The 24 bass layout has 1 column of single bass notes, 2 columns of chords (Major, and minor), and 8 rows. Compared to the smaller model (the 12 bass layout), it can play minor chords and it has 2 extra rows for the key of E upwards and Eb downwards (8 rows in total). The 24 bass accordion is an ideal instrument for beginners but it can play just Major, minor, and some combined chords. The 4 missing keys are (F#/Gb), B, (Ab/G#), (Db/C#). It has no counter basses, no 7th, nor diminished chords.
If you are totally new to the Stradella bass system, read this article.
24 Bass Accordion Layout
All chords you can play on a 24 Bass Accordion
The number of chords you can play on a 24 bass accordion is limited. There are two columns of standard chords:
- 8 major chords
- 8 minor chords
in the keys of E, A, D, G, C, F, Bb, and Eb, however, combining chords and roots you can get:
- 4 Major 7th chords
- 5 minor 7th chords
- 5 Half-diminished chords
- 5 Major 6th chords
- 6 Dominant 11th chords
- 6 Dominant 9th sus4 chords
- 7 Dominant 9th chords
- 7 Major 7th/9th chords
- 7 minor(Major 9th) chords
- 7 minor 9th chords
How to read the lists of chords
Here are some guidelines to help you read the following lists of chords and charts:
- Flats and sharps are paired with their enharmonic equivalent chord, for example, C#Maj7 = DbMaj7
- Chords that can be played are clickable and are colored in blue, for example, DMaj
- Chords that can’t be played are colored in gray and are crossed out by a horizontal line, for example,
Bdim7. - Duplicated chords are colored in light blue, for example, E#m7 = Fm7
- Some chords can be played in two different ways: by combining a chord with a bass note or by combining a chord with a counter-bass button. For this reason, you’ll find two lists for the same group of chords, one for those that can be played combining a counter bass with a chord (“On Counter Bass” list) and one for those chords that can be played combining a bass note (“On Root” list).
- The charts of those extended chords that can be built combining a chord with a counter bass or with a bass note, show both positions: counter basses are circled in blue, and basses are circled in green.
Standard chords
8 Major chords
Major chords are built with a Root (R), a major third (3rd), and a perfect fifth (5th).
On a 24 bass accordion you can play these Major chords:
F#Maj = GbMajBMaj- EMaj
- AMaj
- DMaj
- GMaj
- CMaj
- FMaj
- BbMaj = A#Maj
- EbMaj = D#Maj
AbMaj = G#MajDbMaj = C#Maj
8 Minor chords
Minor chords are built with a Root (R), a minor third (m3rd), and a perfect fifth (5th).
On a 24 bass accordion you can play these minor chords:
Combined Chords
4 Major 7th chords
The Major 7th chord is a Major chord with a major 7th added.
It is built with a Root (R), a major third (3rd), a perfect fifth (5th), and a major seventh (7th).
On the accordion, you can play a Major 7th chord by combining a Root with the minor chord built on its 3rd interval, for example, C + Em = CMaj7.
On a 24 bass accordion you can play these Major 7th chords:
F#Maj7 = GbMaj7BMaj7EMaj7AMaj7DMaj7GMaj7- CMaj7
- FMaj7
- BbMaj7 = A#Maj7
- EbMaj7 = D#Maj7
AbMaj7 = G#Maj7DbMaj7 = C#Maj7
5 minor 7th chords
A minor 7th chord is a minor chord with a minor 7th added.
It is built with a Root (R), a minor third (m3rd), a perfect fifth (5th), and a minor seventh (m7th).
On the Stradella bass system, you can play a minor 7th chord by combining a Root with the Major chord built on its minor 3rd interval, for example, C + EbMaj = Cm7.
On a 24 bass accordion you can play these minor 7th chords:
5 Half-diminished chords
The minor 7th flat 5th chord (half-diminished) is a minor chord with a flat 5th and a minor 7th added.
It is built with a Root (R), a minor third (m3rd), a diminished fifth (d5th), and a minor seventh (m7th).
On the accordion, you can play a Half-diminished chord by combining a Root with the minor chord built on its minor 3rd interval, for example, C + Ebm = Cm7b5.
On a 24 bass accordion you can play these minor 7th flat 5th chords:
F#m7b5 = Gbm7b5Bm7b5- Em7b5
- Am7b5
- Dm7b5
- Gm7b5
- Cm7b5
Fm7b5Bbm7b5 = A#m7b5Ebm7b5 = D#m7b5Abm7b5 = G#m7b5Dbm7b5 = C#m7b5
5 Major 6th chords
The Major 6th chord is a Major chord with a major 6th added.
It is built with a Root (R), a major third (3rd), a perfect fifth (5th), and a major sixth (6th).
On the accordion, you can play a Major 6th chord by combining a Root with the minor chord built on its 6th interval, for example, C + Am = C6.
