Accordion technique

The new magazine Technical Basics by Heinz Hox for piano accordion (standard bass) comes very clearly laid out and in rather large notation - all in all, very "appealing". The author mentions in his preliminary remarks that he has compiled it for beginners, those returning to the instrument, but also for advanced accordion players. The exercises are intended as supplements to accordion schools. Some of the tips on holding the accordion seem rather bold to me, because what do I mean by "ergonomically correctly connected to the instrument" or what is the "right size"? Fortunately, the teacher will certainly clarify this.

In the notes on the individual exercises, the recipient will find lots of interesting and valuable ideas for practicing with lots of variation. These range from different articulations and tempo changes to rhythmic variations. The challenges begin with the five-note range in the right hand, followed by similar exercises for the left hand, then move on to stretches, major and minor scales, through to fingering, intervals, chords, jazz harmonies and cadences. Ideal progression and broad support are therefore guaranteed.

Also worth mentioning are the matching, supplementary video sequences on the Internet (www.heinzhox.de). However, I noticed the often unfavorable bellows guidance when closing (too much lifting of the bellows, which leads to a large interruption) and also the sometimes imprecise coordination between key and bellows change. I am very happy with the steady position of the right hand. However, I cannot understand why the fingers of the left hand often hit the buttons with so much distance, resulting in a very loud key noise (and the sound is correspondingly secco). In any case, the work offers plenty of material to lay a solid technical foundation.

Heinz Hox, Technical Basics. Technical exercises for piano accordion (standard bass), for beginners and advanced players, VHR 1850, € 13.80, Holzschuh-Verlag, Manching 2013