My late love for the bayan and accordion

Paradoxically, the accordion was the first instrument I wanted to have as a child, but it didn't happen at the time – perhaps because the instrument was often not considered "full-fledged" compared to a piano. Fortunately, that has changed.

It was not until much later that my path finally led me to this wonderful instrument. When the time came, I consciously chose the button accordion, the bayan. I did not want to simply transfer my learned keyboard playing to the accordion's piano keyboard, which does not work optimally anyway. The button accordion system quickly proved to be the right choice; the button system is completely superior to the conventional keyboard in terms of playability and the resulting musical possibilities. The bayan also offers the possibility of playing polyphonically with the left hand, which is an incredible enrichment for musical creativity. I am particularly fascinated by the unique sound production.

The heart of the accordion is its reeds, which resemble the human voice. The sound is produced by the bellows—the wind—which allows for direct and intimate control of the tone. Unlike many other instruments, each note played can be influenced retrospectively by the movement of the bellows, allowing for unparalleled expressiveness.

This intimacy goes so far that every movement of the body influences the sound. You don't just play the instrument, you embrace it, and this intimate connection is directly transferred to the music. Coupled with the incredible tonal variety offered by the registers, the accordion is at home in every style—from folk to classical to contemporary music.

The sound is organic and lively. The instrument is alive—it changes with temperature and touch. This liveliness makes the bayan and the accordion instruments with deep, personal resonance for me.