On a 24 bass accordion you can play these Major 6th chords:
6 Dominant 11th chords
The Dominant 11th chord is a dominant 7th chord with a major 9th (same as a 2nd) and an 11th (same as a 4th) added.
It is built with a Root (R), a major third (3rd), a perfect fifth (5th), a minor 7th (m7th), a major ninth (9th), and an eleventh (11th).
On the accordion, you can play a Dominant 11th chord by combining a Root and its major chord with the major chord built on its minor 7th interval, for example, C + CMaj + BbMaj = C11.
The 11th interval is dissonant in major and dominant chords because the 11th and the major 3rd are adjacent tones.
For example, C11 = C, E, G, Bb, D, F.
On a 24 bass accordion you can play these Dominant 11th chords:
6 Dominant 9th sus4 chords
Dominant seventh ninth suspended chords (9sus4) consist of a Root (R), no third, a perfect fourth (4th), no fifth, a minor seventh (m7th), and a ninth (9th) note of the major scale built on the root.
Stradella bass system allows you to play 9sus4 chords on the accordion combining the root bass with the major chord of its minor 7th degree, for example, C + BbMaj = C9sus4
On a 24 bass accordion you can play these Dominant 9th sus4 chords:
F#9sus4 = Gb9sus4B9sus4- E9sus4
- A9sus4
- D9sus4
- G9sus4
- C9sus4
- F9sus4
Bb9sus4 = A#9sus4Eb9sus4= D#9sus4Ab9sus4 = G#9sus4Db9sus4 = C#9sus4
7 Dominant 9th chords
A Dominant 9th chord is a Dominant 7th chord with a Major 9th added.
It is built with a Root (R), a major third (3rd), a perfect fifth (5th), a minor seventh (m7th), and a major ninth (9th).
On the Stradella bass system, you can play a Dominant 9th chord by combining a Root and its major chord with the minor chord built on its 5th interval, for example, C + CMaj + Gm = C9.
On a 24 bass accordion you can play these Dominant 9th chords:
7 Major 7th/9th chords
The Major 7th/9th chord (Maj7/9) is a Major 7th chord with a major 9th added.
It is built with a Root (R), a major third (3rd), a perfect fifth (5th), a major seventh (7th), and a major ninth (9th).
On the accordion, you can play a Major 7th/9th chord by combining a Root and its Major chord with the Major chord built on the 5th interval from the Root, for example, C + CMaj + GMaj = CMaj7/9.
On a 24 bass accordion you can play these Major 7th/9th chords:
F#Maj7/9 = GbMaj7/9BMaj7/9EMaj7/9- AMaj7/9
- DMaj7/9
- GMaj7/9
- CMaj7/9
- FMaj7/9
- BbMaj7/9 = A#Maj7/9
- EbMaj7/9 = D#Maj7/9
AbMaj7/9 = G#Maj7/9DbMaj7/9 = C#Maj7/9
7 minor(Major 9th) chords
The minor(Major 9th) chord is a minor 7th chord with a major 9th added.
It is built with a Root (R), a minor third (m3rd), a perfect fifth (5th), a major seventh (7th), and a major ninth (9th).
On the accordion, you can play a minor(Major 9th) chord by combining a Root and its minor chord with the Major chord built on its 5th interval, for example, C + Cmin + GMaj = Cm(Maj9)
On a 24 bass accordion you can play these minor(Maj9) chords:
F#m(Maj9) = Gbm(Maj9)Bm(Maj9)Em(Maj9)- Am(Maj9)
- Dm(Maj9)
- Gm(Maj9)
- Cm(Maj9)
- Fm(Maj9)
- Bbm(Maj9) = A#m(Maj9)
- Ebm(Maj9) = D#m(Maj9)
Abm(Maj9) = G#m(Maj9)Dbm(Maj9) = C#m(Maj9)
7 minor 9th chords
A minor 9th chord is a minor chord with a minor 7th and a major 9th added.
It is built with a Root (R), a minor third (m3rd), a perfect fifth (5th), a minor seventh (m7th), and a major ninth (9th).
On the Stradella bass system, you can play a minor 9th chord by combining a Root and its minor chord with the minor chord built on the 5th interval, for example, C + Cm + Gm = Cm9.
On a 24 bass accordion you can play these minor 9th chords:
I am completely new to the accordion, having just purchased an old 24 bass model to try out, and am delighted to have discovered your website. It is wonderful that you have described in such detail all of the possible chords available from each accordion bass layout – it is an incredible achievement and I’m sure will be an invaluable tool, and I thank you most sincerely for making it available. However, I am slighty confused over one description. You state that the minor(Major 9th) consists of “a Root (R), a minor third (m3rd), a perfect fifth (5th), a minor seventh (m7th), and a major ninth (9th)”, and can be played by using “the Root and its minor chord with the Major chord built on its 5th interval”. Please forgive me if I’m wrong, my musical knowledge is not great, but a minor(Major 9th) contains a Major 7th, which would come from the major chord built on its fifth interval. I think that the line has been duplicated from the minor 9th description. Sorry to be so pedantic!
