How Russian Accordions are Made

PowerPoint Show by Andrew

They have been making accordions in Tula, Russia for more than a hundred years. The most famous of these accordions is the "Bayan".

Before seeing how they make the accordions, let's visit the factory museum and see some of the vintage and modern accordions that they have manufactured over the years.

Some of the accordions in the museum over 100 years old.

Each instrument on the factory is signed by hand and has its own unique decoration and pattern.

Pictured here is a "five-row" Bayan, meaning there are five rows of buttons for the right hand.

Typically, accordions for students are made from plywood.

Here the technician is building the body of the accordion.

Every accordion body is treated with a special lacquer to withstand moisture and mildew.

A view of the finished components inside the accordion.

The accordion body is covered with a celluloid.

A special press is used to make this ornamental design.

In the tabs assembly room there are small boxes in which tongues of different tones are waiting.

These master reed technicians use foot bellows to check the sound on a computer to make sure the tone is accurate.

A master technician files each individual metal reed to ensure correct tone.

It can take up to a month to make a Bayan accordion.

Each accordion consists of more than 3000 pieces.