36 Views of an Accordion, #12

The bass buttons. The one with the knurling on it is C, and the sharp edges make it easy to find with your left ring finger. Home base. Up to the left in this image are the bellows, the breath of life. The holes on the right are exhaust pipes.

The six rows of buttons, slanting outwards on an angle from the bellows are arranged:
bass note (third) e.g. E in the key of C
bass note (root) e.g. C in the key of C
major chord
minor chord
dom 7th chord
diminished chord

There are 20 of these rows, arranged in 5ths, so the row above (closer to the player's head) the C row is the G row, then D, A, E, etc.

Once you get the hang of it, it's actually very straightforward and musical. And it works well as a teaching tool, because you get the linear piano keyboard on the right hand, and the left hand learns chord theory. But what 12-year-old wants to play this honky thing? I didn't. I switched to guitar as soon as my parents weakened.