellows from Italian or Czech production. The corner protectors are sometimes exchanged or traded among the various manufacturers and therefore the type of corners where the bellows was made cannot be guaranteed. The corner protectors are pressed in the production process, so the overall width of the bellows can vary in width even with the same type of corner protector. Cardboard, leather, linen, decor and corner protectors make up the total width after gluing and pre-pressing.

To achieve the same results, a bellows with very rounded corners must have a few more folds. Good bellows are flexible, tight and noiseless. Sharpened sheepskin is mainly used for the leather in the movable corners. When sharpening the leather, the edges are tapered outwards with a knife or a special leather plane.

Goatskin used to be more popular. Goatskin is usually thinner, but not as dense. There is no such thing as an absolutely tight bellows. Even if the inside of the corner leather is provided with a silicone or Teflon coating, the bellows is not completely tight. The flap seals can also only be tight to a certain extent. An instrument always loses air.

treble

Treble mechanics

In the beginning, all harmonicas were built with open wooden levers. All manufacturers have long since improved the mechanics, even if their appearance is reminiscent of the traditional construction.

The levers are no longer made exclusively from wood. A fiber-reinforced, colored polyamide plastic is used, in which mostly aluminum parts are cast. The part of the lever that is not visible under the hood is made of aluminum. In the past, these parts consisted of round steel wires, which tended to vibrate when playing, especially with the longer levers. The precision is higher with the fingerboard, since the necessary processing steps are carried out with CNC machines. A "wood mechanic" usually uses two fingerboard parts that are screwed on top of each other. With four-row instruments, each part has two rows of keys, which is why two axes are used as bearings for the key levers. Jamnik inserts a plastic block into the solid wooden grip, in which the keys are individually mounted, with Teflon or ball bearings. Haglmo has developed a treble mechanism in which the levers for the four rows are threaded on four axes, so the same length in each row, which enables the same pressure on all keys. In the fingerboard, under each lever, there is a spring for pressing the respective flap. Even if this type of keyboard looks very similar from the various manufacturers, minor differences can be observed. Öllerer builds the rows of keys a little closer together. The keys are usually 19 mm apart. Only Beltuna in Italy is building the keys closer together. The level of gradation from row to row does not have to be the same for all. Even with the same manufacturers, it sometimes depends on the respective mechanic whether the keys have more or less travel.

Some manufacturers offer two variants of treble mechanisms, others only one variant. Öllerer (with plastic levers or bearings) and Edler (wooden levers with brass bushings) only build traditional treble mechanisms, Jamnik wooden levers with plastic, whereby Jamnik has a variant with ball bearings in its range. Haglmo (wooden lever with brass bush bearing) builds both a wooden and a classic aluminum mechanism, whereby the specialty of the wooden mechanism is a specially patented, four-axis system. Schmidt and other manufacturers build several variants (covered or open mechanics). The treble mechanics have an influence on the sound of the instrument, as the cavities that arise when the mechanics are covered have a certain filter effect. This influence on the sound cannot be overstated.

The second covered variant of treble mechanics goes back to newer chromatic keyboards that were built in Italy and Germany. This covered treble mechanism does not differ in the arrangement and gradation of the keys. The cover is mostly made of wood and graduated. As with wooden mechanics, the buttons have felt pads that rest on the cover when the button is pressed. The recesses in the cover also serve as lateral guides for the keys. The levers are made entirely of aluminum and tend to tear in the kink area if not carefully bent during processing. Under the keys, a round, cylindrical plastic part is pressed onto the lever, to which the respective button is screwed. All levers for four rows of keys are mounted on one axis. However, the axis is a little thicker than that of a traditional keyboard, as it is only supported once after four levers. The joints are designed as plain bearings. A brass bracket riveted to the aluminum lever provides two support points per lever. This requires small sliding surfaces, so this mechanism is low in friction. In advertising, this is often referred to as "floating". These aluminum levers can be bent into the required position relatively easily, which represents a not insignificant amount of work in production. Müller has been building its own storage since 2014, which uses an injection-molded plastic part as a storage. Rihard in Slovenia uses stable brass bearings screwed into the stamped aluminum brackets. The frame and cover of the keyboard are not directly connected to one another. The keyboard frame with thumb bar and the cover are milled using a CNC machine and processed like the rest of the housing. Haglmo incorporates the most deviating treble mechanism, which is built with combined wood and aluminum brackets, into its patent models. Four axes, one for each row of keys, the levers are mounted with brass bushes. The treble floor is stepped and has additional reflection screens. In this way he achieves that the responsiveness of all rows is uniform, but also requires a change in the treble sound.

Müller manufactures almost all parts for the keyboard himself and supplies smaller harmonica manufacturers with supplier parts. Treble keyboards of this type are made by some manufacturers in Italy. A harmonica maker can no longer exist independently, as certain machines are only worthwhile with high production numbers.

Plastic injection molded parts and, in some cases, stamped parts are assigned to subcontractors in order production. Buttons and reed plates come from companies that specialize in them. The treble keys are mostly molded plastic parts. Novak, Müller and most of the Italian accordion makers use the same type of keys. Strasser also uses an injection molded part for the flaps; but this looks different because Strasser attaches the levers to the flaps with hot glue. Öllerer uses pressed aluminum parts for the flaps, which are pushed onto the aluminum lever with a movable rubber part. But for the first row of buttons, pressed tinplate parts are used for the flaps, as there is less space for the flap attachment in this area. In the first row, the flaps are soldered to the levers. Strasser uses its own keyboard, which is basically structured like the aluminum mechanism, only the key levers are plastic injection molded parts into which the aluminum extensions to the flaps are cast. There is therefore a separate injection-molded part for each row. Strasser speaks of a conical bearing ring. Each lever has a conical shape on the side in the area of ​​the bearing, which corresponds to a counterpart as a bearing block. The levers do not move on the axis, but in the lateral conical formations. To make this possible, there is a plastic part as a bearing block between each two levers, and there must be pressure on the bearings from the side. A spring, which is attached to the axis at one end of the keyboard, provides the necessary lateral pressure. The production of the keyboard is not very labor-intensive, there are relatively many manual activities.

