Every key of a diatonic accordion plays one note when the bellows open (pull) and another when they close (push). Pick an instrument, press a button to hear it, and hold Space — or switch to Push — to close the bellows.
⟷
Big letter: the note for the current bellows direction. Small letter: the other direction. Light keys are melody, dark keys are basses, dark keys with a red ring are chords. Button 1 of each row is at the top, nearest your chin.
How to read an accordion chart
On a diatonic (bisonoric) accordion the push notes of a row form the major chord of the row's key and the pull notes fill in the rest of the scale. On a D row, pushing gives A, D and F♯ over and over; pulling gives C♯, E, G and B. Walk up the row changing direction on every step and you play the D major scale. That is why the same melody is fingered differently on a D/G melodeon and on a G/C box, and why a tune has a "direction" as well as notes.
The basses work the same way: the tonic bass and chord on the push, the dominant on the pull, so a simple song accompanies itself while the bellows move with the melody.
Charts for each instrument
Easy Accordion in G — 8 + 4 keys
One row in G, split into two columns of big keys, with a bass and a chord for G/D and C/Am.
Right hand: Melody, keys 1–4
Button
Pull (opening)
Push (closing)
1
A3
G3
2
C4
B3
3
E4
D4
4
F♯4
G4
Right hand: Melody, keys 5–8
Button
Pull (opening)
Push (closing)
1
A4
B4
2
C5
D5
3
E5
G5
4
F♯5
B5
Left hand: Basses
Button
Pull (opening)
Push (closing)
1
D2 bass
G2 bass
2
A2 bass
C3 bass
Left hand: Chords
Button
Pull (opening)
Push (closing)
1
D chord
G chord
2
Am chord
C chord
Cajun Accordion in C — 10 + 2 keys
The single-row Cajun box in C: push gives the C chord notes, pull the G7 notes, with one bass and one chord key.
Right hand: C row
Button
Pull (opening)
Push (closing)
1
B3
G3
2
D4
C4
3
F4
E4
4
A4
G4
5
B4
C5
6
D5
E5
7
F5
G5
8
A5
C6
9
B5
E6
10
D6
G6
Left hand: Bass
Button
Pull (opening)
Push (closing)
1
G2 bass
C3 bass
Left hand: Chord
Button
Pull (opening)
Push (closing)
1
G chord
C chord
Melodeon D/G — 20 + 4 keys
The English and Irish session melodeon: an outer D row and an inner G row a fourth higher.
Right hand: D row (outer)
Button
Pull (opening)
Push (closing)
1
C♯4
A3
2
E4
D4
3
G4
F♯4
4
B4
A4
5
C♯5
D5
6
E5
F♯5
7
G5
A5
8
B5
D6
9
C♯6
F♯6
10
E6
A6
Right hand: G row (inner)
Button
Pull (opening)
Push (closing)
1
F♯4
D4
2
A4
G4
3
C5
B4
4
E5
D5
5
F♯5
G5
6
A5
B5
7
C6
D6
8
E6
G6
9
F♯6
B6
10
A6
D7
Left hand: Basses
Button
Pull (opening)
Push (closing)
1
D2 bass
G2 bass
2
A2 bass
D3 bass
Left hand: Chords
Button
Pull (opening)
Push (closing)
1
D chord
G chord
2
A chord
D chord
Two-Row G/C — 20 + 8 keys
The European two-row in G/C: outer G row, inner C row a fourth higher, eight basses.
Right hand: G row (outer)
Button
Pull (opening)
Push (closing)
1
F♯3
D3
2
A3
G3
3
C4
B3
4
E4
D4
5
F♯4
G4
6
A4
B4
7
C5
D5
8
E5
G5
9
F♯5
B5
10
A5
D6
Right hand: C row (inner)
Button
Pull (opening)
Push (closing)
1
B3
G3
2
D4
C4
3
F4
E4
4
A4
G4
5
B4
C5
6
D5
E5
7
F5
G5
8
A5
C6
9
B5
E6
10
D6
G6
Left hand: Basses
Button
Pull (opening)
Push (closing)
1
D2 bass
G2 bass
2
G2 bass
C3 bass
3
C3 bass
F2 bass
4
A2 bass
E2 bass
Left hand: Chords
Button
Pull (opening)
Push (closing)
1
D chord
G chord
2
G chord
C chord
3
C chord
F chord
4
Am chord
Em chord
Norteño G/C/F — 30 + 8 keys
The three-row norteño box: G, C and F rows, each a fourth above the last, with eight basses.
Right hand: G row (outer)
Button
Pull (opening)
Push (closing)
1
F♯3
D3
2
A3
G3
3
C4
B3
4
E4
D4
5
F♯4
G4
6
A4
B4
7
C5
D5
8
E5
G5
9
F♯5
B5
10
A5
D6
Right hand: C row (middle)
Button
Pull (opening)
Push (closing)
1
B3
G3
2
D4
C4
3
F4
E4
4
A4
G4
5
B4
C5
6
D5
E5
7
F5
G5
8
A5
C6
9
B5
E6
10
D6
G6
Right hand: F row (inner)
Button
Pull (opening)
Push (closing)
1
E4
C4
2
G4
F4
3
B♭4
A4
4
D5
C5
5
E5
F5
6
G5
A5
7
B♭5
C6
8
D6
F6
9
E6
A6
10
G6
C7
Left hand: Basses
Button
Pull (opening)
Push (closing)
1
D2 bass
G2 bass
2
G2 bass
C3 bass
3
C3 bass
F2 bass
4
F2 bass
B♭2 bass
Left hand: Chords
Button
Pull (opening)
Push (closing)
1
D chord
G chord
2
G chord
C chord
3
C chord
F chord
4
F chord
B♭ chord
Anglo Concertina C/G — 10 + 10 keys
The 20-key Anglo concertina in C/G (Jeffries/Wheatstone layout). Each row is split between the hands: low notes on the left, high on the right.
Right hand: C row, right hand
Button
Pull (opening)
Push (closing)
1
B4
C5
2
D5
E5
3
F5
G5
4
A5
C6
5
B5
E6
Right hand: G row, right hand
Button
Pull (opening)
Push (closing)
1
F♯5
G5
2
A5
B5
3
C6
D6
4
E6
G6
5
F♯6
B6
Left hand: C row, left hand
Button
Pull (opening)
Push (closing)
1
G3
C3
2
B3
G3
3
D4
C4
4
F4
E4
5
A4
G4
Left hand: G row, left hand
Button
Pull (opening)
Push (closing)
1
D4
G3
2
F♯4
D4
3
A4
G4
4
C5
B4
5
E5
D5
Play it on your iPhone
Foldeon turns these layouts into an accordion you play with the phone itself: tilt any iPhone toward you and away, or fold and unfold iPhone Duo, to work the bellows.