National Accordion Awareness Month

Subject: National Accordion Awareness Month
From: Mike Billo
Date: 02 Jun 99 - 09:45 PM

June is National Accordion Awareness Month. check http://www.ladyofspain.com/NAAM.html for festivities in your area. And remeber..."Accordions don't play lady of Spain..people do".

Subject: RE: National Accordion Awareness Month
From: campfire
Date: 02 Jun 99 - 10:02 PM

Thanks for the warning.....

Actually, my mother played accordian as a girl. Somewhere in their attic is a portrait of her with her accordian. Fortunately, she gave it up. And she made all of us kids (well, we were, once) take piano lessons.

campfire

Subject: RE: National Accordion Awareness Month
From: bseed(charleskratz)
Date: 03 Jun 99 - 12:21 AM

Wow! I beat Fadac to this thread? Amazing. And Mike, are you going to join us at Quinn's Pub (next Bay Area chapter meeting Thursday, June 10, although people will be going tomorrow, also). And there's an East Bay Pickin' and Fiddlin' Potluck on Sunday (see the concertina thread for details and schedule for the rest of the summer:

http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=11145&messages=29>bodacious blue clicky thang

--seed

Subject: RE: National Accordion Awareness Month
From: The Shambles
Date: 03 Jun 99 - 03:05 AM

N.A.A.M. is what happens to my brain, when subjected to a lot of accordion music, but then again I'm a banjo player.

Subject: RE: National Accordion Awareness Month
From: Fadac
Date: 03 Jun 99 - 10:37 AM

FREE the REEDS! Ah, my favorate month. I will not make the Mudcat West Coast, Bay Area, chapter meeting this week. It's the tail end of Deep Space 9, and I want to see it. Also it's pouring down rain with lots of cold. Here in the SF Bay area, we are in a Temporal Time Warp, it's like Feb. here. Very cloudy skys, rain, cold, (40s) and snow at Late Taho. Brrrrr Way too cold to be riding motorcycles at 11PM. Of course next week it will be 90 degrees out.

Banjos: def; The only instrument that an accordion player can make fun of. Just kidding! I love banjo music. Favoriate banjo lick? Washington Square.

One thing I have learned after taking my accordion lessons. It ain't easy. I don't feel that I will be able to really perform for anyone for about another two years. There is just so much to learn. And I consider it easier than my concertina... I have also learned that there is a lot more music out there than I ever believed possable. I attended this accordion siminar, and heard music from all over the world. Hungrian rapisdy (sp????) Tangos from South America, Jazz, blues, and even very classic muisic like Flight of the Bumble Bee, all on accordion. I just didn't belive my ears when one fellow bent the notes on his accordion. Bent the reeds just like a harp. He showed me how to do it. Now I just need more background to use it.

Does anybody else have an opinion on how long it takes to make a reasnonable accordionist? If you are familure with the Palmer Hughes books, I figgure that by about book 5 your are getting someplace. (I just started book 2) Book 10 has flight of the bumble bee in it. Does that sound about right. I think I can do a book in about six to seven months, if I practice at least an hour a day, and don't start skipping lessons. (I take a small group class once a week.)

I heard once that it took seven years to make a bagpiper. I belive it. How long for other instruments?

Suppose you had no other music, and are in your mid 40's. How long do you suppose you could make reasonable music with your instrument?

Perhaps I should start another thread, but lets leave it here for the moment.

Fadac

Subject: RE: National Accordion Awareness Month
From: Mudjack
Date: 03 Jun 99 - 12:09 PM

Some people march to a different drum...but accordian players just POLKA and blow bubbles.
quote from OOmph PA PA
Mj

Subject: RE: National Accordion Awareness Month
From: catspaw49
Date: 03 Jun 99 - 12:28 PM

Paw, Cletus, the Reg boys, and everyone out at the Neil Young Center for the Terminally Screwed wish to send our condolen.....uh, best wishes to all those accordion players out there and hope your month is squeezably soft.

catspaw

Subject: RE: National Accordion Awareness Month
From: Fadac
Date: 03 Jun 99 - 01:43 PM

What kind of bubbles?

