Editing Accordion (section)

===Universal components===
====Bellows====
{{Listen
|filename=AccordionBellowsSounds.ogg
|title=Accordion bellows controlled sounds
|description=A sample of effects that can be achieved with the bellows—949&nbsp;KB
|format=[[Ogg]]}}
[[File:Squeeze boxes accordion bandoneon concertina diatonic chromatic.jpg|thumb|265px|'''Bellows-driven instruments'''
{{ubl|item_style=margin-bottom: 0.5em
|Piano accordions: 1, 2, 13
|Diatonic button accordion: 3
|Chromatic button accordions: 11, 12, 14
|Digital accordions (V-Accordions, [[Roland Corporation]]): 11, 12, 13, 14
|[[Bandoneon]]: 4
|[[English concertina]]: 5
|[[Anglo concertina|Anglo-German concertinas]] (Anglo concertinas): 6, 7, 8, 9, 10}}]]
The [[bellows]] is the most recognizable part of the instrument, and the primary means of [[articulation (music)|articulation]]. The production of sound in an accordion is in direct proportion to the motion of the bellows by the player. In a sense, the role of the bellows can be compared to the role of moving a [[violin]]'s bow on bowed strings. For a more direct analogy, the bellows can be compared to the role of breathing for a singer. The bellows is located between the right- and left-hand keyboards, and is made from [[pleat]]ed layers of cloth and cardboard, with added leather and metal.<ref>[http://1accordion.net/bellows.htm How To Repair Bellows] Ike's Accordion</ref> It is used to create pressure and vacuum, driving air across the internal [[reed (instrument)|reeds]] and producing sound by their vibrations, applied pressure increases the volume.

The keyboard touch is not [[keyboard expression|expressive]] and does not affect [[Dynamics (music)|dynamics]]: all expression is effected through the bellows. Bellows effects include:
* Volume control, including swells and fades
* Repeated short, rapid changes of direction ("bellows shake"), which has been popularized{{dubious|date=May 2020}} by musicians such as [[Renato Borghetti]] ([[gaucho]] music) and [[Luiz Gonzaga]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/luiz-gonzaga-mn0000316340 |title= Luiz Gonzaga:Biography by John Dougan |first=John |last=Dougan |website=All Music |publisher=RhythmOne group |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151130122258/http://www.allmusic.com/artist/luiz-gonzaga-mn0000316340/biography |archive-date=30 November 2015 |url-status=live |access-date=26 June 2017}}</ref> and extensively used in [[Forró]], called ''resfulego'' in Brazil
* Constant bellows motion while applying pressure at intervals
* Constant bellows motion to produce clear tones with no resonance
* Subtly changing the intonation to mimic the expressiveness of a singer
* Using the bellows with the silent air button gives the sound of air moving ("whooshing"), which is sometimes used in contemporary compositions for this instrument

====Body====
[[File:Petosa - showroom 01 (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|Showroom of accordions (Petosa Accordions, Seattle, Washington)]]
The accordion's body consists of two boxes, commonly made of wood, joined by the bellows. These boxes house reed chambers for the right- and left-hand keyboards. Each side has [[Grille (architecture)|grille]]s in order to facilitate the transmission of air in and out of the instrument and to allow the sound to project. The grille at the right-hand side is usually larger and is often shaped for decorative purposes. The right-hand keyboard is normally used for playing the melody and the left-hand one for playing the accompaniment; however, skilled players can reverse these roles and play melodies with the left hand.<ref group="notes">[[Guido Deiro]] claimed he was the first accordionist to play a solo with the left hand: ''Sharpshooter's March'' (1908) Guido Deiro, ''Guido Deiro's Own Story of Sharpshooters March'', ''The Pietro Musicordion'', Volume 6, Number 2 (May–June 1948)</ref>

The size and weight of an accordion varies depending on its type, layout and playing range, which can be as small as to have only one or two rows of basses and a single [[octave]] on the right-hand keyboard, to the most common 120-bass accordion and through to large and heavy 160-bass free-bass converter models.

{{clear|left}}

====Pallet mechanism====
The accordion is an [[aerophone]]. The keyboard mechanisms of the instrument either enable the air flow, or disable it:<ref group="notes">Illustration made with reference from a similar illustration that can be found in both ''Det levende bælgspil'' (p. 9) by Jeanette & Lars Dyremose (2003), and ''Harmonikaens historie'' (p. 35a) by Bjarne Glenstrup (1972, The University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Music)</ref>

[[File:Accordion button mechanism.svg|upright=3.4|thumb|center|A side view of the pallet mechanism in a piano accordion. As the key is pressed down the pallet is lifted, allowing for air to enter the tone chamber in either direction and excite the reeds; air flow direction depends on the direction of bellows movement. A similar mechanical pallet movement is used in button accordions, as well as for bass mechanisms such as the Stradella ''bass machine'' that translates a single button press into multiple pallet openings for the notes of a chord.|alt=Accordion; cross-sectional view]]