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Accordion Teachers for adults
Teacher profiles for adults. Compare rates, lesson format, and trust information before you enquire or book.
Learning Accordion
What lessons usually focus on
The accordion is a complete band in a single case, giving one player melody, harmony, bass and rhythm at the same time. Learning accordion in the UK means learning two instruments at once: a keyboard or button board under the right hand, a grid of bass and chord buttons under the left, and the bellows between them doing the work that breath does for a singer and the bow does for a violinist. That bellows control is what separates a mechanical accordion from a musical one, and it is the first thing a good teacher will work on with you. From Scottish and Irish dance music to French musette, tango, klezmer and contemporary classical writing, the accordion carries more distinct traditions than almost any other instrument.
Use this page to get oriented, then compare real teacher profiles.
The best fit still comes down to the teacher’s experience, lesson style, rates, and whether they teach in person, online, or both.
Types of Accordion Lessons
Accordion lessons come in many styles. Here are some of the most popular approaches our teachers offer.
Beginner Piano Accordion
Start on the right-hand keyboard and the standard Stradella bass, learning to read both staves while keeping the bellows moving smoothly. Lessons cover instrument size and strap setup, posture with the weight on your shoulders rather than your wrists, and the first tunes you can play with both hands together.
Button Accordion & Melodeon
Work on chromatic or diatonic button systems, including the B and C griff layouts and the push and pull logic of a melodeon. Suited to players heading for Irish, English or continental folk repertoire, where the button box is the traditional instrument rather than the piano accordion.
Folk & Ceilidh Repertoire
Build the working repertoire of a dance band: jigs, reels, waltzes, polkas and marches, with the ornamentation and bellows accents that make them danceable. Lessons cover playing for dancers, holding tempo without a drummer, and picking up tunes by ear in a session.
French Musette, Tango & Continental
Explore the styles the accordion is most associated with outside these islands: musette waltzes with their characteristic tremolo tuning, tango phrasing and rhythmic bellows shakes, and the Balkan and klezmer repertoire that asks for speed and bite.
Classical & Free Bass Accordion
Study the concert repertoire written for the instrument, from Bach transcriptions to Piazzolla, Gubaidulina and Semionov. Free bass converts the left hand from fixed chords into a second melodic manual, and lessons cover the technique and the reading that requires.
Exams & Ensemble Playing
Prepare for graded accordion examinations, or get ready to play in an accordion orchestra, a ceilidh band or a duo. Lessons cover sight reading, scales and arpeggios across both hands, and the listening skills that make you useful in an ensemble.
Why Learn Accordion?
One Player, A Whole Band
Melody, chords, bass line and rhythm come from a single instrument, so you can accompany singers, play for dancers or perform solo without needing anyone else in the room. Very few instruments let a beginner sound complete on their own this quickly.
It Goes Where You Go
The accordion needs no power, no amplification and no tuning before you play, and it is loud enough to fill a hall on its own. That is why it became the instrument of dance halls, street corners and kitchen sessions long before anyone could plug anything in.
A Head Start For Pianists
If you already read music or play piano, the right-hand keyboard is familiar ground from your first lesson. What is new is the bellows and the left-hand bass layout, which means you are learning expression and a new logic rather than starting from nothing.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do accordion lessons cost in the UK?
Teachers on LearnMusic set their own rates — most profiles range from £26.25 to £84.00 per hour as of July 2026, depending on teacher experience and lesson length. Accordion teachers are less common than piano or guitar teachers, so availability in the UK matters as much as price. Many accordionists teach online as well as in person, which widens your choice considerably if there is nobody local.
Should I learn piano accordion or button accordion?
It depends on the music you want to play. The piano accordion has a familiar keyboard, reads straightforwardly from standard notation and suits classical, musette and general repertoire. Button accordions and melodeons are the traditional instruments for Irish, English and much continental folk music, and are lighter for the same range. Talk to your the UK teacher about the repertoire you have in mind before you buy, because the two are not interchangeable.
What size accordion should I buy to start?
Most adult beginners are best served by a 48 or 72 bass instrument rather than a full 120 bass, which is heavier than people expect and rarely necessary in the first few years. Children usually start on a 12 or 24 bass. Weight, strap fit and bellows condition matter more than the number of buttons, so take your teacher with you or send them photographs before you commit to a second-hand instrument.
Are there graded accordion exams in the UK?
Yes. The British College of Accordionists runs the established graded accordion syllabus in this country, covering both piano and button instruments. ABRSM and Trinity do not examine accordion, so if you want a recognised grade this is the route, and your teacher can tell you whether it fits your goals or whether repertoire and performance would serve you better.
Is the accordion difficult to learn?
The first weeks ask more of you than most instruments, because you are coordinating two hands on two different layouts while controlling the bellows. Past that point progress is fast, and the payoff arrives early: simple tunes sound full rather than bare, because the instrument supplies its own accompaniment. A good teacher front-loads bellows control so you never have to unlearn a stiff right arm.
Can adults and complete beginners learn accordion in the UK?
Yes, and adults make up most of the accordion students taking lessons. Many arrive with an instrument inherited from a family member and no idea what to do with it, which is a perfectly good place to begin. Accordion teachers in the UK are used to starting adults from nothing and to restarting players who put the instrument down decades ago.
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