Garmon'
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The garmon' (Russian: гармонь) is a kind of Russian button accordion, a free-reed wind instrument. A garmon' has two rows of buttons on the right side, which play the notes of a diatonic scale, and at least two rows of buttons on the left side, which play the primary chords in the key of the instrument as well as its relative harmonic minor key. Many instruments have additional right-hand buttons with useful accidental notes, additional left-hand chords for playing in related keys, and a row of free-bass buttons, to facilitate playing of bass melodies.
Unlike most of the button accordions made and used in Western Europe and the Americas, the garmon' is unisonoric, meaning that each button plays the same note or chord when the bellows is being expanded as it does when being compressed.
The garmon' is also known by the names Tula accordion (Russian: Тульская гармонь), garmoshka (Russian: гармошка), garmonika (Russian: гармоника) and Hromka (Russian: Хромка). The garmon' is an important musical instrument for Azeri and Hamshen folk and popular music.
[edit] Keyboard arrangement
Although reduced and expanded versions are widely available, the standard arrangement (known as "25 × 25") is as follows:
- 25 treble buttons in two rows: Three diatonic octaves plus three accidentals.
- 25 bass buttons in three rows: Two rows of eight buttons, with bass notes and chords; one free-bass row.
[edit] External links
- Squeezebox, an open repository of squeezebox knowledge on Wikia.