Subject: RE: National Accordion Awareness Month
From: campfire
Date: 03 Jun 99 - 02:13 PM

Fadac, there are those who would say a "reasonable" accordionist is one who DOESN'T PLAY...

campfire

Subject: RE: National Accordion Awareness Month
From: Fadac
Date: 03 Jun 99 - 02:52 PM

Campfire, Same to be said for, Bagpipes, and Banjos, but I love them both too. :)

Subject: RE: National Accordion Awareness Month
From: campfire
Date: 04 Jun 99 - 12:04 AM

No Fadac, I believe its a "gentleman" who doesn't play the banjo, and a "polite scotsman" who doesn't play the bagpipes.

;)campfire (who also likes both - in moderation)

Subject: RE: National Accordion Awareness Month
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 04 Jun 99 - 02:53 AM

My mother continued to play her big 140 bass accordion until a week before my birth. If that's not cruelty to the unborn, I don't know what is. I think I was born humming "lady of Spain".
Does anybody know about a tiny store that existed in London about 30 years ago in a place called Camden Town. I remember walking about twenty miles to find it and seeing folks living on canal boats. I was in concertina heaven and bought a Wheatstone. I tried my damndest to do it justice but I could never make it sound the way it was intended and eventually sold it to a guy in Vermont.

Subject: RE: National Accordion Awareness Month
From: Fadac
Date: 04 Jun 99 - 11:01 AM

Gee Campfire, Then it's the nice lady that dosn't sing? What do you play Camp?

Rick, Like it or not, that accordion, just might have something to do with your love of muisc. Does your mother still play?

BTW, I'm learning on a 140 button base, that last row of buttons really help for some things. The buttons work like this. From the back working to the front. Each row is a key, C, F, etc. Back row, is the dim row. Cdim Then its the 7ths, C7 then its the minor chord Cm, Then the major key, CM Then the root, or base key, C only two more to go, the next to the last row is up a 1/3 or E. The last row on a 140 button bass (the 120 dosn't have this row) is up one step. Eb. The bottom row across is Bbb.

The fun thing is you have to learn all this with muscle memory. You can't see your fingers, so you just have to learn where each button is located. On mine I have C and Ab and A# marked with little rinestones, so I can feel for them.

The Piano side, well, that's the same as regular piano keys. However there is (I think) a better system called C Chromatic. It's played more in Northern and Centeral Eruope. I can get a good deal on one, but I can't find a teacher for it. So I'm sticking with the piano one for now. Just learning that is enough on my plate.

One thing I have learned, an Accordion is not a quick instrument to learn. I think it will take me about three years of 1 hour practice each day and a lesson a week, before I will feel able to really play in public. So an Accordion is not for someone looking for an easy instrument to play.

Fadac

Subject: RE: National Accordion Awareness Month
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 04 Jun 99 - 06:45 PM

Fadac, you know I've thought about that, and it might have had something to do with my love of music. Of course I don't REALLY hate the (big) accordion, that's just my sardonic sense of humour. Now Mudcatters please don't laugh at me but when I've seen someone like Myron Floren, or Dick Contino, play, I'm amazed at their technical skill, and I do kinda like it.
I've been fortunate to have two fine concertina players on my last two albums. David Paton at Folk-Legacy, and Grit Laskin on the new one with Borealis.

Subject: RE: National Accordion Awareness Month
From: Fadac
Date: 04 Jun 99 - 06:57 PM

Players I have known. There used to be a guy that showed up at Quinns Lighthouse that could play "Washinton March" in 3 part harminy, on a 30 button anglo.

My accordion teacher likes to demo with "Flight of the Bumble Bee", or perhaps "Saber Dance", or even "Hall of the Mountian King" Then just for giggles, will turn around and play some blues licks, bending the reeds! Just like a harp. Whew! But he has been at it for about 50 years.