Thank you so much Keith for your kind words and for bringing this transcription mistake to my attention! I apologize for any confusion it may have caused. You are absolutely right, the minor(Major 9th) chord does indeed contain a Major 7th, and I apologize for the mistake in my description. I have corrected it on the Stradella bass chart post and will make sure to double check all of my descriptions in the future.
I am so grateful that you have found my website helpful and I truly appreciate your input.
Thank you again for your feedback.
I hope you continue to find it helpful in your accordion journey!
Thank you for your kind reply Giovanni. I have only just seen it and I am so glad that you were not offended by my comments. I’m also a little bit relieved that you agreed with my comments and that I had not made myself look foolish! I’m afraid that I am not much of a musician, just a keen beginner, but I am really interested in musical theory and the way that it all works. Having never tried an accordion before, I have found your explanations of how to form alternative chords from the keys available to be fascinating – something I have not encountered on other instruments. Thanks once again for your kind words and your wonderfully informative website.
Hi Keith,
oh no worries at all! I still thank you for pointing it out.
I’m glad you found the information on my website helpful and interesting. As a beginner, it can be overwhelming to learn about new instruments and the theory behind them. I’m glad you found my website useful, I always fear that my English is too weak. I’m always happy to share my knowledge and help out those who are interested in learning more about the accordion. Feel free to reach out if you have any other questions or if there’s anything else I can assist you with!
Hi Giovanni,
Thanks again for your kind words.
As far as I am concerned, your English is perfect. In fact, if you had not mentioned it, I would have assumed that English was your first language (which I presume it isn’t). No worries there!
I only came to your website originally to look at the key layout for a 24 bass accordion, but I have found so much information, and so many useful things that I want to learn and to try that I’m probably going to be coming back quite a lot. Again, thank you so much for making all of this available – it is all incredibly useful and I’m very grateful.
Hi Keith,
Your appreciation and support means a lot to me and is a reward for all the hard work that goes into maintaining and updating the website. I am always working on improving it and I appreciate your kind words. Thank you again for your support.
Best
Giovanni
Hello, thank you for the great information about music. I’m not sure where to turn for help, so I’ll try here. I just got my vintage Hohner Carmen 2 accordion (24 bass). It’s in lovely condition and works perfectly, but there’s a strange thing – the bass chords layout is different from what I expected. On the bottom it starts with A flat, E flat, B flat, F, C, G, D, A – but there’s no E chord. Could this be a factory mistake, or am I misunderstanding something? I checked with a tuner and all of the chords are in tune, but there’s still no E chord.
Thank you for reading my long question and I appreciate any answers you can provide.
Hi Dovile,
regarding the bass chord layout on your Hohner Carmen 2, there’s nothing wrong. You have to know that while there are some general standards for accordions, there can also be variations in chord layouts and key selections between different models and brands. In your case, the absence of the E chord and the presence of the Ab chord is simply a design choice, and not necessarily a mistake.
The missing E chord may be uncommon but it shouldn’t necessarily prevent you from playing most songs. If you do come across a song that requires an E chord, you can transpose the song to a different key. I know, it’s not so fun but this the problem with small accordions and their limited selection of keys.
I hope this clears things up, and please let me know if you have any further questions or concerns.
Hi there, I’m afraid I slightly glazed over with the descriptions of all the chords achievable with a 24 bass accordion. I have bought a book of 50 songs to play but I’m struggling to work out which ones I can and can’t attempt. Can you possibly recommend a starting point. Maybe someone needs to write a book of songs for a 24 bass accordion – I would buy it!
As a teenager I was given a 12 bass and I knew quite a few songs taught me by a friend, but my mother gave it away while I was away at university. Am I right in thinking your first language is italian? I’m also learning Italian on Duolingo!!
Best wishes, Rachel.
Hi Rachel,
Thank you for reaching out and sharing your experience with the 24 bass accordion! It’s understandable that the descriptions of chords might seem overwhelming at first. A book specifically tailored for 24 bass accordion players would indeed be a great idea!
As a starting point, I recommend focusing on songs that have relatively simple chord progressions and are commonly played on accordions. Traditional folk songs, some popular tunes, and simple melodies are good options to get comfortable with your instrument.
In case your score is in a key that doesn’t fit your accordion, learn how to change the key of a song…it’s very easy, don’t worry.
Sì, sono Italiano! 🙂 It’s fantastic that you’re learning Italian on Duolingo!
Best wishes on your accordion journey and your language learning endeavors!