Precision and accuracy are capitalized on all keyboard variants. In individual cases, an objective assessment is hardly possible, personal preferences play a major role. The flaps are generally provided with felt and leather seals, which are the same for all manufacturers.

Treble register

Register be of Beltuna installed in Styrian harmonicas. Only Öllerer builds a two-course model with a cassotto in the treble . The filling is often referred to as the soundboard and contributes little to the sound of the instrument, but minor influences are possible. Some Italian accordion makers as well as Öllerer and Haglmo use aluminum fillings. Alpengold and Risch use carbon soils. The advantage of aluminum or carbon filling is the small thickness, so it is easier to get a grip on the problematic higher tones and some tones in the fourth row. Mostly, however, multilayer wood with a thickness of 5 mm is used. Strasser also uses multilayer boards, but with a thickness of 7 mm, Jamnik solid alder wood with a thickness of 4 mm. So that the critical tones still work properly, the opening cross-section is increased for some tones.

Treble reeds

Different manufacturing processes are used for the treble reeds . Italian manufacturers and the Öllerer company use the adhesive technology. Jamnik, Strasser and Müller use CNC machines. The wood used is not the same for all producers. Jamnik uses a soft ( abachi , spruce, red cedar , yellow cedar ) for the cockpit part of the sound post. The Italian manufacturers sometimes use mahogany. Strasser and Müller use spruce wood for the middle part. Maple wood is used for the skirting board at Müller, Strasser uses a multilayer board. The head bar is always made of harder wood. The shape of the chambers is also different. Some and earlier Italian products are conical in the area of ​​the head rail, while Austrian and German producers manufacture the head rail (back) equally wide over the entire length. In the latter case, the partition wall is thicker (wedge) in the direction of the higher tones or the chambers of the higher tones are milled or filled to different depths. Müller has slightly larger tone openings than Strasser. With some manufacturers such as Müller, the reed blocks are set at an angle, depending on the installation series, in order to create more space for the vibrating reeds.

Since the sound post has the largest share in the sound quality after the reed plates, significant differences are to be expected between the various manufacturers. There are no fundamental differences in the design of the reed blocks. The dimensions and arrangement of the reed blocks are almost the same for all manufacturers. The external dimensions are essentially determined by the number of built-in bass voice plates.

Bass part

Traditional step installation 38 × 20 cm housing
Traditional step installation with floor - double helicon 38 × 20 cm housing
Flat installation in two rows - double helicon 38 × 21.3 cm housing
Folded standing installation - single helicon + Terzetti 38 × 20 cm housing
Angled installation single helicon + Terzetti 38 × 20 cm housing
Combined installation Housing dimensions 38 × 19 cm
Bass installation of a chromatic Zechner harmonica from 1913, 38 × 20 cm

With four-row instruments, four double and four single helicon tuning plates are usually installed (38 cm × 20.5 cm). This is the most common type. There are special models from various manufacturers that have eight or more double helicon basses.

If an H-bass is installed with the same dimensions and design, however, this means that half a helicon bass must be built in at another point in the housing, or another double helicon bass is replaced by two simple bass plates. Such a conversion is not possible afterwards. Replacing a double bass plate with two simple ones is not possible without compromises, since two single helicon voice plates need more space than a double one. Therefore, the remaining three double helicon voice plates have to be replaced with slightly narrower double helicon bass plates.

  • In some models, only three double and five single helicon plates are installed (36 cm × 20.5 cm).
  • Strasser builds a model with four double and five single helicon voice plates (38 cm × 20 cm).

Strasser's type of bass section construction differs from the traditional Styrian construction and has a flat bass floor without gradation. However, this version has always been used in Klingenthal and Vienna. Older Strasser harmonicas were traditionally Styrian in the bass section structure. The helicon chambers in this type of construction are a little less deep, a level filling makes it easier to install the bass mechanics. Only this level filling makes it easier to install another simple helicon bass rotated by 90 ° on the front edge of the bass case. This bass works worse than the rest of the simple basses and remains a compromise. Even with the traditional construction, there is the possibility of installing up to two simple helicon basses in the front area of ​​the gradation, but the installation is not technically easy.

The following variants, which are offered by some harmonica makers, are not a compromise, but lead to not insignificantly more weight on the bass side.

