What is "garmon"

n. A kind of smaller Russian button accordion.

The garmon (, from garmonika , which means "harmonics") is a kind of Russian button accordion, a free-reed wind instrument. A garmon has two rows of buttons on the right side, which play the notes of a diatonic scale, and at least two rows of buttons on the left side, which play the primary chords in the key of the instrument as well as its relative harmonic minor key. Many instruments have additional right-hand buttons with useful accidental notes, additional left-hand chords for playing in related keys, and a row of free-bass buttons, to facilitate playing of bass melodies.

The garmons can be of two major classes: unisonoric, meaning that each button plays the same note or chord when the bellows is being expanded as it does when compressed, and bisonoric, in which the note depends on the direction of the bellowswork. Examples of unisonoric type are livenka (ливенка, after Livny, Oryol Oblast) and Khromka (, for " chromatic"). Bisonoric garmons are, e.g., Tula accordion (, after Tula) and talyanka (тальянка, " Italian")

The garmon is an important musical instrument for Caucasian ( Azeri, Armenia, Georgian, Chechen, Cherkess, etc.) and Volgian ( Tatar, Mari) folk and popular music. Mostly spread and favorite and often used in music Garmon (Harmonika/also Steirische Harmonika) is very popular in Slovenia. 75 % performers and ensembles are consisted of young singers. Music is very beautiful, but also modern contemporary played with Garmon, some artists are popular and well-liked in Europe and United States of America. Harmoniousness and musical style of Slovenia differs from Russian Garmon. There are over 300 popular ensembles in Slovenia, one ensemble often consists of several singers and accordionman (or accordionwoman), mostly young and middle-aged musicians.