•• 10 Videos •• GRADED CURRICULUM SERIES FOR PIANO ACCORDION. Learn the very basics of learning the Accordion for an absolute beginner! These videos deal primarily with the different parts of the accordion inside and out and how to take care of your beautiful instrument. This course is in preparation for the Level 1 course in the CORE CURRICULUM SERIES FOR PIANO ACCORDION. Get started today!
• For Beginners
• 10 Videos
How to Play the Piano Accordion
Online Accordion Lessons
Preliminary Course
Preliminary Course for the Piano Accordion. From the inside to the outside, learn how the piano accordion works and how to take care of it. Tour the mechanism of the piano accordion, the basses, registers, air button and more!
<<Click here to view the syllabus>>
THE PRELIMINARY LEVEL INCLUDES:
Unit 1: Instrument Care
- P.1.1 Storage
- P.1.2 Handling the Instrument
- P.1.3 Accordion Cases
Unit 2: The Accordion
- P.2.1 Types of Accordions
- P.2.2 The Inside
- P.2.3 The Registers
- P.2.4 The Keyboard
- P.2.5 The Air Button
Unit 3: Types of Basses
- P.3.1 Stradella/Standard Bass
- P.3.2 Free Bass
If you’re already an Accordion Life member, click the button on the right side of this page that says “Take This Course” to get started learning the piano accordion.
If you’re not a member yet, click the button below to join as a Piano Accordion Student.
Visit Our New Website To Sign Up!
Your Accordion Teacher: Patricia Bartell
Patricia Bartell is a graduate of Whitworth University with a B.A. in Music Education and Accordion Performance. Patricia is recognized not only in North America, but internationally as an adjudicator, professional performer and teacher.
She has studied piano with Dr. Judith Schoepflin of Whitworth University and with Kendall Feeney of the Golandsky Institute, which is the preeminent center for the Taubman Technique Approach. Patricia has also studied “The New Technical Approach” with the world-renowned accordion teacher Frederic Deschamps in France. This technique approach has helped produce amazing results for all ages. MORE
If you want to take your online accordion lessons a step further, Patricia also gives private accordion lessons via Skype for all ages and styles of music.
Why Join Accordion Life?
• You deserve the best music education and tools available to learn the accordion from qualified and experienced teachers.
• Depending on where you live, accordion teachers may be as scarce as hens teeth.
• From the start, you want to know you’re doing it right … and not having to start over later since your time is valuable. We will give you proper technique that you won’t find on YouTube.
• It’s much cheaper than most private lessons and you’re getting top notch education without breaking the bank.
• We’ll give you the confidence you need about the process of learning, and we’re available for questions through the forums. Every lesson in each course also has a place for you to ask questions and get feedback.
• You’ll have your own personal library of downloadable sheet music that is always growing.
• You’ll receive weekly articles to help advance your Accordion Life.
Great Information!
Learned some new things I didn’t know!
Excellent info.
Excellent information, much of which was new to me. Very well done and fun.
Good information for complete newbies
Good information if you don’t know anything about accordions. I learned a thing or two.
Great Preliminary Course
This is an excellent course to begin with. I found it to be very enjoyable.
Preliminary Course
Course was very informative. Learned things I never knew about accordions.
Preliminary Course
Fantastic! A great supplement to the private lessons. Learned new and important things to consider when storing or transporting the accordion.
Very interesting the inside workings on an accordion
Good info
Good info!
Great Introduction
Thank you very much for this helpful information. Even for a person playing the accordion for a while now there´s some new stuff here. And in addition, the presentation is very funny and pleasant!
Very Informative. I found out that I had been storing my accordion wrong.
Excellent Beginning
Essential information is provided before starting to play he instrument
Seriies 1 Preliminary Course
Good to get an overview of the accordion inside and out. Excellent presentation.
Very interesting background on Accoridions
I had no idea that there was something even called free base accordion. Thank you for sharing.
Preliminary course
Great introductory course. I feel much better equipped to start learning. Only wish in the Bass course it had show, or discussed what happens when you have only 4 rows of eight buttons – 32 basses on my student accordion. Are they all chords? Hopefully I’ll find out in later courses.
Very informative.
Enjoyed it!
OK so far
I am probably an intermediate player. Videos are very good quality and very easy to understand.
Thank you
Very professional, insightful, and fast! Thank you!
Piano accordion series
great detailed information!
Nice
Really nice, succinct introduction to the instrument. I already play diatonic accordion and still found it valuable as I take up the piano accordion. Thanks!
Must know for beginners
Great info!
I didn’t even know the air button was there! This information was presented simply and concisely. My only criticism is that it could have been all one video so that I didn’t have to keep clicking onto the next short clip. This is all information one must know, and I now I feel bad for letting my cat sleep in my case last night!