  • Öllerer builds a luxury model with 10 double helicon voice plates with a maximum of 20 bass keys with almost the same dimensions (38 cm × 21 cm). The helicon voice plates are set up and protrude into the bellows. The number of bellows folds are larger in these models in order to have space in the interior for the standing helicon voice plates. 12 double helicons in the special model are possible, although the dimensions are not yet known.
  • Jamnik avoids the problem of space by arranging the bass chambers in floors, protruding into the bellows. This leaves 10 reed plates, i.e. H. 20 basses in two-choir design can be installed in a 38 × 21 cm housing. A special model with 12 double helicons and 23 bass keys, including three couplings, is also in the range (42 × 20.5 cm).
  • Pustra builds (has FISMEN built) up to 8 double helicon basses in traditional construction, similar to Jamnik with a floor, whereby the two double helicon basses on the floor are rotated by 90 ° and therefore do not correspond to the Jamnik patent. The companions are not built in like with Jamnik, but traditional.
  • Alpengold is building a new series with 10 double helicon basses in a 40 × 21 cm case. Installation upright, similar to the one used by Öllerer, but with a different sound post.
  • Alpengold builds the Pixner series, which also reproduces Riesch, Fismen and ORA, as simple helicon basses with an additional voice plate (Terzetti) in a 38 × 20 cm case.
  • Martin Schaider and Kaiser build up to 10 double helicon basses on one level 5 + 5 one behind the other in a 38 × 21.3 cm housing.
  • ORA builds up to 10 helicon basses with additional voice plates (Terzetti) in a 38 × 20 cm housing, whereby the sound post (angled sound post with helicon basses on top) corresponds to that of a chromatic accordion with helicon basses.
  • EDLER (Gerhard Grübel) has built a harmonica with 12 double helicon bass plates + 1 double helicon bass in addition in a bellows direction + 8 chords + 2 couplings (lying bass plates without bass sound stick), 50 treble buttons, 23 bass buttons with case dimensions 34.4 × 19.7 cm. The helicon tuning plates have slightly different dimensions than usual, but with the usual reed dimensions.
  • Johann Pascher built a harmonica with 11 double and a single helicon voice plate with 39 bass buttons. There are 8 major chords on pressure, 5 major chords on train and 7 minor chords on train for accompaniment (37.5 cm × 18 cm). There is also a harmonica with 12 double helicon voice plates and 24 accompaniments with three tones each in a 38 × 19 cm case weighing 7 kg. The treble has two choirs and has 55 buttons and 48 bass buttons of which 12 are coupled.
  • Franz Zechner from Graz built a harmonica with 12 helicon voice plates and 48 accompaniment voice plates as early as 1913. The harmonica had 42 bass buttons. Traditionally, he installed seven helicon voice plates lying down and five standing up. The space requirement was marginally more.

Bass mechanics

Italian (Slovenian Novak) mechanics

Plastic joints are used by almost all accordion makers. Most are similar and work well. Bass keys are equipped with more spring pressure on the keys. This is necessary because the clay openings also have a larger cross-section. The levers are bent from stainless steel wire, as aluminum wires would be too soft and would spring too much. Some parts are pre-bent with presses during production, most parts are bent by hand during installation. Jamnik uses a construction made of steel wire and twist-proof brass tube, teflon or ball bearings. Strasser has largely achieved a simplification in assembly for this area as well. Some Italian products were not so smooth and noiseless.

The buttons are designed with felt guides. If the flaps are made of compression-molded tinplate, they are soldered directly to the lever. This is the same for almost all manufacturers. The leather seals and the felt under the flaps are also as thick as on the treble side. In the luxury models, Öllerer also uses extra leather on the opposite side where the flaps rest. This leads to a reduction in the flap noise. However, the noises cannot be completely avoided either on the treble side or on the bass side. In general, short levers are less problematic than long ones. If excessive noise can be heard, the bearings are usually not in order. With new instruments, however, there are hardly any problems to be feared. ORA and many other Italian or Slovenian manufacturers copy the traditional construction almost completely, the mechanics often look different. These companies are based on a coupled mechanism. These mechanisms that use common bearing blocks for several axes are already widespread. The levers and axes used in these mechanisms are spot welded. All longitudinal axes are "floating" in a common bearing block and are held in position by overlays. A relatively large number of axes lead over the entire length of the bass part. The older versions had relatively high friction between the axes. This type of construction often requires a slightly higher weight than conventional construction. An advantage of this design is when many distant buttons are coupled, or in larger building systems. Some Slovenian brands such as Ruthar and Rihard use a third variant of the mechanism, which is built with more stable brass bearings and strong aluminum levers, but which is preferably only used in bass systems with a maximum of sixteen buttons.

Bass cover

The arrangement and number of openings in the bass cover have a very strong influence on the sound, but the trumpets only have a negligible effect on the bass sound, but are primarily a decorative element. Comparisons are only possible with the same structures. In the traditional installation of Helikonkammern the top has in the rear area as cassotto , the openings in the hood are extremely rare in the traditional style with Helikonbässen the back of the cover. For superstructures made by Strasser, but also for the installation of Öllerer's luxury models or Jamnik's patent models or other deviating bass installations, it is essential that the roof also has openings in the rear area. In terms of sound, there are therefore differences between these models.

Accompanying reed plates and sound post

The accompaniment keys (bass chords) are usually designed with four reed plates (eight voices - four pulled and four pressed) per chord. Some producers like Alpengold or Kaiser only use three per chord. The composition of the notes is not identical for all chords. Even with instruments of the same tuning there are deviations depending on the producer. The sound post is traditionally in one piece and mounted vertically on the front in front of the bass plates, but in the Jamnik patent model, Martin Schaider's own development and Kaiser it is divided into two parts and mounted horizontally above and below in the bass box.

Occupancy

The relative assignment is always the same for the first row of bass keys. Many variants are used for the second row of bass keys. (See link Key Assignments.)

The treble assignment is always identical. Only some keys at the lower (and rarely also at the upper) end of the keyboard are assigned different semitones on some instruments. Often only one or two keys in the first row are replaced by semitones. For models with 50 keys, there is one more key per row at the lower end (“down” means the lower-sounding keys up towards the chin). (See link Key Assignments.)

Mood

Tuning is the basic key per row. Usual moods are: A, D, G, C - G, C, F, B - F, B, Eb, As - B, Eb, As, Des ... But mood refers to the scale used “ tempered ” or “ pure ” ".

