About Scarlatti Accordions
Scarlatti Accordions, Melodeons and Concertinas are made in China. They have good reeds, and the instruments are excellent value, although they are not finished to the standards of European makers. The Scarlatti range is ideal for beginners, and they are priced very attractively to enable you to take a chance and see if the instrument is for you. Although they are a beginner's instrument, they are of a much higher quality than the Chinese Accordions, melodeons and concertinas of the past, and will keep you going for some time!

Choosing an Accordion
The Piano Accordion tends to suit beginners who can already read music or play the piano, as the instrument is very logically laid out, and of course has a familiar keyboard.

How Many Bass buttons?
The size of the instrument is usually denoted by the number of basses. These basses are arranged in rows of 6 buttons for each key: counter bass, bass, then major chord, minor, seventh, and diminished. A 120 bass with 41 treble keys is the full size model.

The most popular size, and ideal for beginners, is the 48 bass, usually with 6 rows of 8, allowing accompaniment in the keys of Bb, F, C, G, D, & A.

Other Factors
Many players have to compromise between portability and range of notes. 48 and 72 bass are the best options for most folk musicians.