All about bandoneon
A musical instrument like a bandoneon originally from Germany and belongs to the group of manual harmonics. He is very popular in orchestras, as well as in Argentine tango. We will describe below what a bandoneon is, what varieties it has and what are the features of its sound.
What it is?
The bandoneon is a musical instrument that belongs to the family of reed keyboards, it was made by the inventor Heinrich Band, who lived in Krefeld, back in the nineteenth century... It was in honor of its creator that the instrument was named.
The bandoneon, like its creator, comes from Germany. There he was most often used in Lutheran and Protestant churches as an accompaniment to sacred musical compositions.
However, over time, the instrument became widespread in Argentina, which happened thanks to Alfred Alnold, who in 1930 brought a large batch of these musical instruments to these places.
Thus, the Argentine tango is being played on the bandoneon in the districts of Buenos Aires. Besides, he begins to meet in orchestras as well. Nowadays it is very popular not only in Argentina, but also in many other countries. By the way, it was on this instrument that such a music performer and composer as Astor Piazzolla played, he is especially famous in Argentina.
As for the appearance, then bandoneon in this regard has many similarities with the button accordion, accordion, and accordion. The device of these instruments is also similar, but the bandoneon differs from them in that it is necessary to play music on it alternately: either with the left or with the right hand. Due to this feature, it produces inimitable sounds that are rather difficult to confuse with any others.
Views
In general, bandoneon varieties are divided into two groups: diatonic and chromatic. The former are similar in sound to an organ, the latter to an accordion.
Besides, bandoneons are also distinguished by the number of tones. Thus, there is a 144-tone instrument, which is the most common and used when performing tango, as well as a 110-tone instrument. It is usually used in the early stages of learning to play the bandoneon, as it is considered the easiest to use.
In addition, the following varieties of this musical instrument are distinguished: chromatiphon, bandoneon with pipes, and also bandoneon with a layout like a piano. Such tools are specialized.
Sound
The sound of this musical instrument is rather peculiar and vaguely resembles an organ in sound.... It may seem somewhat dramatic and sad, which is why, by the way, they began to use it in orchestras.
The sound production of the bandoneon occurs due to the special vibration of the metal reeds. Each of the instrument's keys produces a sound unlike any other. It is also interesting that the same button of the instrument can produce different notes on the inhalation and exhalation of the bellows.
The sound quality, in addition to this, also has the ability to influence. This is done using the knee of one of the legs, on which the instrument is placed during the performance of a musical composition.