In general, it is customary not to orient the print tones exactly to the tempered, equal tuning. Müller and Öllerer make certain corrections, Strasser is more tempered. Much time can be spent tuning instruments. The higher the quality of the reed plates, the more precisely the instrument can be tuned.

tremolo

Usually it is offered that the tremolo is tuned according to the wishes of the customer. However, there are variants, usually three (rarely two) reed plate sets are built into each tone, this means three-course or two-course harmonicas. One set of reed plates is tuned exactly to the respective scale, the second set up in pitch. This results in a beat tone that can be selected from barely noticeable to very intrusive. This applies to the third set of reed plates, only this is placed in the pitch below the first set of reed plates. A weak tremolo is usually used for room music, a stronger tremolo is preferred for dance music, as this increases the volume and audibility of background noise. Many intermediate stages are possible between very strong and almost none. There is no standard. (For an accordion, see tremolo for tremolo .) In most cases, the tremolo is tuned by hand according to the ear. The Rumberger tremolo generator is an aid. This was developed in 1995 by Peter Rumberger. It makes it possible to create a certain desired beat so that several instruments can be tuned with the exact same tremolo or a single instrument receives the same tremolo for every tuning.

Reed plate quality

  • “Machina” is the lowest quality on the market.
  • "Dural Export" is the next higher.
  • “Tipo a mano” is the next higher.
  • “A mano” is the highest quality level on the market, often referred to as “professional” or with other additions.

These names are confusing because there are no standards, consider the comparison of the three largest manufacturers of reed plates. There are accordion producers who do not specify the names used by the producer, but their own. The reed plate quality differs in terms of manufacturing tolerances, dimensions and construction as well as in the type of manufacture. The best quality is hand riveted. (For further information see reed plate .) The different pitch designations in German, English or Italian are confusing. Depending on the size of the reed plate, there is a larger number of possible tones, which means that most tones are possible on different reed plate sizes. Reed plate sets can vary in size and are therefore not easily interchangeable without intervening in the reed blocks on which the reed plates are mounted. The three most important producers of reed plates used in the Styrian harmonica are the following companies: VOCI ARMONICHE Srl Cagnoni spa HARMONIKAS sro

Grade
Producer (link to tables) VIII VII VI V IV III II I.
Aluminum frame hardness 70 80 120-150 120-150 120-150 120-150 120-150 160
Antonelli et al. Salpa (VOCI ARMONICHE Srl) Tipo c Super dural Tipo a Mano Avional Tipo a mano A mano
Cagnoni spa Economy Line New Commercial Line export Dural Tipo a Mano Dural extra Tipo a mano A mano
HARMONIKAS sro Class IV Class III Class II, Typo a Mano Class I, A Mano

Manufacturing process

The manufacturing process and production sequence are similar at different producers. When comparing the two larger producers in Austria, there are certain differences. All other companies in Europe are of a size below that of the companies Müller, Strasser and Öllerer, only some companies in Italy are probably larger, such as Beltuna. However, Beltuna primarily produces chromatic instruments. Most of the businesses are still small family businesses. Müller and Strasser currently employ a total of around 58 people and produce around 2,200 instruments a year.

Comparison of the production process

  • Schmidt
    • Cutting of the solid spruce wood with the annual rings straight through (standing annual rings)
    • The entire body (upper case, 2 bellows frames, bass case) is galvanized and glued in one piece
    • The individual parts (upper case, 2 bellows frame, bass case) are worked out from an entire body
    • Prefabricated treble filling is attached to the upper box
    • Each side is veneered and / or hand-painted or provided with inlays
    • The finished body is painted glossy or silk-matt
    • Assembly of the reed blocks
    • Final assembly of the levers and flaps of the treble mechanism
    • Pre-tuning the reed plates on the tuning table and growing the reed plates on the reed posts
    • Tune the reed plates in the finished instrument
  • Müller
    • Housing parts cut to size without veneer including bellows frame
    • Glue the housing parts to the filling, the filling does not have any holes at this point
    • Veneering the treble part
    • The bellows frame is separated from the treble housing
    • Processing of the treble part with the CNC machine - all holes are made in the filling
    • Abrasive varnish coating is applied
    • Final assembly of the keyboard and the flaps
    • First assembly of the reed blocks and renewed expansion
    • Equipping the reed blocks with reed plates and pre-tuning the reed plates on the reed block
    • Installation of the reed blocks in the mechanically completely finished instrument and tuning of the treble part
  • Strasser
    • Housing parts cut veneered including bellows frame
    • Gluing the housing parts without filling
    • The bellows frame is separated from the treble housing
    • Abrasive varnish coating is applied
    • Preparation of the treble filling, the multilayer panels for the filling are varnished, cut and processed with the CNC machine
    • Stock keeping for the various models with the different treble fittings
    • Treble filling is inserted into the lacquered frame and glued
    • Final assembly of the keyboard and the flaps
    • Treble reeds are built in stock in order to be able to react quickly to customer requests. The stored reed blocks are completely equipped with reed plates and pre-tuned.
    • Installation of the reed blocks in the mechanically completely finished instrument and tuning of the treble part
  • Statements about the bass part apply analogously to the treble part. Certain differences result from differences in the structure of the bass section.
    • Müller, Schmidt and all other manufacturers who use the traditional construction produce a block with the bass chambers, which is prefabricated separately from the bass housing. This helicon block is provided with the mechanics before it is finally glued into the bass housing. Only the buttons are still mounted after installation in the bass housing. This block forms the complete chambers and also has a wooden strip on the back. The two bars that are used to attach the reed plates with hooks are wider and made of hardwood. The partition walls are made of 5 mm thick spruce wood. This block also includes the structure for the companion voice stick. The arrangement of the companion's sound post varies slightly with this type of construction, depending on the harmonica maker. With some it is slightly inclined (Schmidt, Strasser old version)
    • In the special models, Jamnik uses two accompanying soundsticks at right angles to the bass soundsticks and builds the mechanics on one level, which can be mounted on ball bearings if required. If desired, the air flap can be mounted on the inside to ensure a better seal when there is a lot of pressure. In the standard models, the attendant's sound post is lower and the mechanics are built on one level, thus Jamnik approaches the more modern street construction method. The filling is provided with a similar kink as in the traditional construction, only narrower by the width of the attendant's sound post. The air flap is in the plane, as is the case with traditional construction.
    • Strasser manufactures the bass cabinet completely analogous to the treble. Parts for the helicon bass chambers are pre-glued in advance, but these are glued into the already lacquered bass frame. The wooden strip used to attach the bass plates is made of walnut. The dividing walls of the helicon chambers are made of spruce wood. The mechanics are only installed after all wooden parts have been glued. All levers are built on a flat, freely accessible surface. Two plastic injection-molded parts are screwed onto the bass filling. The bearing blocks for the required levers are snapped into these parts. Few screws are required to attach the bass mechanics. This variant can certainly be produced more quickly, but the sound of the bass differs from the sound of the traditional construction.

