A solo accordion item in which one player performs a prepared set of traditional tunes on the squeezebox, entered individually and judged on tone, fingering, bellows control, timing and the feel of the music.
Accordion is the solo class for the free-reed squeezebox, a portable instrument that plays a melody with one hand on the keyboard or buttons while the other works the bass and chord side and the arms drive the bellows. A competition round shows how much music one player can make alone: tune, rhythm and harmony all come from a single instrument, with no band behind it. That is why an accordion class rewards a player who keeps the tune clear and the beat firm at the same time.
In the Scottish Gaelic festival template the item is the sixteenth in the On Stage programme and runs across ten bands: P1-P3, P4-P5 and P6-P7 for primary classes, 11-12 (Secondary), 13-15 Years and 16-18 Years, then Senior Ladies, Senior Men, Senior Mixed and Senior Open. Senior Ladies is a female class and Senior Men a male class; every other band admits both. Every entry is Individual, no spoken language is attached because the class is played, and the scoring label is a rating out of 10 with a maximum of 100 and a ten-minute ceiling.
A round is short and exposed. The entrant is called, settles the instrument and plays the tune or set of tunes they have prepared. The adjudicator listens for a clean melody line, bellows changes that do not break the phrase, left-hand chords that support the tune without drowning it, and a pulse that stays steady and lively to the last bar. The template’s Evidence records that no marking scheme is published for the programme, so the /100 maximum is the app default and not a printed per-criterion split.
Organisers run an accordion class because it is one of the most approachable instruments in a traditional music programme. A young beginner can enter the first band with a couple of well-learned tunes, while experienced players use the senior bands to show command of dance rhythm and style. It also fills the gap between the single-line classes, such as fiddle or chanter, and the full-ensemble classes, because one player fills the sound alone.
Where Accordion comes from
The accordion is a free-reed instrument whose basic design was patented in Vienna in 1829 and which spread through Europe during the nineteenth century. Its portability and loud, carrying sound made it a natural fit for dance music, and it became a standard lead and rhythm instrument in the folk traditions of many countries.
Where Accordion is run
On the eTalenter templates Accordion appears in one template only, the Scottish Gaelic festival template, where it sits among the instrumental classes beside Piping, Bagpipes, Chanter, Fiddle, Melodeon and Clarsach. Other accordion-family items in the catalogue, such as Piano Accordion and Button Accordion in the Irish traditional music template, are separate items with their own rules. Accordion is also a familiar competitive class at traditional music festivals in the British Isles and in many other countries; this page describes only the item as the Scottish Gaelic template carries it.
- Scotland, United Kingdom
Key facts
- A solo item, so every entry is recorded as Individual
- Ten bands: P1-P3, P4-P5, P6-P7, 11-12 (Secondary), 13-15 Years and 16-18 Years, then Senior Ladies (female), Senior Men (male), Senior Mixed and Senior Open
- All junior bands and the Mixed and Open senior bands admit both genders
- No spoken language is set, because the class is instrumental
- Rating out of 10 with a /100 maximum and a ten-minute ceiling; these are app defaults, as the source publishes no marking scheme and the template ships no Grade bands
- Age is fixed on 1 October for the junior bands, per the source syllabus noted in the template’s Evidence
On eTalenter, Accordion is filed under On Stage and typically scored with Rating out of 10. It appears in 1 ready-made event templates — each one can adjust its time limit, age-group assignment and scoring setup independently.
Across the templates that use it, Accordion is most often entered as an Individual competition, typically scored out of 100, commonly time-limited to around 10 minutes where a limit is set.
What judges look at in Accordion
What a Accordion panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:
- Tone and evenness: a full, steady sound from the reeds with smooth bellows changes, because a sudden gasp or wheeze at a reversal is audible in a solo round
- Melody and fingering: clean, accurate notes on the keyboard or buttons, with fast passages played evenly and not blurred or rushed
- Bass and chord accompaniment: left-hand bass and chords that keep the rhythm and fit the tune, balanced so they support the melody and do not cover it
- Timing and pulse: a steady beat that makes the tune feel danceable, with no rushing through the easy parts or dragging through the hard ones
- Style and ornamentation: grace notes, triplets and phrasing that belong to the tradition of the tune chosen, not decoration added to cover thin playing
- Presentation: a settled start, a confident finish within the time and a tune choice that suits the age band
Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Accordion under Scoring Setup, or start from the full instrumental music judging criteria guide.
How to prepare for Accordion
How entrants and their teachers usually get Accordion right on the day:
- Choose tunes you can play cleanly from memory at the right speed; a simpler tune played with good tone and lift beats a showy one that falls apart in the second part
- Practise the hands separately first, melody alone and then bass and chords alone, and bring them together slowly with a metronome before raising the speed
- Spend a few minutes every day on long, even bellows strokes and scales, because smooth bellows control is built away from the tunes and cannot be added at the last minute
- Mark the bellows reversals in each tune and plan where the breath falls, so the change of direction lands between phrases rather than in the middle of one
- Balance the volume of the two hands by recording yourself and listening back; if the bass overpowers the melody, lighten the left hand before the event
- Rehearse the whole performance from sitting down to finishing the last note, including adjusting the strap and settling the instrument, since a fumbled start costs confidence
- Read the adjudication sheet after each event, pick one target, such as steadier timing or cleaner reversals, and work on that before the next one
Ready-made event templates that include Accordion
Open any template to preview it in eTalenter and install it as a live, editable event.
| Template | Category | Score label | Competitions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royal National Mod (Scotland) | On Stage | Rating out of 10 | 10 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Accordion judged individually or as a team?
Across eTalenter’s templates it’s most often run as an Individual entry, though an organiser can set either participation type when assigning the item to an age group.
Is an accordion the same as a melodeon?
They are closely related free-reed instruments, but the Scottish Gaelic template lists Accordion and Melodeon as separate items, each with its own entry. Check the festival notice for which instrument your tunes are meant for.
Is this the same as Piano Accordion or Button Accordion?
No. Piano Accordion and Button Accordion are separate catalogue items used in the Irish traditional music template, with their own age bands. This page covers the Accordion item as the Scottish Gaelic template carries it.
Is Accordion a team event?
No. The template records every entry as Individual. Bands and ensembles are separate items and are not covered by this page.
Are men and women judged together?
In most bands, yes. The exceptions are Senior Ladies, a female class, and Senior Men, a male class; the junior bands and the Senior Mixed and Senior Open bands admit both genders.
Do I need to play from memory?
The template does not say, so check the festival notice. Plan to know your tunes by heart in any case, since a confident start counts for a lot in a short round.
Want the full judging picture? Read the full instrumental music judging criteria guide, or browse every on stage competition item.
Try Accordion in eTalenter
See every ready-made template that runs Accordion, and install one as a live event — age groups, rules and scoring included.
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