A solo button accordion item in which one player performs traditional Irish dance tunes on the button box, entered individually in one of four age bands and judged on tone, bellows control, ornamentation, rhythm and the lift of the tune.
Button Accordion is the solo class for the button-keyboard accordion as it is played in Irish traditional music. The right hand plays the melody on rows of buttons, the left hand adds bass notes and chords on its own set of buttons, and the bellows, pushed and pulled, are what turn the keys into sound. In the traditional style the left hand is used lightly, to punctuate and drive the rhythm, while the right hand carries the tune with quick ornaments, so a good entry sounds crisp and bouncy rather than thick with chords.
On the eTalenter templates the item is part of the Irish traditional music festival template, where it is the second class in the programme, straight after the fiddle. It runs in four age bands, A Under 12, B 12 to 15, C 15 to 18 and D Over 18, and the programme lists it once in each band’s block. Every entry is Individual and open to both genders, 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. The ten-minute ceiling is an app default; the source rules do not print a time limit or a marking scheme for the item.
A round is short and exposed. The entrant is called, settles the instrument and plays the tune or tunes they have prepared, usually a dance tune type such as a reel, jig or hornpipe, with no accompaniment shown in the template. The adjudicators listen for the sound the player draws from the bellows, how neatly the ornaments sit on the melody, how well the left hand supports without crowding, and whether the pulse stays steady and lively from the first bar to the last. The template’s Evidence records that adjudicators sit apart and mark separately, and that results are compiled on a points system of 11, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 for the top places, so a placing is built from several independent opinions rather than one.
Organisers run a button accordion class because the instrument is a mainstay of dance music and draws a loyal pool of entrants at every age. Young players can enter the Under 12 band with a few well-learned tunes, while experienced players use the Over 18 band to show command of style, and the same item lets a festival see how a local scene is developing from one band to the next.
Where Button Accordion comes from
The accordion family dates from the 1820s in Europe, with the first patent usually credited to Vienna in 1829. Button-keyboard instruments of this kind spread widely across the continent and reached Ireland during the nineteenth century, where they became a mainstay of dance music for house parties, crossroads dances and, later, competitions.
Where Button Accordion is run
On the eTalenter templates Button Accordion is used in a single template, the Irish traditional music festival template in the Cultural and Folk Festival category, where it sits among the solo instrumental classes beside Fiddle, Flute, Whistle, Piano Accordion, Concertina, Uilleann Pipes, Harp and Banjo. Button accordion playing is also a familiar competitive class at traditional music events elsewhere in the British Isles and in communities around the world where Irish music has spread; this page describes only the item as the template carries it.
- Ireland
Key facts
- A solo item, so the template records every entry as Individual
- Four age bands: A Under 12, B 12 to 15, C 15 to 18 and D Over 18, all open to both genders
- Part of the Irish traditional music festival template only; the programme repeats the item in each age band’s block
- 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 rules print neither a time limit nor a per-criterion marking scheme
- Adjudicators mark separately and places are compiled on a points system of 11, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1; first prize may be withheld and first and second places qualify to the next level
On eTalenter, Button 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, Button 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 Button Accordion
What a Button Accordion panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:
- Bellows control: a smooth, even flow of air that gives a full tone, with clean changes of direction and no wheezing, gaps or sudden surges between phrases
- Right-hand ornamentation: rolls, cuts and similar decoration that are crisp, correctly placed and consistent in style, not scattered over the tune to hide weak fingering
- Left-hand restraint: bass and chords that support the beat and mark the rhythm, without drowning the melody or turning a dance tune into a heavy march
- Timing and lift: a steady pulse that makes the tune feel danceable, with no rushing through the easy parts or dragging through the hard ones
- Accuracy: notes and button changes played cleanly across the whole range of the instrument, since a single misplaced button is heard immediately on an unaccompanied solo
- Style and tune choice: playing that fits the dance type chosen, with phrasing and variation that make the tune sound lived-in rather than merely correct
Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Button Accordion under Scoring Setup, or start from the full instrumental music judging criteria guide.
How to prepare for Button Accordion
How entrants and their teachers usually get Button Accordion right on the day:
- Choose tunes you can play cleanly at pace from memory; a simpler reel played with lift and clean ornaments beats a showy one that stumbles in the second part
- Learn each tune by ear as well as from the page, listening to good players of the same type of tune until you can hear where the ornaments and the bellows reversals fall
- Practise slowly with a metronome and raise the speed only when the ornaments are still tidy; fast, blurred playing is the quickest way to lose marks
- Work on bellows technique away from the tunes: long even pulls and pushes on a single note, then on scales, so that the direction changes stay silent and level
- Rehearse the left hand on its own so that it is light and rhythmic, then add the right hand slowly; most heavy-sounding entries are caused by an over-busy bass
- Record a full run and listen back for uneven rhythm, noisy bellows changes and ornaments that smudge, then choose three weak spots to fix that week
- Rehearse the whole performance from sitting down to finishing, including strapping on and settling the instrument, and read any adjudication feedback after each event to set one target for the next
Ready-made event templates that include Button Accordion
Open any template to preview it in eTalenter and install it as a live, editable event.
| Template | Category | Score label | Competitions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fleadh Cheoil (Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann) | On Stage | Rating out of 10 | 4 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Button 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 a button accordion the same as a piano accordion?
No. Both are accordions, but the right hand plays buttons on one and a piano-style keyboard on the other. The template carries Piano Accordion as its own separate item, with its own entry list, so choose the class that matches your instrument.
Is Button Accordion the same as a melodeon?
Not in this catalogue. The melodeon is a smaller, simpler button box with its own separate item in another template. This page covers Button Accordion only, as the Irish traditional music template carries it.
Is Button Accordion a team event?
No. The template records every entry as Individual. Duets, trios and bands are separate items in the same programme and are not covered by this page.
Which age band do I enter?
The template has four bands: A Under 12, B 12 to 15, C 15 to 18 and D Over 18. The source rules define them as age-group codes, and the date on which your age is counted is set by the festival, so check the notice before you enter.
Can I play with a backing track or an accompanist?
The template does not show any accompaniment, and the item is a solo class. Check the festival notice if you plan to use anything beyond your own playing.
How is the winner decided?
The template’s Evidence records that adjudicators sit apart and mark separately, and that placings are compiled on points of 11, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1. First prize may be withheld, and first and second places qualify to the next level.
Want the full judging picture? Read the full instrumental music judging criteria guide, or browse every on stage competition item.
Try Button Accordion in eTalenter
See every ready-made template that runs Button Accordion, and install one as a live event — age groups, rules and scoring included.
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