Historic construction

General manufacturing characteristics

Some manufacturing features are no longer found in modern models. Apart from external design features, which are strongly influenced by fashion, the variety was greater up to the Second World War. There were a large number of small companies that responded very individually to the wishes of their customers. Some treble and bass tone assignments are no longer to be found. Practically all possibilities were tried out in terms of structure and construction. If you talk to experienced accordion makers, you often get the answer “everything has been there before”, many innovations that have been patented or implemented without a patent have already been used in a similar form. Three-row instruments used to be the most widespread, but four- and five-row instruments were also built. If one compares three-row instruments built between 1914 and 1930 with those built after 1990, the older instruments are usually somewhat smaller in size. The grip with the treble keys was always slimmer. The bass part almost always sounded softer. The installation of the helicon tuning plates varies in detail depending on the manufacturer, but has so far been very similar with most manufacturers. The majority of the manufacturers, with the exception of the manufacturer from Saxony, used a construction method for most models in which the bass chambers were installed horizontally in the rear part and the accompanying reeds protrude into the bellows at the front. This construction is still primarily used by most manufacturers. Plywood was still very rarely used, and spruce casing parts were almost always decorated with inlays. The helicon voice plates had practically all of today's features. Even earlier instruments differ in the dimensions of the helicon voice plates.

The steel used for the reeds was a little softer. Today's reed plates are more accurate in most cases when top quality is used and therefore sound richer in overtones. The frame of the reed plates was almost entirely made of aluminum, but individual historical instruments were also made with brass frames and in many cases, especially for the accompaniments and the treble, with zinc frames. You can also find helicon voice plates with hardwood frames. These instruments were made during the Second World War. The reason for using hardwood for the frames was that metal was hard to come by during World War II.

The bass sound can be changed

The Lubas company built larger models in which the bass part had an additional cover over all reed plates. The cover had an opening, the size of the opening could be varied. This led to a filter effect similar to that which is the case with treble covers that have a slide that closes the cover more or less strongly. Something similar was sometimes common with smaller German diatonic harmonicas, the bellows was divided into two halves and provided with a partition that connects the two halves. The partition had an opening that could be more or less closed.

Switchable tones

Main article → Peter Stachl Patent

The Peter Stachl company manufactured a number of three- and four-row switchable harmonicas according to its own patent until 1926. In these models, the treble can be switched from GCF to B-Eb-A-flat with a button on the back of the fingerboard, and the reed blocks can be moved. The bass buttons are arranged in three rows on some models. The instruments are only slightly heavier than equivalent non-switchable harmonicas, they were in great demand in their time and the company couldn't keep up with production.

Hans-Peter Falkner von Attwenger with an electronic Styrian from Limex

Others

  • Optimal voice quality is also important for beginners. A three-horn version, on the other hand, is not necessary unless you want more volume. Some companies offer learning tools with smaller dimensions. However, these instruments usually do not have normal helicon basses.
  • A standard instrument is always preferable for the beginner. Cases with a height of 36 cm are a good compromise. You have to keep in mind, however, that these instruments only have three double helicon voice plates, the rest are simple helicon voice plates. Since the inner bass row is played less, this is also an acceptable compromise.
  • The Styrian harmonica is still taught according to the fingerprint system .
  • The Austrian company Limex converts accordions into voiceless MIDI instruments that are played by stage musicians such as Hans-Peter Falkner von Attwenger . The reeds are removed from the instrument and replaced by a midi system with synthesizer and sampler.

Harmonica maker for Styrian harmonicas (selection)

Other harmonica makers whose companies no longer exist and for whom no further data is available.

In the article Schrammelharmonika you can find a list of Viennese harmonica makers who may have already made similar instruments.

Karl Christa

In the archive of the Mühlviertel Castle Museum in Freistadt there is evidence of the instrument maker Karl Christa, who lived and worked in Freistadt from 1926 until his death in 1937. He moved from Enns , where he ran a business from around 1893 and mainly built accordions but also zither .

Albin Flatscher

Albin Flatscher is an Austrian musical instrument maker and musician. He learned the trade with Georg Öllerer in Freilassing and completed his apprenticeship as a harmonica maker in 1969. In 1974 he started his own company.

Over the years Flatscher trained six apprentices.

