Accordion left hand choices: a guide for beginners

If you are learning accordion you may have realised there are different ways of playing bass notes and chords with the left hand. Some books/teachers may suggest you use your 4th finger for the root note (fundamental) and 2nd finger for major and minor chords. The problem with this, is that as you progress, you may want to play other notes, not just the root note, with a chord. The major third is easy to find on the counterbass row, but the minor third is three buttons away and needs to be played with your 5th finger, and the stretch between 4th and 5th fingers is too much for most people.

However if you are habitually using 3rd finger for root notes the the minor third is easily reached with the 5th without losing touch with the root note.

Having said that, it can be more convenient to use the 4th finger for some common patterns, so in my book I advocate a hybrid method which I use and I think prepares a technique for full musical expression.

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