Tango Accordion

[bro. miles]

Meanwhile if you are looking for sampled accordians and bandoneons, there are some at sf2midi to try.

[Gregjazz]

...

Ah, yes, Elderly Instruments.

Whenever I get their catalogue in the mail, the phrase "Elderly Instruments, For Elderly People" pops into my head.

They have good stuff, though.

[runagate]

I've got a 1950 giant-asses accordion that I'm assuming is a "baritone" or "bass" or whatever one would call that kind of squeezebox.

[Mies van der Robot]

Bandoneon is definitely what you need if you're after that Gotan Project sound.

BigFishAudio's "Play The Tango" collection is probably your best bet. The loops and phrases are likely to be useless, but the multisampled bandoneon includes bellows and tremolo samples. The solo bandoneon demo on their site is remarkably convincing. It's an audio-only disc, so you'd have to build your own patch in the sampler of your choice, but the raw materials sound superb.

http://bigfishaudio.com/4DCGI/detailWhatsOn.html?383

[Mr. Tunes]

...

Thanks. Great background information.

Yes very cool!

[Mr. Tunes]

Bandoneon is definitely what you need if you're after that Gotan Project sound.

BigFishAudio's "Play The Tango" collection is probably your best bet.

Ah ok. Is Bandoneon harder to play than Accordion? And are they typically less expensive?(not sure if that was addressed already)

Play the Tango looks cool but if a Bandoneon is not much more I'd want one of those instead of an audio cd. I noticed on Wikipedia it says the Bandoneon alternates different notes on the in/out pumps. Also no piano keys.

Oh yeah and does Play the Tango have percussion samples? I'm wondering what the popular Tango percussion sounds are? I must sound like i'm out to rip off the Gotan Project but I think there's a lot of room for growth in this genre especially if you combine it with other world styles.

[Kingston]

I must sound like i'm out to rip off the Gotan Project but I think there's a lot of room for growth in this genre especially if you combine it with other world styles.

accordions work just about everywhere. Somehow they don't seem to get much use in western pop music, but we can fix that. You can replace organs with them easily, for an even more organic (excuse the pun) sound. I just used this in a rock song, and it works like a charm.

[TexasMusicForge]

Kingston has a great suggestion about using the accordion instead of your usual instruments. Here is a track where I used accordion instead of a sax section:

www.TexasMusicForge.com/music/Inamorata.mp3

Okay, I wasn't going to get this deep into accordion mythology, but there is a SUPERB book by Annie Proulx called "Accordion Crimes" that follows the accordion through an amazing variety of cultures and types of music. Sexy, well-written and knowledgeable about all the cultures and musical styles she writes about, this is a must-read for musicians in general and accordion lovers in particular.

Squeezed and pleased,

Tio Ed

[waiting man]

damn japs, they'll bury us all.
http://www.roland.com/products/en/FR-7/

[Mies van der Robot]

Ah ok. Is Bandoneon harder to play than Accordion? And are they typically less expensive?(not sure if that was addressed already)

They are typically far more expensive than just an accordion. A new bandoneon suitable for Argentine tango is likely to run from $900 for a student instrument up to several thousand for a professional-grade performance instrument. Used prices might be slightly lower, but used bandoneons suitable for Argentine tango (and not everything called a bandoneon will have that sound) are highly desired by serious players who continue to prefer them to new instruments, so you won't save much.

As you mentioned, a bandoneon is a button instrument...no piano keys. Most do also have different notes on the push/pull (bi-sonoric), but it is possible to get a uni-sonoric bandoneon with the proper tonality. You'll still spend a pretty penny.

If you do decide to consider purchasing a bandoneon, this article is a good starting point:

http://web.archive.org/web/200302271756 ... yband.html

And this Yahoo Group has plenty of players who can give you some expert advice:

http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/bandoneon/

Play the Tango looks cool but if a Bandoneon is not much more I'd want one of those instead of an audio cd.

My recommendation is to get an accordion, and get the Play The Tango CD. You can find an accordion at a much more reasonable price, and use it for many things, and use the Play The Tango samples when you need a more authentic Argentine sound. Best of both worlds.

Oh yeah and does Play the Tango have percussion samples?

Nope...just bandoneon samples and then piano/bandoneon/guitar loops.

I'm wondering what the popular Tango percussion sounds are?

Tango percussion typically consists of nothing but the piano and double bass. The bass and low notes of the piano both tend to be played in a very percussive style, but no drums are used in the vast majority of tango music.

If you want to add drumbeats (like Gotan Project), just use whatever sounds good to your ear. Since tango has no real tradition for percussion instruments, it's up to you to innovate.

I do recommend, however, that you pick up some nuevo tango CDs to get an idea of how rhythm is formed in tango when you're not using drum beats. Even though Gotan Project uses drums, they also play off this traditional piano/bass style quite frequently. A copy of Astor Piazzolla's album Tango: Zero Hour would be an excellent place to start.[/b]

[precisionsound]

I've a real small scale accordion instead. Even if its scales are limited, I would rather transpose the whole song instead of resort to samples if I need this sound in a project. The breathing effects, the way they influence the pitch and "drive" cannot be sampled unfortunately.

If someone is ready to spent 200e on an accordion library, for that money one could get a decent small scale *real* accordion instead.

Hello!

Check out our demos for the "Weltmeister Accordion" Bundle includes a Yamaha Pianica... and our "Carina Accordion" here:
http://www.store.precisionsound.net/accordioninfo.php

Best,

Lars

[Kingston]

Hello!

Check out our demos for the "Weltmeister Accordion" Bundle includes a Yamaha Pianica... and our "Carina Accordion" here:
http://www.store.precisionsound.net/accordioninfo.php

Best,

Lars

Very realistic sound, besides the timing problems with the demos, probably not the sample librarys fault. I didn't know this quality was possible with just samples.

[M'Snah]

Check out our demos for the "Weltmeister Accordion" Bundle includes a Yamaha Pianica... and our "Carina Accordion" here:
http://www.store.precisionsound.net/accordioninfo.php

That link reminded me that I've wanted AVP for a long time already, but never actually got to ordering... Downloading now .

[bro. miles]

If anyone owns a Bandoneon (tango accordian) and is willing to record it, I would edit the recordings into samples (including release samples) and turn it into a soundfont. You can contact me at milesout(at)gmail(dot)com TIA

[wakax]

2 good bandoneon free .sf2:
1 - http://www.sf2midi.com/index.php?page=sdet&id=8386
2 - http://www.sf2midi.com/index.php?page=sdet&id=8381

enjoy.