  • 1976 autumn Johann
  • In 1982 Irmgard Schmuck became Austria's best harmonica maker
  • 1988 to 1991 Reitner Franz (former Kapellmeister in Unken), Andrea Zehentmayr
  • In 1993 Michaela Hagn also learned the trade of harmonica maker in this company

Albin Flatscher was therefore one of the few companies that trained apprentices in this trade. In this trade, skilled workers are often only trained for certain activities, but rarely for the entire trade.

Martin Flatscher

Martin Flatscher (born July 30, 1979) learned the trade from Peter Müller in Bad St. Leonhard in Lavanttal . In 1999 he took over the management of the company from his father Albin.

The very first old wood harmonica was created by Flatscher. This brought a new style into the folk music scene, which is constantly evolving. The manufacture, development and repair of Styrian harmonicas and accordions of all kinds is carried out in-house. There was or was a close cooperation with Peter Müller and the Schaumanufaktur in Klingenthal until their closure.

Well-known musicians on the Flatscher harmonica:

  • Aberger Richard (Maishofner Tanzlmusi)
  • Innerhofer Bert (Pinzgauer Tanzlmusi)
  • Haitzmann Simon (Mozarteum Salzburg)
  • Hofer Matthias (Leiblfinger Folk Musicians)
  • Wohlfarth Ernst (folk dance music Wohlfarth, Vienna)
Three-breasted Alpenklang brand

Johann Herbst

Johann Herbst (born October 11, 1960) is an Austrian musical instrument maker .

He learned the trade with Albin Flatscher from 1976 to 1979 and passed the master craftsman examination in 1983. Since 1985 he has been running an independent master craftsman's business called "Musik Herbst". He acquired extensive knowledge by repairing many different brands of harmonica, which is why his "Alpenklang" harmonica are characterized by a very good overall concept, which he produced in cooperation with Mengascini from 1990 to 1999 at a fairly low price. From 1999 Johann Herbst concentrated on the sale, service and repair of all common harmonica brands. As a special feature, the company also offers the conversion and sale of self-playing harmonica and other instruments.

smallest harmonica

The fully functional miniature harmonica measuring 19 cm × 11 cm × 7.5 cm was entered in the Guinness Book of Records in 1993 as the smallest harmonica in the world . The record is still valid.

Othmar Kühn

Othmar Kühn is an Austrian musical instrument maker .

He learned the trade of a harp maker in Tyrol with Petuschnig. After that, Othmar Kühn worked for Rudolf Novak and Peter Müller for a long time . In 1996 he founded his company in St. Gertraud Carinthia . He employed one employee until 2007 and produced around 50 harmonicas per year in traditional construction.

Tuner at Müller

Peter Müller

Peter Müller (born September 2, 1952 in Loben near Bad St. Leonhard † August 20, 2014 in Graz) was a manufacturer of Styrian harmonicas in Bad St. Leonhard in Lavanttal , Carinthia .

Peter Müller took over the business from Josef Fleiß in 1975. After his death in 2014, his wife Edith took over the company with their two children Marcel and Janine. Harmonika Müller is currently the largest company that produces Styrian harmonica. The annual production is about 1300 pieces, he employs 45 people (2016). Before Peter Müller started his own business, he worked for 2 1 ⁄ 2  years at the Hohner company as a designer and then for three years at a Schwyzerörgeli producer.

The company harmonica Müller GmbH is currently led by his widow.

For a technical comparison of Müller accordions with other products, see technical information .

Georg Öllerer

In 1948 Georg Öllerer sen. (* 1907; † 1991) a repair shop for harmonica and accordions in Freilassing. The Öllerer company was originally located at Ludwig-Zeller-Straße 26, Freilassing and is located at Jägerndorferstraße 1. In 1950, his son Georg Öllerer jun. an apprenticeship as a manual instrument maker with his father. In 1979 he passed the master's examination in hand-drawn instrument maker. In 1989 Georg Öllerer jun. Awarded an award by the Bavarian state government for outstanding innovative achievements for the development of a tone chamber harmonica. In 1978, Hans Kirchhofer , the nephew of Georg Öllerer jun., Learned the craft of harmonica making and passed his master's examination with distinction in 1990.

At first only repairs were carried out on accordions, but as early as the 1960s Georg Öllerer jun. Began to buy and manufacture semi-finished instruments from the manufacturers Rupert Novak and Strasser. The demand for his harmonicas developed very positively. The purchase of semi-finished products in the 1970s became more and more difficult, so in 1972 the production of complete harmonicas began.

Many of the small changes that distinguish products were first applied at Georg Öllerer, such as:

  • Treble keys with movable rubber parts
  • Use of aluminum in combination with polyamide plastic for treble levers
  • Treble filling made of aluminum
  • Rounded case corners
  • Improved bass mechanics joints
  • Bass cabinet designs are offered in several variants.

Great emphasis is placed on the excellent traditional tuning of the instruments. In most cases, unless the customer expressly requests otherwise, a vocal practice is used in which the thirds are lowered. (Harmonious mood)

On September 30, 2004, the Öllerer company received patent no. 19960833, which protects its new, conical keyboard. The company is one of the most renowned in the industry.

Franz Schmidt

Harmonika Schmidt is an Austrian manufacturer of musical instruments .

Among other things, Franz Schmidt Senior was master craftsman and head of harmonica production at Stachl from 1975 to 1984 . After the Stachl company ceased production, Franz Schmidt Senior founded his own company in 1984 with parts of the workforce at the time in Weinitzen near Graz. His son, Franz Schmidt Junior, has been running the business since 2007 and, just like his father before, places great emphasis on high-quality instruments.

