<i> Bayan </i> Accordion: No Joke
What’s the difference between a Russian bayan accordion and the conventional piano accordion that Lawrence Welk popularized?
The bayan , which has five rows of buttons where the American accordion has piano-style keys, is “like a small pipe organ,” explained professional American bayan player Jon Persson.
Persson, who estimates that before the influx of Russian immigrants in recent years there were perhaps 20 accomplished bayan players in all of the United States and Canada, said the bayan (pronounced buh-YAHN) also has a wider pitch range on the right hand, deeper bass on the left and overall more powerful sound production.
Consequently, the bayan allows the player to do “things that are technically impossible on the piano accordion,” Persson said by phone from his home in Miami. For instance, because of the way the instrument’s buttons are grouped, a bayan player can reach an interval of 2 1/2 octaves--about double what a piano accordionist can reach.
He also said that Russian-trained players generally have “astounding” musicianship and technique.
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