Why a back strap?
If you play the accordion you know they can be heavy and a bit unwieldy. From a purely physical stand point using a back strap, spanning from one shoulder strap to the other across the mid-back can supports the mid-back area and remove muscular strain. It maintains your center of gravity in a way which prevents problems in the shoulders, neck, and low back.
As a player, I find that the strap is necessary to secure my accordion, keeping it from shifting and this improves the quality and accuracy of my performance.
A few things that make my back strap special
• Easy on and off. Backpack style fastener is a simple to use.
• Easy to adjust the back strap when you are wearing it. Perfect fit every time.
• No metal parts to scratch your accordion or stab you in the back.
• Sturdy and durable — made of polypro strapping
Sizing
The accordionbackstrap.com straps are available in two widths and two sizes for each width (regular, XL and XXL). So far I have found that the regular size fits most people.
• 1-1/4″ wide Regular: 20″ approximate maximum extension*
• 1-1/4″ wide Longer: 28″ approximate maximum extension*
• 2″ wide Regular: 20″ approximate maximum extension*
• 2″ wide Longer: 28″ approximate maximum extension*
* the “approximate” comes from the fact that the width of your shoulder straps will effect the overall length of the back strap.
How it started
My name is Elena Erber. The first thing my accordion teacher told me was: “Save your back. Get a back strap. It makes all the difference.” She’s a smart woman, so I got one. That was almost six years ago (2007) when I got my first squeezebox and entered this wonderful and fascinating world of the accordion. Shortly thereafter I got a second accordion, which we accordionist all know is the norm — uncommon to own just one! So I needed another back strap. This time I thought: Why don’t I make one? And while I’m at it, I’ll make a few extra for my accordion playing friends. They loved them. The next logical step was to share them far and wide, and so was born the AccordionBackStrap.com company.
After a few years, and after asking the accordionists who have purchased straps what they would like to see new, I added the 2″ wide strap to the original accordion bakc strap model. Choice is good!
The company
AccordionBackStrap.com is a cottage industry run by a committed amateur accordionist me. Check out the band I play in: Caprice Rouge. I am also an artist. And a crafts persons. Each strap is cut, stitched and assembled with care and precision. They are made, packaged and shipped in Red Hook, New York, a small town in the mid-Hudson Valley about 90 miles north of New York City.
