Stuart has mentioned one of the differences in the tuning (which means those flattened notes clash against the bass end), but there is another in that Cajun accordions are tuned 'dry' with no tremolo between the two middle-octave reeds. The Cajun accordion is the true melodeon (the old 'German accordion'), rather than the instruments commonly referred to as melodeons which are really Vienna accordions. With its handmade Binci 'Professional' reeds it is a bit like playing four Jeffries anglos all at once ! I don't think there is any instrument better for getting people up dancing. Mine was made by John Elton Doucet, in Chuch Point, La. I recognize the oncoming fever to have one of these so I’m trying to gather as much information as I can. Renting one first? A good thought but where? Are there any special considerations to think about in purchasing one?Ħ. (who has what I think is the most beautiful style of accordion out there. Would I be better off saving my money until I could afford a custom Acadian from Marc Savoy Is it truly the same as a melodeon? Is the difference in tuning?Ĥ. Does anyone here have one and are they as enjoyable to play as they seem to be?Ģ. I was wondering if any of you could answer a few questions for me.ġ. It’s diatonic system would make it easier to learn, since I already play an anglo, and the small size, unique sound and overall appearance appeal to my sense of something “different”. There are several things that attract me to the Cajun style accordion. (I had never held a concertina before buying one either but have become fairly proficient with it). I’ve always loved the sound of one but have never even held one before. I’m considering a try at the “Cajun accordion”. Things have returned to a more relaxed pace and I’ve reached a point with my concertina that I would like to “stretch” (badoom-boom) my abilities a bit. Marriage, new home, lots of other things that have kept me too busy to hang around a bunch of squeezers. The Savoy family of musicians, producers, writers, and educators are living proof.It’s been a while since I’ve posted here. He forcefully asserts that Cajun and Creole music is the ‘glue’ that will hold French Louisiana culture and communities together into the future. A master accordion-maker and Cajun music virtuoso, Savoy engages the complex evolution in Cajun culture from a lived point of view-family, touring, and running a small, but influential business from Eunice, Louisiana. “Marc Savoy, in his own inimitable way as a crusty, creative perfectionist, has given us a book that is at once a history of the accordion globally as well as in French Louisiana in his and his ancestors’ lives. With his legendary years of experience-a passion for music preservation and building fine accordions-Marc Savoy takes us on a memorable journey to a unique place in America by seamlessly weaving history, music, and tradition into one fascinating and enjoyable read.” Made in Louisiana delves into the world of Cajun culture and the one-row diatonic squeezebox.

Today, he is revered as one of the finest builders and players of the instrument in the world. In 1966, he opened the doors to the iconic Savoy Music Center in his hometown. By age twenty, he was building and selling his own Acadian-brand Cajun accordions.

Told in Marc’s own words, Made in Louisiana is the story of the evolution of his Acadian brand accordions-but it is also the story of how an instrument once known as the “German-style” accordion became the iconic image of Louisiana’s Cajun culture.īorn in 1940, Marc Savoy grew up in a rural French-speaking community outside of Eunice, Louisiana, and started playing the accordion at age twelve. Upon seeing a Louisiana-handmade diatonic accordion for the first time in 1957, a teenage Marc Savoy began a quest that arguably no one has come closer to achieving: to build the perfect Cajun accordion.