Accordion-concertina Repair &

9:00 AM-12:00 PM

Taxonomy (types of accordion-family instruments); Five quality grades; Characteristics of epochs (dating); Brand/company/country of origin history; Ethnic instruments and ethnic tunings; Characteristic repair problems.

1:00 PM-4:00 PM

Basic cleaning and maintenance: Disassembly and re-assembly of treble and bass section; Treble key-leveling; Bass machine adjustments; Pallet adjustments and replacement;

Understanding accordion organizations: Music theory related to accordion construction; Charting an instrument's pitches; Octaves, shifts, and reed organization; Tone-Chambers;

Know your tools: When to use them; How to care for them; Manual vs. machine; General repair-shop organization.

Know your materials: Glues; Plastics; Woods; Leathers; Metals; Fasteners; Misc. accordion attachments.

Common misconceptions: What fix-all folks think; What customers expect; Proper terminology; Professional behavior.

Repair issues analysis: What to notice; Projected results; What to explain to the customer; Estimating repair time and costs; Pricing repairs.

Preliminary reed work: Tuning analysis; "Wet vs. Dry"; Basics of hand-tools; Techniques of waxing, rewaxing, releathering; Tuning the unison and octave; Reed qualities and their consequences.

Air efficiency issues: Bellows care; Re-taping; Gaskets; Leather gussets; Reed qualities; Pallet types; Body-seams and leakage.

Accordion Literature: Ethnic instruments for ethnic music; Historic and present-day performers; The trend toward artistry; Repertory development leads to instrument improvements; Finer instruments attract fine performers; Concert artists attract quality composers; Technical advances lead to construction refinements; Great artists of the world; Great music for accordions and concertinas.

Methods Class

7:00 PM to 8:30 PM

In order to assess problems and repairs, you must know how to handle and play the instruments. Methods class teaches you several different kinds of Anglo concertinas, one-row and two-row button diatonic accordions, and beginner piano accordions. Note-reading, and music theory are begun.

Classes meet Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday. Daily schedules vary in class content. Testing is required for credit towards certification as "Accordion-family instrument Repair Technicians Specialist." Additional detailed requirements are found in the ARTS Student Handbook.

Cost: $1,500 per Seminar.

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