This diagram is not mirrored horizontally like a traditional Stradella button diagram, it's flipped vertically instead. If you lean over the top of your 120-button accordion and look down at the left button panel, this is your view.
I acquired my first accordion recently and have been learning my way around the bass button panel. I know, I know: circle of fifths, from the starting note you just gotta doopity doop and then you're there. I'm getting the feel for it, but in this early phase I'd still like a diagram to reinforce my learning. I'm after muscle memory and I think I can arrive there faster if I'm careful to never reach for the wrong button.
The only Stradella Bass System buttonboard layout diagrams I've found give you the view that you see if you're standing in front of a mirror. This might work great for you, but it feels unnatural and awkward to me. I suffered with it for an hour or so before I decided I should just go with my instincts and flip the chart. My brain really wants the orientation, so why fight it?
I looked around for the orientation you see here, and quickly realized it was up to me. I whipped this out and it works 10x better than the other layout for my brain.
I was emboldened to share this on the internet after I showed it to a friend. She already knows how to play accordion and hasn't looked at a chart like this in many years. She was surprised to learn that it is NOT the standard orientation of all the diagrams.
As I shirk tradition, I imagine some accordion teachers might be clutching their pearls at this point, so let me argue my case: Learning aids like this are temporary crutches, and once the button board is muscle memory, you'll probably never look at a layout diagram again. It really shouldn't matter if your diagram was one way or another, just that it worked for you. If our goal is to get to muscle memory as efficiently as possible, anything that speeds this process is our friend.
Double-flats and double-sharps, common on other charts, also seem like unnecessary mental overhead for the intermediate or beginner musician, so I've removed these from this chart. For the same reason I've also chosen to use sharps exclusively for the accidentals.
I hope this works for you, and if not, please feel free to post why it doesn't on social media with a link back to this article.