Perfect
Great introduction
Even if I knew almost all it was great to review it.
Thank you.
Finished the Preliminary Course
Very nice intro. I am excited to continue.
A very comprehensive overview of the basic knowledge one should have before embarking on learning this instrument especially on how to put it back in it;s case. This seems to be overlooked in many instances and could prove to be VERY expensive.
Good introduction
Very good introduction
WOW, This is great.
Very supportive introducation to the accordion. Thank you.
Great!
Very informative
Prelimary course
Brilliant, clear and concise.
A useful introduction with an interesting overview of what goes on “under the bonnet” (as we say in the UK!).
preliminary course
great introduction to the
preliminary course
great introduction to the instrument well worth the time.
Very helpful foundation information
Thanks – like the instruction so far. Looking forward to continuing.
Very informative and much needed
The information shared in this course are something which traditional teachers usually skips to share with the students taking it for granted. Such knowledge definitely gives you a firm base to move on further more confidently.
Great introduction to the instrument!
Well explained how the accordion works and how to take care of it (specially about temperature so the bee wax will not melt!).
So far, so good!
Happy to get started and learn about my new instrument
Fun and Informative
Lots of important basics, clearly presented at an easy-to-learn pace (not too fast, not to slow.)
Very helpful. Thank you.
Great starting point for beginners
Thank you it was good enough information to understand the basics.
GREAT INFORMATION
I am new to Accordion Life, this lesson has a lot of great information. Thanks a lot!
Preliminary Course
Beautifully explained. Inner working of the accordion demonstrated very well. I loved this course.
New Knowledge
I appreciated the review of the instrument that I have been playing, but knew little about. I have a 32 button piano accordion and am looking forward to moving on to the next courses. The information was helpful in the care and storage of my instrument. It was also interesting to see the inner parts and learn of its sensitivity to cold and heat. Easy to understand, good presentation.
Great intro!
Really articulate and straightforward explanation of the instrument so I know the lay of the land better before diving into playing.
Helpful
Useful intro.
Great overview course
Good pacing, great script, and the delivery and visuals are excellent. Mostly review for me, but still worthwhile.
Thanks - very informative
Now lets get started 🙂
Entry level
Easy.
Interesting insides, even for not beginners
Thanks a lot for sharing these interesting insights. I specially took advantage from “Inside the accordion”, “Registers” ans “Bass”.
Totally awesome!
This is great information for the foundation of knowledge.
Great starter info! Found my air button!
Concise & to the point!
Thanks, all very worthwhile!
Preliminary piano accordion
Great to see the inner workings of the accordion, and understand how best to take care of it. I would like to know if a case is necessary (I don’t have one), and how best to keep the accordion clean when you don’t have one.
Hi Katie,
Great question! A case really helps protect your accordion from dust and damage, especially if you’re moving it from one location to another. If your accordion never leaves your home, you can cover it with a clear plastic cover which will protect it from dust.
basic Information
Being a total beginner at accordion I thought the videos were excellent! Knowing your instrument and its construction will help in realizing problems with the instrument.
I new to the accordion and I found the course very informative
Good Background
Excellent preliinary basics
Preliminary complete!
That was a good overview, especially for a novice. All good information.
Very Informative!
I learned a lot from watching these videos.
Perfect
Great Start
Very interesting!
I have been interested in learning about the accordion for a few years! I learned a lot I didn’t know and feel like this is setting me up for success!
Very informative
Clearly Presented
Material was very clearly presented.
Very basic but informative.
Preliminary level
Good information
Very informative. Wonderful presentation by Patricia
It was a very informative presentation by Patricia. A lot to absorb but nicely done.
As a self taught player but only low intermediate, I found this very helpful to fill in knowledge of care of the accordion and different types and parts .
My 50 yo accordian was probably terribly misused all those years but I will be careful with my new one!
I'm glad to have learned this as a foundation
It’s not easy to find accordion lessons. I’m glad to have access to this website. It’s very useful to learn how to place the accordion in the case and the importance of storing the instrument in the right temperature.
Usefull
Some very useful information.
Intro
So far so good. I appreciate the careful detail and video inside the instrument.
very good explaining of the accordian
Preliminary course review from a beginner
Excellent tutorial for the fundamentals. Looking forward to the rest of the course lessons
So far so good!
Great foundation. Helpful info for my new adventure.
So much I need to know
Well organized course, with easy to follow data. Answered questions I didn’t even know I had, being such a beginner at this.
Good introduction
A good introduction to the Piano Accordion
intro/preliminary level
Really interesting–I have taken piano lessons for years and I wish my instruction had included some “inside out” Information. BG