The garmon ( rus, гармо́нь, p=gɐˈrmonʲ, links=yes, from rus, гармо́ника, p=gɐˈrmonʲɪkə, r=garmonika,

cognate In historical linguistics, cognates or lexical cognates are sets of words that have been inherited in direct descent from an etymological ancestor in a common parent language. Because language change can have radical effects on both the s ...

of English ''harmonica''), commonly called garmoshka, is a kind of Russian button accordion, a free-reed wind instrument. A garmon has two rows of buttons on the right side, which play the notes of a

diatonic Diatonic and chromatic are terms in music theory that are used to characterize scales. The terms are also applied to musical instruments, intervals, chords, notes, musical styles, and kinds of harmony. They are very often used as a pair ...

scale, and at least two rows of buttons on the left side, which play the primary

chords Chord or chords may refer to: Art and music * Chord (music), an aggregate of musical pitches sounded simultaneously ** Guitar chord, a chord played on a guitar, which has a particular tuning * The Chords (British band), 1970s British mod ...

in the key of the instrument as well as its relative harmonic minor key. Many instruments have additional right-hand buttons with useful accidental notes, additional left-hand chords for playing in related keys, and a row of free-bass buttons, to facilitate playing of

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

melodies A melody (), also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combination of pitch and rhythm, while more figuratively, the term ca ...

. The garmons can be of two major classes: unisonoric, meaning that each button plays the same note or chord when the

bellows A bellows or pair of bellows is a device constructed to furnish a strong blast of air. The simplest type consists of a flexible bag comprising a pair of rigid boards with handles joined by flexible leather sides enclosing an approximately airtig ...

is being expanded as it does when compressed; and bisonoric, in which the note depends on the direction of the bellowswork. Examples of unisonoric type are (, after Livny,

Oryol Oblast Oryol Oblast (), also known as Orlovshchina (), is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Oryol. Population: Geography It is loc ...

), (, '

chromatic Diatonic and chromatic are terms in music theory that are used to characterize scales. The terms are also applied to musical instruments, intervals, chords, notes, musical styles, and kinds of harmony. They are very often used as a pair, es ...

'), Tula accordion (, after Tula) and (, 'Italian') Beside Russian folk music, the garmon is an important musical instrument for Caucasian ( Ossetian, Georgian, Cherkess, etc.) and Mari people in the

Volga The Volga (, ) is the longest river in Europe and the longest endorheic basin river in the world. Situated in Russia, it flows through Central Russia to Southern Russia and into the Caspian Sea. The Volga has a length of , and a catchment ...

and Ural regions, and in Slovenian music. It is also used in popular music.

Keyboard arrangement

Although reduced and expanded versions are widely available, the standard arrangement (known as "25 × 25") is as follows: *25 treble buttons in two rows: three diatonic octaves plus three accidentals. There are versions with 27 treble buttons adding 2 more accidentals, and versions with 29 treble buttons adding 2 more high notes also exist. *25 bass buttons in three rows: two rows of eight buttons, with bass notes and chords; one free-bass row.

Right hand

The treble keyboard is arranged so that a scale may be played by alternating between the two rows. The low and high octaves have identical fingering, while the middle octave differs. The three accidental notes are arranged so as to mirror the position of the left-hand chords that contain them.

Left hand

The bass keyboard is arranged so that the principal chords for the major key are in the outer row, placed in

circle of fifths In music theory, the circle of fifths (sometimes also cycle of fifths) is a way of organizing pitches as a sequence of perfect fifths. Starting on a C, and using the standard system of tuning for Western music (12-tone equal temperament), the se ...

order; the principal chords for the harmonic minor key are in the middle row; free bass notes are in the inner row. One free bass accidental note is included. There are also 36*36 garmon accordions which have a third row of buttons including more accidentals and high notes, as well as more free bass notes.

Russian types

Since the introduction of the accordion from Germany to Russia in the 1830s, Russian masters invented a lot of different types of local garmons during the 19th and 20th centuries.

Khromka

The () was invented in 1870 in Tula by Russian musician Nikolay Beloborodov. It was a unisonoric (like the bayan or piano accordion),

accordion but on the right keyboard there were also two or three chromatic buttons, usually g¹♯, d²♯, f²♯, hence the name ''khromka''. It became the most popular and widespread button accordion in Russia, so almost all modern Russian (as well as Soviet) garmons (usually made in Tula and Shuya factories) are khromkas.

Tula garmon

Tula garmon () was the first Russian accordion, which began to be manufactured since the 1830s. It had five or seven buttons on the right keyboard, and like in the most Western diatonic accordions it produced different sounds on pull and push. So Tula garmon had two full diatonic octaves ( from C4 to C6). The left bass keyboard had two buttons. Tula garmon was a base for all the Russian diatonic bisonoric garmoshkas (

Saratov Saratov ( , ; , ) is the largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and administrative center of Saratov Oblast, Russia, and a major port on the Volga River. Saratov had a population of 901,361, making it the List of cities and tow ...

