
Welcome to the Ultimate Accordion Course for Beginners!
A warm welcome from Stefan, your experienced accordion teacher, who will guide you every step of the way.
Download the book specially created for this course, and follow along with the videos with the book open.
This short guide will help you decide what kind of accordion to choose for playing
Short Basic Music Theory
Watch this video a few times, and revisit it occasionally.
In the book I provide, Udemy sometimes changes the link format slightly for security reasons, which can break Google’s access verification. If the link doesn’t open, please check the answers in the file attached below, titled “Test Answers.”
Proper posture is crucial for your back and for the quality of your accordion playing. Make sure to follow these instructions
Playing from sheet music begins on page 13 of the book I’ve attached.
In this video, you will learn to play the following notes: C, D, E, F, and G, as well as which fingers to use for each note. You will also learn how to count the beats for the notes you are playing.
Once you’ve completed the first exercise, you can move on to the next one. Remember to practice slowly at first and gradually increase your speed. Playing the accordion will teach you that patience is essential for mastering certain skills. Practice part by part, line by line, and focus on achieving small, short-term goals.
Practice at least five days per week and stay consistent. Pay attention to what and how you are practicing. Work smart, but also work hard :)
Enjoy!
Fundamental bass row – 4th finger
Major bass row – 3rd finger
Page 18 in the book:
Capital letters (C, G) – Fundamental bass row (2nd row) – play with the 4th finger
Capital letters + M (CM, GM) – Major chord row (3rd row) – play with the 3rd finger
Remember to play the basses short!
Pay attention to the sound; avoid changing the bellows during long notes on the right hand.
When you are done with this exercise, then you can go to the next one.
Careful: In the third measure of the first line, the note is mistakenly written as C — it should be G. That’s why the letter G is shown.
Very useful exercise for independent hands. Practice slow!
Finish this song (100%), then go to the next.
Quick note: I mixed up the names here ? I said Mozart, but it’s Beethoven (Ode to Joy). Thanks for understanding!
New bass in this song - "D" (D bass is above G)
Dotted half notes - 3 counts
In these song, we have tied notes. This means that the two notes are connected, and you don't need to play the second note again.
Not easy song. Practice separate hands, pay attention to the tied notes!
Introducing new note "A"
Practice separate hands and practice section by section. This song needs time!
Very nice exercise for independence, because the fingers are not written.
A new note and a new finger position to learn! This song also features a short bass solo.
Legato - smooth playing
After each slur (curved line), try to create a short gap. This helps to shape a musical phrase (musical sentence).
If it feels too difficult, don’t worry. You can gradually incorporate it into your practice and performance.
Song with legato & staccato (mix).
This is a super popular song that starts with an incomplete measure. There are also many stretches in the right hand. Practice the first two lines (the first part) first. Once you’ve mastered this part, move on to the 3rd and 4th lines. Be patient with this song! It will also be great if you can play the right hand legato and the left hand short. This song is perfect for training hand independence
Accordion – One of the few instruments you need to hug to play
“Complete and Systematic Accordion Course” is a video course tailored for anyone who wants to begin learning the accordion, or early intermediate level, even without prior knowledge of music or the instrument. This course is suitable for students of all ages.
Save thousands of dollars and valuable time on lessons. I have spent my whole life learning the accordion, and I am still discovering new things every day. In this course, I will provide shortcuts to the accordion learning process. I will share my entire experience, tips, and insights from my accordion journey. You will save thousands of dollars and countless hours for "zero money”.
The course follows a systematic approach, offering gradual progression with clear, detailed explanations. Each song or exercise is demonstrated step-by-step: first in a regular tempo, then with the right and left hands played separately at a slow tempo, and finally with both hands together, also at a slow tempo.
This structure ensures a thorough understanding, making it easy to follow and master each lesson.
Throughout the course, you will have an accordion book to guide you, specially written for the course, with plenty of marks and notes inside (attached as pdf file in lecture 1).
The Course structure is:
1. Introduction
- Short guide on selecting the right accordion for beginners
- Basic music theory
- Parts of the accordion
- Handling the instrument
- Correct accordion position
2. Playing music (right hand exercises)
- How the fingering are numbered
- Playing whole, half, dotted half, quarters (exercises)
3. Left hand exercises
- Bass Keyboard and the Bass Method We Will Use
- Left hand (bass) exercises
4. Playing together
- Whole notes with quarter bass notes
- Half notes with quarter bass notes
-Quarter notes with quarter bass notes
5. First songs
- How to practice songs (guide)
- My first song
- Ode to Joy
- Lightly row
- Jingle bells
6. Dotted half notes
- Dotted half notes exercise
- The waltz
- Ukrainian folk song
- Allegro
7. When the Saints Come Marching In
8. Introducing note “A”, new finger positions and playing new songs
- New hand position and new note "A"
- London bridge is falling down
- Carnival in Venice
- Oh Susanna
9. Staccato/Legato touch and introducing note “B”
- Staccato touch
- Introducing new note “B” and Old MacDonald song
- Legato touch
- Polka
- My Bonnie
10. Introducing note “C” and C major scale
- The C major scale
- The Can Can
11. The most common mistakes that accordion students make at this level
12. Introducing the second octave & Dynamic signs
- Introducing the second octave
- The Echo waltz & Dynamic signs
13. Que Serra, Serra & She’ll be coming round the mountain
- Que Sera, Sera
- She’ll be coming round the mountain
14. Right hand exercises (Hanons)
15. Eighths notes
- Exercises
- Milica has long eyelashes
16. Dotted quarter note
- Exercises
- Country gardens
17. Accidentals (Sharps, flats and naturals), G major and F major scale
- Whole & half step, accidentals (sharps, flats and naturals), and exercises
- G major scale and key signature
- Lullaby – J.Brahms
- 18.4 F major scale & Happy birthday song
18. Minor bass chord, Minka (Ukrainian song) and Drunken sailor
- Minor bass chord
- Minka (Ukrainian folk song)
- Drunken Sailor
19. Alternating major and minor bass chords
- Major alternating bass
- Playing old songs with alternating major bass chord
- Minor alternating bass
- Playing old songs with alternating minor bass chord
20. Katyusha
21. Seventh chords
22. Learning new songs (Bella Ciao, Wellerman, La Valse d'Amelie)
- Bella Ciao
- The Wellerman
- La Valse d'Amelie
23. Counter bass and C major scale (both hands)
- Counter bass
- C major scale (both hands)
24. Diminished bass chord
- Exercise
- Fascination
25. Major scales in two octaves (C, G, D, F, Bb)
26. Minor scales (a minor)
27. Chords (Inversions) & Arpeggios (Broken Chords) - Exercises
Additional content 1 - Ear training
Additional content 2 - How to Practice a Difficult Song: A Practical Guide (Katyusha example)
Additional content 3 - Different Types of Accordion Sheet Music and Where to Find It + How to play on Accordion from Piano Sheet music