Alfred's Teach Yourself to Play Accordion: Accordion Book & Online Video/Audio/Software

Opening this book feels like stepping into a living tradition. You move quickly from technical drills into actual repertoire: folk melodies, sprightly waltzes, and driving polkas give the accordion room to breathe and sing. The multimedia approach keeps momentum building; when notation practice threatens to drag, a video or a play-along track pulls you forward into real music-making.

Accordion students of any age starting from zero, whether they're picking up the instrument for the first time or returning after years away. Teachers and self-taught learners alike will find the method's structured approach and multimedia support make independent practice realistic. This book works equally well for someone learning alone at home or in a formal lesson setting.

• Watch the video lessons before attempting new left-hand chord patterns. The visual reference for button positions clarifies muscle memory far faster than reading notation alone.
• Use the TNT 2 software to slow down play-along tracks to 75 percent tempo during your first run-through of each piece. Build accuracy before speed.
• Reference the button chart when transitioning between songs. Stopping to confirm button placement is not wasted time; it prevents bad habits from solidifying.
• Loop the bellows technique exercises until the motion becomes automatic. Your hands need to focus on notes and chords, not on fighting the bellows.

Use this as the foundation for an accordion club or ensemble that meets during the school year. Students progress through the method at their own pace while learning to play together in the group settings the book explicitly teaches. You can also recommend it to families interested in accordion study outside band or orchestra, filling a real gap in keyboard instrument access for younger and adult learners.

• Reading standard musical notation on treble and bass staves
• Left-hand chord button technique and bellows control
• Right-hand melody and note position recognition
• Playing in multiple musical styles (folk, polka, waltz, bluegrass)
• Ensemble playing and listening skills
• Basic accordion maintenance and care
• Transposition and improvisation foundations
• Interpreting tempo, dynamics, and articulation markings