My high school band teacher always said that if you play multiple instruments, you won't play any of them well. That said, your dear old Horned Gramma is at least proficient at the accordion, piano, saxophone, oboe and bassoon. Anyone else?
Jazz Drums is what I got a degree in. Started out with piano, still learning all the buttons with the accordian, shits confusing, guitar/bass, standup bass. Can't play any wind instruments worth a shit though.
Accordion?? That's awesome HG! I played bass clarinet in junior high, guitar all the way through high school, vocals for a band for 6 years, and now I just sing in the shower.
The bass board of the accordion is arranged pretty logically. The 'C' is usually marked with an indentation so use that as your 'home row' as it were. Going up the board (east/west) from there it moves in fifths: C,G,D,A, etc.
North/South on the board, your home row is just the note itself and then (heading south) you have your major chord, minor, 7th, etc.
I don't think an accordion teacher would use words like 'north' and 'south', I"m just trying to be illustrative. REALLY the best thing you can do is get a fingering chart and just hammer it out over a couple weeks. You can download one fairly easily I imagine.
i've somewhat Dr. Garbanzoured out what the buttons are, it's more memorizing and getting them under my fingers, though i guess there's no other advice for that other than just practicing. thanks though, graham horner