Franz Schmidt Senior continued the traditional building method of Peter Stachl for the most part in the same way as he had built it. However, modern metal discant mechanisms are also used in many models. When it comes to harmonica production, Schmidt is the only harmonica manufacturer in the world that does not use plywood for the frames. It is currently the only company that still makes a special effort in terms of the raw material for the cases, as was common in the early years of harmonica construction. The spruce wood used comes from the local area and is processed in a similar way as is customary for hand-made roof shingles. The posts are air dried for a decade or more before splitting the logs. The posts are hand-split before processing into boards, taking into account the grain of the wood. Then the short boards are planed to the required thickness.

The company manufactures most of the parts itself, including the bellows and traditional treble mechanics. The instruments are tuned by hand, including by a former employee of the Stachl company.

Hirtion

An employee of Schmidt Harmonika, Franz Hirt, developed a new instrument and had it protected under the brand name Hirtion . The instrument is light and has only one row of buttons on the treble side. These keys each produce a chord on pull and one on push. Each chord is made up of several tones and an additional low tone. Major chords are in tune. The sound is poignant and penetrating. The instrument is primarily used for accompanying and therapy. The instrument is supplied with instructions, but with a little sense of rhythm it can be used intuitively by practically anyone without instructions.

Ernst Spirk

Ernst Spirk harmonica
Ernst Spirk harmonica
Ernst Spirk harmonica
Ernst Spirk harmonica

Ernst Spirk is a musical instrument maker , composer, musician and music teacher in Laxenburg , Lower Austria .

  • Biography
    Ernst Spirk has been a folk musician since childhood. At the age of nine he began to learn dulcimer, and Styrian harmonica and brass instruments were soon added. He founded several music groups: Spirk-Trio, Lax-Blech, Pfefferkörndlmusi, Laxenburger Teufelsgeiger, Laxenburger Kirtagsmusi and others. As a composer he wrote many pieces of folk music that became famous all over Austria. In addition to his business, he also works as a music teacher and speaker at various seminars.
  • The
    Spirk company learned the trade of organ builder. In 1978 he founded his company in which, in addition to dulcimer and other instruments, he also builds Styrian harmonica.
    For some time the company employed a few people. During this time instruments were manufactured in series. Spirk only works privately, the trademark rights are owned by another company.
  • Spirk Instrumente
    Instruments from his hand are truly unique, although he uses many parts from Italy. Spirk had bellows specially made in Italy.
    • Different construction methods of Styrian harmonicas
      His Styrian harmonicas are special and differ in many respects from the traditional construction, both in their external design and in their construction.
      The most recently manufactured harmonicas are characterized by a particularly solid construction in the area of ​​the housing frame. Only solid wood is used.
    • Bass part
      The bass part of the most recently manufactured instruments differs considerably from the traditional construction, both externally and internally. A stepped housing box is used, which has a series of round openings towards the rear.
      This box contains the bass mechanics, the main frame of the bass case contains a cassotto with the keys turned inside. However, only simple basic basses are installed, which are arranged with a much smaller additional reed plate at right angles to the basic voice plate. Due to these serious changes in the dimensions and structure of the bass resonance chambers, the result is a greatly changed bass sound. The change has a positive effect on the required air consumption, as there is only one large reed plate (half a helicon bass) per bass keynote. The accompanying chords also differ significantly in sound from the usual hearing impression.
    • Treble
      For the treble mechanism Ernst Spirk uses Italian supplied parts, so it is similar in construction to that of Peter Müller , even if Spirk only installs 3 ½ rows of treble keys in most cases.
      He personally prefers a key assignment in the treble, which occupies the fourth row with semitones.
    • Special model
      Spirk has also built a particularly large instrument that has been doubled in height. You could say it contains two instruments, one on top of the other.
      The tuning of the upper half is GCFB, the lower half B Es As Des.

Anton Strasser

Anton Strasser (* 1897; † 1959) came home after the First World War with a war wound. As a result, he could no longer practice his profession as a forest worker. At the age of 22, he began an apprenticeship as a harmonica maker with Robert Zechner in Graz in 1919 . In 1926 he went into business for himself. Son Ernst Strasser and grandson Ernst Strasser both also became accordion makers. 1930 conversion to electrically powered machines. In the period up to the Second World War all types of accordions were produced: Styrian, Viennese, Schrammelharmonikas and piano key accordions . It was exported to Holland and the USA. Production was at a low point during World War II as the manufacturing facility was damaged by bombing and metals were limited. From 1949 onwards, Anton Strasser again produced 150 pieces a year with two employees.

Ernst Strasser

Anton Strasser's son Ernst learned how to make accordions from his father and had just finished his apprenticeship when Anton Strasser died in 1959. The business was temporarily continued by the widow until Ernst Strasser sen. took over.

  • In the 1960s around 5 people were employed.
  • In 1988 he had 16 employees.
  • In 2009 Ernst Strasser jun. 21 employees, and just over 1000 harmonicas were produced each year (interview with Josef Thier). This makes it the second largest company after Peter Müller and before Rupert Novak .
  • In 2014 just over 1330 harmonicas were produced.
  • In 2018 the company employed 25 full-time employees

The production is heavily modernized and takes place in a new company building. Efforts have been made to bring out a new treble mechanism. The latest innovation is that this mechanism has now been redesigned and is also being built for five-row instruments in a slightly modified form.

Valentin Zupan

Valentin Zupan (born March 2, 1936 in Selo near Vodice (Slovenia) ) was the sixth of seven children. He trained at the Melodija musical instrument factory in vielleš and built his first accordion in 1951. In 1956, Zupan became head of the development department. Parallel to his work in the musical instrument factory, Zupan founded his own workshop, where he began to design and manufacture accordions and harmonicas.

