Bandonion

What is the right age to start with the instrument?
At an age of approximately 7.
What do I need at home?
A bandonion, a manuscript book, a bandonion school, a metronome, and a comfortable and body-friendly seat.
What do I need to bring to my lessons?
The bandonion school and pieces, stationary, and your own instrument.
Does the instrument come in different sizes?
There are different sizes and also the number of keys and registers varies.

What do I have to consider upon purchase?
You should seek the advice of an expert or your instructor. The bandonion should be maintained and in proper condition. The buttons should be responsive and strange noises should be checked. Used instruments are available for low prices and can also be easily resold.

In General:
The bandonion is a square-build button accordion or concertina, invented in the 1940s by Heinrich Band of Krefeld. It has been used in dance orchestras in South America and West Africa, and by some USA avant-garde composers. Unlike the piano accordion, the bandonion does not have keys as per a piano, but has buttons on both sides. Additionally the notes produced on push and pull are different (bisonoric). This means that each keyboard has actually two layouts: one for the opening notes, and one for the closing notes. Like concertinas, the bandonion is played by holding the instrument between both hands and either pushing in or pulling out the instrument while simultaneously pressing one or more buttons with the fingers. It is considered part of the concertina family of instruments rather than the accordion family, although both are free reed instruments. In the concertina family the direction of button movement is parallel with the direction of bellows movement, whereas in the accordion family the direction of button or key movement is perpendicular to the bellows movement.