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Accordion reed ranks & switches
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A reed rank inside accordions refers to a single full set of the reeds that are the means to achieve the instrument's sound range. These reed ranks are located in the reed chamber. Most accordions to this date typically have anywhere between 2-4 reed ranks on the treble side and 3-5 reed ranks on the bass side that can usually be selected individually and/or be combined differently to provide a range of different timbres, by use of switches arranged by register from high to low.
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Encyclopedia
A reed rank inside accordions refers to a single full set of the reeds that are the means to achieve the instrument's sound range. These reed ranks are located in the reed chamber. Most accordions to this date typically have anywhere between 2-4 reed ranks on the treble side and 3-5 reed ranks on the bass side that can usually be selected individually and/or be combined differently to provide a range of different timbres, by use of switches arranged by register from high to low. More of the top-line expensive accordions may contain 5-6 reed blocks on the treble side for different tunings, typically found in accordions which stress musette sounds.
How many reeds an accordion has is defined by a method that looks like a fraction. For example, a 4/5 accordion has 4 reeds on the treble side and 5 on the bass side. A 3/4 accordion has 3 reeds on the treble sides and 4 on the bass side.
Reed ranks are classified by either organ 'foot-length' stops or instrument names. Visually, they each have a fixed dot in a three-level icon as displayed in the photo on the right and tables below. These icons display when more than one reed-rank is in use.
Register stop classifications
The pitch of a single bank of reeds is traditionally defined in a similar manner to the organ stops of a pipe organ. A bank that sounds at unison pitch when keys are depressed is called 8'; (pronounced "eight-foot") pitch: alluding to the length of the lowest-sounding organ pipe in that rank, which is approximately eight feet. For the same reason, a stop that sounds an octave higher is at 4' pitch, and one that sounds an octave lower than unison pitch is at 16' pitch.
Most reed registers are normally in relative octave tuning, but rarely, some instruments have a reed bank tuned to a Fifth relative to the 8' stop (or some octave of that). This is a similar arrangement to stops for a pipe organ.
| Icon | Classification | Description |
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| | 4' stop | This is the highest reed rank. Not all accordions may have this reed rank. | | | 8' stop | This is the basic middle reed rank. It is one octave lower than a 4' reed rank. | | | 8' stop | This is another middle reed rank, the upper tremolo rank. It is usually tuned slightly higher than the basic middle reed rank. Not all accordions may have this reed rank. | | | 8' stop | This is another middle reed rank, the lower tremolo rank. It is usually tuned slightly lower than the basic middle reed rank. Usually only included on special "musette accordions". | | | 16' stop | This is the lowest and deepest-sounding reed rank in the reed chamber. It is one octave lower than a 8' reed rank. | |
To hear how these sound on their own, see the first three rows of the table below.
Register switches
Register switches control how contrasting timbres are produced. They control which reed ranks are enabled (opened up) or disabled (closed off), in a similar manner to the register switches controlling the organ stops of a pipe organ: a single reed rank, or several simultaneous reed ranks. Unlike a pipe organ, only one switch can be active at any given time. Here are a few examples of right-hand manual switches on a typical large accordion[Table made with reference from ] (Smaller boxes with fewer reed banks may have fewer switches or even none):
| Icon | Nickname | Register stop(s) in use | Sound |
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| | Piccolo | 4' | Thin and reedy tone. | | | Clarinet | 8' | A round tone, pure and free of harmonics. | | | Bassoon | 16' | A full, smooth tone. | | | Oboe | 4'+8' | A thin tone | | | Violin | 8'+8' | Listen here: , | | | Musette (Imitation) | 4'+8'+8' | Actually an imitation musette sound. Found in most accordions. See the last entry in this table. | | | Musette (Authentic) | 8'+8'+8' | A strong and distinctive sound, built for special "Musette accordions". Tremolo. | | | Organtype (Organ) | 4'+16' | A slightly reedy quality. | | | Harmonium | 4'+8'+16' | Like the Oboe stop, but heavier because of the added 16' reed rank. | | | Bandoneón | 8'+16' | Characteristic round, mellow accordion sound. | | | Accordion | 8'+8'+16' | Like the Violin stop, but heavier because of the added 16' reed rank. | | | Master | 4'+8'+8'+16' | The loudest and fullest accordion sound. |
In addition to the master switch located with the other switches shown above, professional grade accordions often have a least one extra master switch: either a chin master at the top of the instrument or palm master switch located at the side of the keyboard. These are located in positions that allow for faster changes to the full sound during playing.
Cassotto
More expensive accordions have a Cassotto. It is an Italian word meaning "box"; it is also referred to as a "tone chamber". The reeds that are placed in this chamber (normally a middle and low reed ranks) [ Some accordions have the single middle reed and low reed ranks in this chamber. The second middle rank and the high reed rank are always out of the chamber, and therefore brighter.] have a far more mellow and subdued tone, as the higher harmonics (partials) are muted by this chamber. The chamber has a means of opening or closing directly to the outside to vary the sound.
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