, Kasimov etc.)

Vyatka garmon

Vyatka garmon () first appeared on the factories of Vyatka

governorate A governorate or governate is an administrative division headed by a governor. As English-speaking nations tend to call regions administered by governors either states or provinces, the term ''governorate'' is typically used to calque divisions ...

in the middle of the 19th century. It was chromatic unisonoric, it had a piano keyboard on the right side and two bass buttons on the left one. Vyatka garmon was a prototype for many different types of national accordions in the

region and the Caucasus (see below). Also after it there were made Russian diatonic and chromatic accordions: Elets "royal" (means with a piano keyboard, because in Russian a grand piano is called "royal") garmon, Beloborodov's royal garmon (made by Tula master Chulkov in the 1870s on the design of Beloborodov, it had a full chromatic right keyboard and resembled modern piano accordions) and others.

Saratov garmon

The ''Saratov garmon'' () is a diatonic, bisonoric garmoshka with bells which ring when the bass and chord keys are played. Lidia Ruslanova sang to the accompaniment of this garmonika.

Livenka

The '' livenka'' () or ''Livenskaya garmoshka'' () was developed in the 1860s and 1870s in the factories around the town of Livny (

Asian and Caucasian garmons

Russian garmons were popular not only among the Russians but also among the other nations of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

and the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

. Almost all the national garmons are based on the Tula, Vyatka and Khromka garmons, with modifications to fit the local national musical traditions. Some were professionally invented in music factories in the 20th century.

Volga, Ural and Siberian regions

* The Mari accordion (''marla-karmon'') is a seven-button, diatonic, bisonoric instrument based on the Tula garmon. * The Mari ''koga-karmon'' and Chuvash ''kubos'' are based on the khromka.

Caucasian

The or ''Ossetian accordion'' was based on the European accordion. It was designed for the features of Ossetian folk music, and was adopted by other musicians from other Caucasian peoples, becoming popular all over the Caucasus.

Oriental accordion

The ''oriental bayan'' () was invented in 1936 in the

Kazan Kazan; , IPA: Help:IPA/Tatar, ɑzanis the largest city and capital city, capital of Tatarstan, Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Volga and the Kazanka (river), Kazanka Rivers, covering an area of , with a population of over 1. ...

musical factory, it has a right-hand piano keyboard but a little smaller, so in fact it imitates a piano accordion. In 1961 the Kazan revised it so that the left keyboard mirrored the right, though the left buttons are not rectangular but round, like in button accordions. This type is popular in the music of Azerbaijan, where it is known as the . It has been popularized in Azerbaijan by Aftandil Israfilov. It has been popularized in Turkey, too, through the recordings of

Nejat Özgür Nejat (and its variants Necat, Nexhat and Nedžad) is a Turkish male name of Persian origin. The name is found in the Turkish, Albanian and Bosnian languages. The name derived from the Persian word "Nezhad or Nijâd " meaning "race and nobilit ...

.Sarhoşluğu kalplerinde yaşayanların mihmandarı: Sermest
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Georgia and Armenia

The came to Georgia and Armenia from Europe, namely from Russia, in the 1830s, and immediately became popular among folk musicians. It is especially popular in Tusheti, where it is used as an accompanying instrument for vocals, and also as a solo instrument. The garmoni has two miniature variants, the and the . The is widespread especially among the mountain inhabitants of Georgia, with its own distinct sound. It is considered a women's instrument, and often a bride was presented with a buzik at the time of her engagement. It was widely used for national holidays, festivals, and parties, and is associated mainly with song and dance melodies. It is also sometimes used for performing solo melodies, or in an ensemble with a doli (drum), daira, diplipito, and

panduri The panduri ( ka, ფანდური) is a Music of Georgia (country)#Folk music, traditional Georgian three-string plucked string instrument, plucked instrument common in all regions of Eastern Georgia (country), Eastern Georgia: such as Psha ...

. The , came to Georgia and Armenia from Europe in the 1830s, and mainly accompanies dances.

Slovenia

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

, the (see

Steirische Harmonika The Steirische Harmonika () is a type of Accordion#Construction, bisonoric diatonic button accordion important to the Volksmusik, alpine folk music of Croatia (Hrvatsko Zagorje, Hrvatsko zagorje), Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Austria, the German s ...

) is popular in traditional and modern music. Some artists have achieved popularity in Europe and the United States of America. The Slovenian style of play differs from the Russian. There are over 300 popular ensembles in Slovenia, one ensemble often consisting of several singers and an accordionist.

References

External links

History of Russian garmons and the Tula musical factory

History of the different types of Russian garmons

The Nardin Gallery
(from Iran) has many photos of rare garmons and accordions.
Russian Garmon
, articles, books, sheet music, video and audiorecords forum Accordion Russian musical instruments Tatar musical instruments Music of Georgia (country) Music of Azerbaijan Russian inventions Musical instruments of Georgia (country)