A YOUNG accordion player, who believes every child would benefit from playing the instrument, is giving a concert on this rare instrument next week.

David Farmer, 25, is a virtuoso on the classical accordion and described as one of the country's most exciting and talented exponents of the instrument.

He studied at the Royal Academy of Music and is now teaching at the Blackheath Conservatoire alongside his solo career.

This is the continuation of a passion that started when he was a child in Fife in Scotland.

He said: "My dad used to play the folk accordion and there always seemed to be one in the house.

"He had one that I think he had got from his father. When I heard the sound of it I thought, 'I'd like to do what daddy does'."

The classical or free bass accordion is far more versatile than the familiar folk version of the instrument because it allows the musician to play single notes as well as chords.

It can therefore be used to play a wide range of music and can be used to play harmony and melody together. In other words no need for an accompanist.

This is one of the reasons Farmer is so convinced it is ideal for children. He said: "I'm trying to encourage kids to take up this instrument.

"The piano is very popular but a child's musical development is held back because their hands may not be wide enough for the piano.

"On the accordion the distances between the notes are much much smaller."

The classical accordion is hugely popular with players and concert goers alike in eastern Europe and Scandinavia yet it is rarely heard in British concert halls.

This is set to change with Farmer's recital. q November 13, David Farmer on the classical accordion, Blackheath Halls, Lee Road, Blackheath, 7.30pm, £10/£5,020 8463 0100.

November 6, 2001 12:37