Editing Accordion (section)

====Left hand techniques====
The constraints of the [[Stradella bass system]], limiting the left hand to preset chord buttons, is a barrier to some jazz chord conventions. Jazz accordionists expand the range of chord possibilities by using more than one chord button simultaneously, or by using combinations of a chord button and a bass note other than the typical root of the chord. An example of the former technique is used to play a [[minor seventh chord]]. To play an Am<sup>7(add9)</sup> chord, the Am and Em preset buttons are pressed simultaneously, along with an A bassnote. An example of the latter technique is used to play the [[half-diminished chord]]. To play an E<sup>ø7</sup>, a Gm preset button is pressed along with an E bassnote.

For the left hand, the [[free-bass system]] is used in jazz as a means of creating complex chord voicings. Jazz harmony that would otherwise be difficult to replicate with the Stradella bass system, such as [[tritone substitution]]s, become more accessible using a free-bass accordion.<ref>Jacobson, M. [Squeeze This – A Cultural History of the Accordion in America]. University of Illinois Press. {{ISBN|978-0-252-03675-0}}</ref>