Accordéon for iPad and iPhone

The accordion is a box-shaped, bellows-driven musical instrument and is sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist. Easy to play, Accordéon takes full advantage of the unique form factor and multitouch nature of the iPad and iPhone.

The main goal of the Accordéon is to let people enjoy being musicians even if they have never played a note in their life. People love our Accordéon because it is simple and easy to use. We’ve designed it to look just like the real thing, so using it is intuitive, familiar, and instant. A real accordion can cost you more than $300. With our iPad Accordéon, you get a taste of being an accordionist without spending a fortune. Just as much fun for a fraction of the price.

We’re thrilled that people are recording videos of themselves playing the Accordéon. There’s no better proof that everyone loves this app.

We use sound recorded from the real thing. Additionally, we provide multiple sound styles (two for now, but we are planning to add more soon). You can switch between Master sound and Musette tuning. Master sound is the main sound any accordion makes: reeds wide open to play the fullest, richest accordion sound possible. Musette and master sounds can vary depending on the maker of the accordion. The best-sounding accordions are Paolo Soprani, Menghini, Zero Sette, Castagnari, and the American-made Petosa, crafted by a company in Washington state. These accordions have reeds that are all handmade. The Paolo Soprani, in particular, is crafted using a special type of wood, giving it one of the brightest musette sounds available. Its master sound is also very pleasing to the ear. Musette tuning uses three reeds, one "on pitch," one slightly below, and one slightly above; however, many accordions only use two sets of reeds tuned slightly apart from each other. The degree of "wetness" in the sound produced is determined by how far apart the reeds are tuned. Musette can also be a register setting of two middle reeds together (two "clarinet" reeds equaling a "violin" reed, for example) plus a higher-octave reed, producing a pleasant, bright sound that is associated with French accordion music.

How would you fit a huge accordion within the iPhone’s tiny screen?  While the iPad offers plenty of space for a reasonable number of keys and buttons, the iPhone is much smaller. That’s why we introduced a vertical mode on the iPhone, which provides more keys for more advanced players. You can switch between verctical and horizontal modes simply by turning your iPhone on the sides.

Learn more about the process of how all this was created.