AlpenGold

LBL - GmbH, Austria, Kirchenstrasse 20, Uttendorf Im Pinzgau, 5723, Salzburg, Managing Director is Günther Lerch. (July 7, 2009) Manfred Lerch manufactures cases for the diatonic luxury models in Uttendorf. The founder of Alpengold, Hans Lapper, is still active as a product manager for Alpengold. There has been no cooperation with FISMEN since the beginning of 2014. In 2014 there were 14 employees at a total of three locations in Austria, Italy and Slovenia, who produce around 300 instruments per year. Günther Lerch and his wife Claudia, who is also Italian, made the decision in autumn 2013 to set up a production facility in Castelfidardo. The company Alpengold Sinova was founded with his long-term friends and partners Samuele and Nello Menghini. A production facility was also set up in Slovenia. The professional partner is Emil Kitek, who himself had a harmonica brand. The company Alpengold produces the Stubach series in Slovenia.

Alpine harmonica

ALPEN HARMONIKA DOO is a company from Slovenia that has been producing harmonicas for over 10 years. Customers include well-known German companies.

Alois Riesch

SteiRiesch Harmonikabau Alois and Florian Riesch, Am Weingarten 20, 83646 Bad Tölz (since 2013, the company is currently being founded.)

assembling keyboard

Picture gallery

source

With regard to the years of the respective harmonica makers, reference is primarily made to the following master's thesis:

  • Helmut Gutleder: The development of harmonica production in Austria . Master's thesis, Mozarteum University, Salzburg 2006.

To this end, many personal conversations were held with still living accordion makers.

World champion on the Styrian harmonica

  • 1987 Zoran Lupinc
  • 1988 Hermann Huber
  • 1988 Hermann Huber (in an ensemble with Marion Huber and Georg Huber)
  • 1991 Denis Novato
  • 1992 Denis Novato
  • 1994 Denis Novato
  • 1996 Toni Bartl
  • 1997 Jakob Bergmann
  • 1998 Denis Novato
  • 1999 Robert Goter
  • 2001 Aleksander Pacek
  • 2007 Markus Oberleitner
  • 2009 Michael Rettig
  • 2011 Rene Kogler
  • 2013 Alexander Pamer
  • 2015 Nejc Pačnik
  • 2017 Stefan Oberhofer

Web links

Commons : Steirische Harmonika  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files
Commons : Müller factory tour  - collection of images, videos and audio files
Commons : Strasser factory tour  - album with pictures, videos and audio files

Videos

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The bellows of the Styrian harmonica
  2. ↑ Patent Haglmo treble and bass section [1]
  3. ↑ Patent with drawings - ended in 2015 as it was filed 20 years earlier. [2]
  4. ↑ The maximum duration of a patent is a maximum of 20 years from the filing date.
    For the maintenance of your patent you have to pay an annual fee (from the sixth year), which increases from € 104 to € 1,775 in the twentieth and thus last year. # x20; Invention ( Memento from April 2, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
  5. ↑ Rumberger tremolo generator
  6. ↑ HARMONIKAS sro Comparison table Tables with pitch and frame sizes (PDF; 692 kB)
  7. ↑ Streetfew by the company VOCI Armoniche Srl, Via Filottrano 2, Osimo, AN 60027, Italy Streetfew
  8. ↑ Streetfew by the company Cagnoni spa, Via Recanati, 8, Osimo Ancona, Italy Streetfew
  9. ↑ Webcam with a view of HARMONIKAS sro Poděbradova 2506, Louny, Czech Republic webcam
  10. ^ Antonelli et al. Salpa (VOCI ARMONICHE) information PDF
  11. ↑ Cagnoni spa product description
  12. ↑ HARMONIKAS sro Assortment tables
  13. ↑ http://www.limex.eu/produkte.php?produkt=mpr4
  14. ↑ History of the Železnik family making harmonica ( memento of March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
  15. ↑ Haglmo GmbH & Co. KG, Hackl 1, 84163 Marklkofen, personally liable company: Haslbeck GmbH, Straubing HRB 11298, management: Johann Haslbeck, Dr. Siegfried Haslbeck, voice master André Lorenz, from Klingenthal, 2006 patents were registered; 2007 company foundation. 2008 Construction of the production site. The first instrument was sold in 2009.
  16. ↑ Pre-assembled Italian instruments are used. For a while, Markus Bitzenauer manufactured the cases in Serra di Conti. voting is done by Hans Krinner.
  17. ↑ Death report . 2014. Obituary from Peter Müller Online
  18. ^ History . In: Harmonica production Schmidt . ( steirische-harmonika.at [accessed on February 3, 2017]).
  19. ↑ a b c d World Champion 1991, 1992, 1994, 1998 ( Memento from November 14, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
  20. ↑ World Champion 1997
  21. ↑ World Champion 1999
  22. ↑ World Champion 2007 ( Memento from February 21, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
  23. ↑ World Champion 2009 ( Memento from December 5, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
  24. ↑ Robert Engele: World Champion on the Ziach ; in Kleine Zeitung of June 9, 2011, page 15.
  25. ↑ “From March 20 to 22, 2015, the 9th World Championship for button accordion took place in Portoroz. […] The participants came mainly from the Alpine countries, […] (Slovenia, Austria, Germany, Italy and Croatia). The competition in the junior category (14-21 years) was very tough, with 28 candidates. There were 7 candidates in the category (over 21 years of age). The results JUNIOR: 1st place - Stefan Oberhofer (I) 2nd place - Martin Harling (A) 3rd - Michael Satler (A) The results of the category World Champion (over 21 years) 1st place - Nejc Pačnik (SLO) 2nd place 3rd place - Mattia Demetz (I) 3rd place - Andreas Schmiedhofer (I) " [3]