About Accordion Straps

Accordion Strap Advice (more advice in Accessories Catalog)

Button Box players: many boxes, especially one-rows, do not come equipped with a shoulder strap or strap hardware. A strap is not absolutely necessary as long as you only play sitting down, but it is much more difficult to play without a strap, especially on some models of accordion and in certain styles. For beginners, at least a right hand shoulder strap is recommended. The smaller straps, 12 bass, medium, and full, will also work fine for button boxes. It is the size of the person, as well as the box, that determines the size of the strap, and of course all of our straps are adjustable. An average size person with a 3 row Corona size box should choose a medium size strap. Accordion shoulder straps are usually sold only in pairs, so if you play melodeon with only one strap over your right shoulder, you'll have a spare for when that one wears out. If you are small, or have back problems, and especially if you play a lot of Morris outdoors and standing up, you will find double straps and a backstrap a good investment. If your box doesn't come equipped with strap hardware, don't worry - we have it, and it's easy to install.

Everybody: Padded shoulder straps are recommended, especially for larger instruments. With heavier instruments, and for people who are small or have back problems, a backstrap is also recommended to help distribute the weight. Some larger shoulder straps come with a backstrap already attached, a handy feature. When playing your accordion, move your watch or bracelets to your right wrist, so as not to damage the bass strap.

How to Install and Fit New Straps on your Accordion

Accordion shoulder straps, at least the better ones, come in 2 sections, which are detachable. The top section is the wider padded part that goes over your shoulder - there should not be a buckle on this part. This may seem obvious, but I sometimes see accordions with the straps attached upside down. The top section is attached with an adjustable buckle to the bottom section, which is narrower; thus each strap has 3 points at which the length can be adjusted: top, bottom, and middle.

One of your straps should be a little longer than the other. Make sure the buckles are set at the same holes on both straps, then put them side by side and see which one is longer - that's the one that will go over your right shoulder. If the strap mount hardware of your accordion is in two parts, and not a single bracket, attach the straps according to the slant of the bracket, not whether one is more to the left or more to the right: in the diagram shown, the top of the right strap (left mount) will have to cross over the top of the left strap (right mount).

You will probably have to adjust the left shoulder strap buckle to a shorter hole position than the right strap, otherwise the left strap will slip off your shoulder and not support the accordion. When the straps are properly adjusted on a piano accordion, your chin should be approximately in line with the black keys on the treble keyboard, not over the center of the bellows, as might seem more logical to a beginner.

When you first strap on your accordion, be sure the right shoulder strap is not caught underneath the keyboard - you could end up with an expensive repair.

How to Use the Straps to Put Away Your Accordion

When placing your accordion in its case, first gather the 2 shoulder straps tightly behind the instrument and all to one side. Keep the straps well away from the keyboard - if they get caught underneath the keys and you pull up, they can damage the keyboard. Then, making sure no part of a strap is over the keyboard, place the accordion right side up into the case with the keyboard facing you, and pulling the exposed part of the straps over to one side (to the right is best). When you next remove the accordion from the case, use the straps as a handle to lift out the instrument. Never lift the accordion out of its case by grabbing the keyboard end.