A Day On Wikipedia

”’A reed rank”’ inside accordions contains the [[reed (instrument)|reed]] that is the means to the instrument’s sound. These reed ranks are located in the ”reed chamber”. Most accordions to this date typically have anywhere between 2-4 reed ranks on the [[clef#The treble clef|treble]] side and 3-5 reed ranks on the [[bass (musical term)|bass]] side that can usually be selected individually and/or be combined differently to provide unique sounds. More of the top-line expensive accordions may contain 5-6 reed blocks on the treble side for different [[Musical tuning|tunings]], typically found in accordions which stress musette sounds.

The way to classify how many reeds an accordion has is by a fraction. For example, a 4/5 accordion has 4 reeds on the treble side and 5 on the bass side. A 3/4 accordion has 3 reeds on the treble sides and 4 on the bass side.

There are different classifications of the reed ranks on the treble side. The following classifications are:

{| class=’wikitable’ width=’75%’ border=’1′
|-
! Icon
! Classification
! Description
|-
| [[Image:Accordionstops bassoon.svg|32px]]
| Bassoon
| This is the lowest reed rank in the reed chamber, a 16-foot stop.
|-
| [[Image:Accordionstops clarinet.svg|32px]]
| Clarinet
| This is the middle reed rank, an 8-foot stop. It is usually in tune with the Bassoon reed block, and is one octave higher than that reed block. Accordions may have two of these.
|-
| [[Image:Accordionstops piccolo.svg|32px]]
| Piccolo
| This is the highest reed rank, a 4-foot stop. Not all accordions may have this reed block. It is typically tuned with the Bassoon reed rank, but may be tuned with the Clarinet rank as well.
|-
|}

To hear how these sound on their own, see the first three rows of the table below.

==== Switches ====
”’Switches on accordions”’ control which sounds are produced. These switches control which reed ranks are enabled (opened up) or disabled (closed off). There are switches which only enable one reed rank, or several reed ranks. Here are a few examples of switches on a typical accordion<ref>Table made with reference from [http://www.newmusicbox.org/news.nmbx?id=00463 this article at NewMusicbox]</ref>:

{| class=’wikitable’ width=’75%’ border=’1′
|-
! Icon
! Nickname
! Reed(s) in use
! Sound
|-
| [[Image:Accordionstops bassoon.svg|32px]]
| Bassoon
| Bassoon
| A full, smooth tone. [http://www.newmusicbox.org/70/audio/Bassoon.mp3 Listen here]
|-
| [[Image:Accordionstops clarinet.svg|32px]]
| Clarinet
| Clarinet
| A round tone, pure and free of harmonics. [http://www.newmusicbox.org/70/audio/Clarinet.mp3 Listen here]
|-
| [[Image:Accordionstops piccolo.svg|32px]]
| Piccolo
| Piccolo
| Thin and reedy tone. [http://www.newmusicbox.org/70/audio/Piccolo.mp3 Listen here]
|-
| [[Image:Accordionstops violin.svg|32px]]
| ”Violin”
| Two Clarinet reed ranks
| Listen here: [http://www.newmusicbox.org/70/audio/ViolinDry.mp3 Dry-tuned], [http://www.newmusicbox.org/70/audio/ViolinWet.mp3 Wet-tuned]
|-
| [[Image:Accordionstops bandoneon.svg|32px]]
| ”Bandoneón”
| Bassoon & Clarinet
| Characteristic round, mellow accordion sound. [http://www.newmusicbox.org/70/audio/Bandoneon.mp3 Listen here]
|-
| [[Image:Accordionstops organ.svg|32px]]
| ”Organtype (Organ)”
| Bassoon & Piccolo
| A slightly reedy quality [http://www.newmusicbox.org/70/audio/Organ.mp3 Listen here]
|-
| [[Image:Accordionstops oboe.svg|32px]]
| ”Oboe”
| Clarinet & Piccolo
| A thin tone [http://www.newmusicbox.org/70/audio/Oboe.mp3 Listen here]
|-
| [[Image:Accordionstops accordion.svg|32px]]
| ”Accordion”
| Bassoon, Clarinet & Piccolo
| Like the Violin stop, but heavier because of the added Bassoon reed rank. [http://www.newmusicbox.org/70/audio/Accordion.mp3 Listen here]
|-
| [[Image:Accordionstops harmonium.svg|32px]]
| ”Harmonium”
| Bassoon, Clarinet & Piccolo
| Like the Oboe stop, but heavier because of the added Bassoon reed rank. [http://www.newmusicbox.org/70/audio/Harmonium.mp3 Listen here]
|-
| [[Image:Accordionstops musette.svg|32px]]
| ”Musette (Imitation)”
| Bassoon, Clarinet & Piccolo
| Actually an imitation musette sound. Found in most accordions. See the last entry in this table. [http://www.newmusicbox.org/70/audio/MusetteImitation.mp3 Listen here]
|-
| [[Image:Accordionstops musette.svg|32px]]
| ”Master”
| All four reed ranks
| The loudest and fullest accordion sound. [http://www.newmusicbox.org/70/audio/Master.mp3 Listen here]
|-
| [[Image:Accordionstops musette authentic.svg|32px]]
| ”Musette (Authentic)”
| Three Clarinet reed ranks
| A strong and distinctive sound, built for special ‘Musette accordions’. [http://www.newmusicbox.org/70/audio/MusetteTrue.mp3 Listen here]
|}