One advantage of the big beefy 140 button bass, you can play in other keys much more easily than with the concertina. My C/G anglo, has the 3rd row, but I can play with about 4 sharps / two flats. Things get real tough for me after that. Most of the sharps and flats are only avaible in one direction, so you have to plan ahead. The version of 'Paddy West' that I play has 4 sharps. ( I forget all the key names.) Anyway the accordion I would like to play is the C chromatic. But no instructors are avaible here. So I play what I can get training on. My 140 button bass is like strapping on a pipe organ. It's real heavy, however it also has a tuba bass in it. I think the low A is about 62 hz. The biggest reeds are about 5 inches long. But it sounds soooo gooood. I strive to be worthy of the instrument. One thing for sure, you don't pick up a big piano accordion and in five minuites be honking out a tune. And I think the concertina is harder to play.

Have a good weekend, Squeeze on, (or blow, pluck, strum, thump as approiate.)

Subject: RE: National Accordion Awareness Month
From: catspaw49
Date: 04 Jun 99 - 08:12 PM

You left out hammer (beat or whang also acceptable) and bow.......just tryin' to help out.

catspaw

Subject: RE: National Accordion Awareness Month
From: Mudjack
Date: 04 Jun 99 - 08:15 PM

Bubbles

is meant to refer to ah-one ah-two and ah three Lawernce Welk. But I have observed Polka players who seem to be blasting beer bubbles, so draw your own images.
Mj

Subject: RE: National Accordion Awareness Month
From: Fadac
Date: 09 Jun 99 - 12:37 PM

When I run into someone that is all upset. I think, "That person needs to listen to a nice refreshing polka."

Even the cliche "Beer Barrel Polka" You have to be dead in the head and soul, not to have your foot tap, even just a little bit, with that kind of music playing.

Thats one reason I like polkas, the music just seems so happy. Makes we want to either play or dance. (And I dance like one on of those big Ruskie bears.)

So if you find someone thats a bit blue, play them a nice hot polka. Even if they throw something at you, you have got their mind off of their problems, at least for a bit.

-Fadac

Subject: RE: National Accordion Awareness Month
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 30 Oct 03 - 09:41 AM

Fadac, if you are still around

it's been a while - but

your comment on bending reeds interests me

I was told that you need special reeds to be able to bend the notes, but am always willing to learn something new..

If Fadac isn't around (he last posted in July 2002) - anybody else who can enlighten me would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Robin

Subject: RE: National Accordion Awareness Month
From: GUEST,Guest, ET
Date: 30 Oct 03 - 10:01 AM

A friend gave me a tape upon hearing I had acquired an accordion - on it was the song "welcome to Hell - and here's your accordion". Had a catchy tune, don't remember the verses.

My finest hour on accordion was a few years back when the "Worlds Worst Marching Band" - playing instruments we had played at some time in our life - marched in the 4th of July parade. I now KNOW why marching bands don't have accordions - you ever tried marching (up, down) with checking to stay in line (left, right) and playing, fingers (bellows out, in) AND our one maneuver was a 4-step 360degree turn.   Naturally, we played TV theme tunes - I love Lucy, Mr. Ed, Green Acres and Batman. Enough to make you seasick.

We had an invitational away gig - at Kewaunee, the Hog Capital of the World, for their July 4th parade. We sang for their church the next morning (well, okay, the group was mostly from St. Luke's Choir to start with). Did I mention the bass player? Brought her own little red wagon and a ringer to pull it while she played. Made the maneuvers, too.

Hope I've gotten a little better on accordion since then. I stick mostly to christmas carols so far. People seem more inclined to accept accordions. Must be all those little figurines with concertinas.

Elaine

Subject: RE: National Accordion Awareness Month
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 30 Oct 03 - 10:58 AM

I don't know about marching bands, but in earlier days accordion bands were a big thing. Like harmonicas at one time too.

There are still some accordion orchestras around - they usually don't play the bass side in the arrangements - which I find disappointing.

I know of the Queensland Accordion Orchestra, but no contact details.

Also was a group on the Gold Coast.

Robin