The top 5 things you need to know if you’ve never played a V-Accordion
- You don’t HAVE to program anything. Once you press the power button, you can play the accordion like an acoustic accordion, right out of the box. The register switches will change which reeds are being used, just like on an acoustic, and you’ll have accordion sounds automatically on both the left and right hands.
- There are 16-36 pre-programmed sets in the accordion (depending on the model). Each of these accordion sets are modeled after various acoustic accordions, and therefore each one represents a different accordion. When you change the set, think of it as putting on a new accordion. The accordion sounds will be different, and the register switches will vary as well.
- This is a digital accordion, but you still have to pull the bellows! It would be strange for any accordionist to not have to use the bellows, as that is where the dynamics, expression, and uniqueness come from. The harder you pull, the louder your sound will become – just like with an acoustic. There are various different settings available to customize the feel of the bellows to your liking. One setting, called fixed bellows, does allow you to play without pulling the bellows. This can be a handy feature if you’re struggling with arm pain as it allows you to exert much less force - however, you lose the expression that comes with using the bellows.
- Silent Practice. There is a headphone jack on the bottom of the accordion that allows the player to plug in headphones and practice so that only they can hear. According to accordion stereotypes, this may be the best feature of all
- Orchestral sounds. In addition to the accordion sounds, there are also orchestral tones available for your use. Because the V-Accordion is digital, it has the capability of doing more than an acoustic accordion can do. The FR-8X, Roland's newest flagship model, has 180 different orchestral sounds, 32 organ sounds, and 16 drum sets that you can use to spice up your music.