What do you do with all those little buttons? I’ve had so many people ask me this!

Some accordions have more bass buttons than others, but even when you know how they are laid out, what do you do with them? How do you play them so that your songs sound more interesting?

If you’ve asked the same questions watch the video below as I’ll be covering 7 of the most common bass rhythms that you can learn and that will make your music sound good (we've also included a shortened transcription below the video). I’m including some of the basic patterns and then will be jumping into some patterns common in the latin music world like the Nuevo Tango and the Rumba.

If you want our FREE resource that teaches a lot more bass rhythms, CLICK HERE to get our free Jump Start Guide to Your Bass Buttons! This ebook is filled with helpful diagrams of the bass layout and bass notations for the various rhythms. 

One of the essential rhythms that you need in your collection is the waltz. The waltz rhythm has 3 beats, it’s played as Bass - Chord – Chord, Bass - Chord – Chord.

Some of the most common waltzes you might know would be Edelweiss from the Sound of Music, The Blue Danube by Strauss, the famous Second Waltz by Shostakovich or even Billy Joel’s song, The Piano Man.

So, to get started with this pattern, let's take a look at the accordion bass. The first two rows are the deep bass notes. These are the same type of notes you hear on a double bass. The next 4 rows are the chords - these are what you hear on a rhythm guitar. They make up the Major chord, Minor chord, 7th chord & Diminished chords.

To play the waltz you need a bass note followed by two chords.

For this example, we will use the C bass which is usually a textured or dipped button in the middle of the bass section. Put your 4th finger on the C bass note which is in the 2nd row from the bellows. Then place your third finger on the 3rd row next to the 4th finger following along the column's angle.

Keep in mind when the accordion is on it will feel like your 3rd finger is behind the 4th finger.

Now you’re in position!

The waltz pattern is bass, chord, chord. Be sure to keep your basses short and the chords even shorter so you don’t overpower the melody that is usually produced on the keyboard side. To use waltz rhythm with the minor chords - use your index finger (finger 2) in the 4th row instead of finger 3.

Now, let’s look at the Polka rhythm. (Get the FREE Jump Start Guide To Your Basses for the notation & diagrams!)

The Polka rhythm with the major chords uses fingers 4, 3, 2, 3 and it’s in a triangle shape.

When you start learning this pattern, start slowly, and keep your basses short. It’s easy for beginners to play long notes on the bass, mostly because they’re trying to survive. They’re afraid they'll lose their spot if they let go, so they hang on for dear life which causes their bass notes to drag heavily. It’s not a good sound.

Keep your fingers close to the buttons so you don’t get lost. You don’t want flying fingers because you will, for sure, lose your position and get lost. Then you’ll go back to searching for that dimple, dip, or rhinestone on your C bass and you will have to start all over again. And here is a quick tip for you. When you are looking for the C bass, instead of feeling for it with the tips of your fingers, flatten your fingers over the basses and you’ll find it a whole lot faster.

The position and fingering when the polka uses the minor chords uses fingers 4, 2, 3, 2. Watch the video to see the Polka with Major chords and Minor chords.

If you download the free Jump Start Guide to your Bass Buttons, I’ve included all the fingering inside that ebook for you. Now for my favorite, the tangos!

There are two types of tangos, the traditional tango and the new modern tango (or Nuevo Tango).

Let’s take a look at the traditional tango first. Probably the most famous known traditional tango is La Cumparsita. At tango dance events, this is usually played at the very end as the farwell tango to end the evening. I play in a tango quartet called Tango Volcado and we actually like to stick this one in just before intermission. So I guess we kind of break that rule of waiting to play it at the end of the concert. We play a different tango at the end. More on that in a moment.

For the traditional tango rhythm you play bass chord chord chord - bass bass.

In order for the basses to have the power and resonance for the tango rhythm, you really have to make sure you always pull the bellows first before you play the bass. I can cover bellow techniques in a future video if you would find that helpful. Just let me know in the comments below.

The second type of tango rhythm that will take your repertoire to the next level is the nuevo tango. It was made famous by Astor Piazzolla. He really brought the popularity of the accordion back! It takes a lot of energy to play Piazzola's music which ranges from very intense, edgy sounds to beautiful lyrical melodies that have a lot of emotion. This tango style incorporates elements of jazz and classical genres.

This rhythm is generally in a minor mode ... It uses a 123 123 12 rhythm. When we play it, the basses & chords are often played together which gives it a more powerful sound.

The march is a straightforward pattern with a strong solid beat.

The bass chord combination is the same as the Polka but its tempo can vary depending on the march and the tempo isn’t as fast as the polka.

Someone I enjoy listening to who does the marches very well is Andre Riú. As he begins the marches the audiences start clapping right in beat with him.

A Tarantella is a style of dance. It’s among the most recognized forms of traditional southern Italian music.

When I was in Italy in 2007 competing for my first world championship title, it was so fun to hear the Italians play the tarantella and watch the dancers in the streets. The Italians know how to have fun and of course I love their accent and they are such friendly people.

The bass pattern is the same as the polka but the rhythm is different. This rhythm is in 6/8 time, meaning you have to count up to 6 over and over but you only play on 1, 3, 4 and 6. Not confusing at all!

But let me make it easy for you and since it’s from Italy - we will use this phrase to feel the rhythm. Make Spaghetti!

A latin rhythm that originated in Cuba with a little African influence is the Rhumba.

You can use this particular bass rhythm in lots of music even if it isn’t an official ‘rhumba’ piece. I’ve used it in variety of songs such as Spanish Eyes, Fly me to the Moon and even pieces like Earth Angel.

Again, it uses the same pattern as the polka but the rhythm phrase I have my students use for this just to get the feel for it is: Let's go Rum-ba.

It’s a fun rhythm and another one of my favorites. If you like it too, let me know in the comments below!

There are many other rhythms possible on the accordion and we highlight several inside our FREE Jump Start Guide to Your Bass Buttons.

BUT if you REALLY want to get deep and have the ultimate resource to learn your basses, I invite you to check out our full online course: Mastery of your Bass Buttons.

So many accordionists spend A LOT of time figuring out the right hand of the accordion and understandably so as typically that’s where the melody is played AND you can actually “see” the keyboard if you want. But it is the BASS that drives everything in music.

If you’re a pianist you know how important it is to focus on the left hand bass line, the same is true for the accordion. How we play the bass and the quality of our ‘bass technique’ determines the quality of our over-all sound.

It’s like listening to a beginning violin student who is learning bowing technique – so many screeching sounds! BUT, as they learn the correct amount of pressure and movement the sound quality changes and improves.

It’s the same with the bass of the accordion, except there’s no screeching sound or at least there shouldn’t be!!

Let me know in the comments what bass rhythms you are going to add to your repertoire and I’ll see you in our next video!