bellow shake in music meaning | TheMusicDictionary

Meaning of Bellow Shake in Music

Bellow shake refers to a technique used in playing the accordion, where the player rapidly changes the direction of the bellows to create a repeated short and rapid change in volume or pitch. It is a popular technique in various genres of music, including gaucho music, Forró, and klezmer music.

The bellow shake technique can be used to add expressiveness and dynamic variation to the sound of the accordion. It involves creating a "hinge" with one side of the bellows and only opening the bellows from the opposite side. The speed and intensity of the bellow shake can vary depending on the desired effect.

In summary, bellow shake is a technique used in accordion playing to create rapid changes in volume or pitch by quickly changing the direction of the bellows .

A directive used with the accordion and other free aerophones that use bellows, to designate the rapid in and out movement of the bellows. This effect is similar to the tremolo on other instruments. The letters B.N. or the term "bellows normal" are the directives used to end this effect. It can also be notated by the double headed arrows on top of the pitch or pitches desired.