Does anyone play a freebass accordion?

Subject: Does anyone play a freebass accordion?
From: Sam Pirt
Date: 09 Apr 99 - 03:10 PM

Hi

I've been playing a piano accordion for about six and a half years now and I thought it was time I also played the freebass accordion. Is there anyone out there who can give me any tips on playing them. I know that they are set similar to the right hand of a button accordion, but thats about it.

Greatful for any help

Bye, Sam

Subject: RE: Does anyone play a freebass accordion?
From: catspaw49
Date: 09 Apr 99 - 04:09 PM

No Sam, but it sounds better than freebasing cocaine...and as a service to the world, it's hard to tell which would be better going up in smoke! Personally I think the accordion, 'cause you can flush coke down the toilet and an accordion will plug it up.

catspaw

Subject: RE: Does anyone play a freebass accordion?
From: Sam Pirt
Date: 09 Apr 99 - 05:47 PM

Mind you on a cold, wet and windy night the accordion will burn for longer. Oh ye and they arn't illegal, Are they?

Bye, Sam

Subject: RE: Does anyone play a freebass accordion?
From: bill\sables
Date: 09 Apr 99 - 05:52 PM

Sam is that the sort of accordion where you pay for the piano end and you get the button end for nowt. Cheers Bill

Subject: RE: Does anyone play a freebass accordion?
From: Don Meixner
Date: 09 Apr 99 - 05:53 PM

I should think you should have not trouble getting someone to give their accordion. Hells bells, most folks will pay you to get them out of the house. Thats better than free ain't it? The bass would be included I assume.

Don

Subject: RE: Does anyone play a freebass accordion?
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 09 Apr 99 - 06:59 PM

Damn it "Paw", you beat me to it! There goes my Richard Pryor joke.

Subject: RE: Does anyone play a freebass accordion?
From: Lucius
Date: 10 Apr 99 - 12:23 AM

Yes, I play a freebase accordian. The keys are arranged in rows of three. Adjacent keys in a row are a minor third apart, which produces a diminished seventh chord when four adjacent keys are depressed.

It's not my first instrument, and I can't understand why anyone would want to switch. I got it to figure out some Bill Evans waltzes, but the challenges of moving from major sevenths to domonant ninths is forminable. Good luck.

Subject: RE: Does anyone play a freebass accordion?
From: Francy
Date: 10 Apr 99 - 01:33 AM

I never heard of a free bass accordion....

Subject: RE: Does anyone play a freebass accordion?
From: Sam Pirt
Date: 10 Apr 99 - 05:07 AM

Cheers Bon Jovi

I think I'm getting a 'Converter systeme' which means I can swithch between normal and free bass accordion. Stay in touch I may have more questions!!

Bye, Sam

Subject: RE: Does anyone play a freebass accordion?
From: Lucius
Date: 10 Apr 99 - 09:45 AM

Sam, Is this a retro-fit? I've been thinking of trading in my freebase for something else (like maybe a jaw harp) but your system sounds intriguing. Lucius (aka Bob Jovi)

Subject: RE: Does anyone play a freebass accordion?
From: GUEST,gus
Date: 13 Feb 05 - 08:13 PM

There is an extraordinary cd of some guy playing
bach English Suites on the free-bass accordion. Quite wonderful.
But I can't remember his name.

Subject: RE: Does anyone play a freebass accordion?
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 14 Feb 05 - 12:11 AM

G'day Gus (and any of the above still listening),

That's what the free bass system is for ... the ability to play the written (...Classical...) bass line, not pre-formed 'Stradella' bass chords, all stacked in neat divisions by fifths. Some of the really big boxes have a full 120-bass Stradella set ... plus 60 free bass notes in 3 rows.

I've heard some brilliant stuff played on them ... but it's a long way from standard 'piano accordion fare'! I think it would be harder "switch over" between those two systems than it would be for me to switch from button accordion to piano accodion (pace Foolestroupe!).

Regards,

Bob

Subject: RE: Does anyone play a freebass accordion?
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 14 Feb 05 - 05:59 AM

I'd really love to get one - but these days my cash is very low...

Subject: Does anyone play a freebass accordion?
From: GUEST,www.mattscottmusic.com
Date: 17 Apr 10 - 05:16 PM

I've just taken up the freebass. I changed from piano accordion to C-system button freebass convertor with buttons on both hands. There seems to be two common types of Freebass system based on the two common types of button accordion. C-system from Central Europe e.g. Italy, and B-system from Eastern Europe e.g. Russia. There are some less well know variations on these specific to Finland/Sweden/Balkans which I was advised to avoid. The left hand of the common C-system freebass is a mirror image of the right hand buttons. The left hand of the B-system freebass is as if the buttons have been rotated through 180˚, i.e. the low notes are nearest the chin on the right hand and nearest the floor on the left hand. I chose the C-system because the hands mirror each other which made me think it might be easier to learn and because the French chromatic Peguri bandoneons which I would also like to learn are most similar to the C-system. Good luck. Have fun.

Subject: RE: Does anyone play a freebass accordion?
From: terrier
Date: 17 Apr 10 - 05:28 PM

I've been hoping for years to meet someone who actually plays a free bass instrument but they seem as rare as ducks teeth ;)
Am I correct in assuming (from the last post) that there are NO bass chords on a free bass instrument? I assume a convertor type has a normal Stradella set with some extra rows of single note buttons.

Subject: RE: Does anyone play a freebass accordion?
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 17 Apr 10 - 07:36 PM

You are, terrier.

Subject: More info
From: GUEST
Date: 18 Apr 10 - 06:42 PM

Modern convertor accordions switch between stradella, aka standard bass, and singles notes (not simultaneously, hence the "convertor" switch). It is tricky to get accurate information as freebass accordion is a relatively new field. Pigini accordion makers in Italy have established themselves in this area. Giulietti used to make piano accordions with only 3 left hand rows of single bass notes as well as stradella chords (simultaneously in this case). The ones I have tried used what is called the C-system on the left hand only (see my last post above for more details). The right hand was piano keys. Pigini freebass accordion convertors have a switch on the left hand which switches the four chord rows of the stradella basses into single notes which will be either C-system or B-system depending on what you request when ordering the accordion. The right hand can be piano or button. I chose to have button right hand and convertor left hand which means single notes on both hands is possible. 5 rows on the right and 4 rows plus the two remaining bass and counterbass rows of the stradella on the left. To clarify further, both C and B button systems are based on three rows of notes. Most now have extra rows but the fourth row is a duplicate of the first and the fifth is a duplicate of the second so that only three rows are essential but the additional rows facilitate certain transpositions or enable easier fingering options. That's the basics. Hope it makes sense. Here is a wonderful accordionist studying at the Royal Academy of Music in London playing Bach on a freebass piano accordion:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIqweoSsswY&feature=related

Hope that helps.

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Subject: RE: Does anyone play a freebass accordion?
From: Rockhen
Date: 18 Apr 10 - 06:48 PM

Wow, just discovered this thread and will have to read it properly. I play accordion but not heard re the freebass idea. Sounds interesting.

Subject: RE: Does anyone play a freebass accordion?
From: Mr Happy
Date: 27 Apr 10 - 06:22 AM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free-bass_system

Subject: RE: Does anyone play a freebass accordion?
From: mikesamwild
Date: 27 Apr 10 - 01:47 PM

Sounds like it's time for a concertina Sam! Or just do what irish box players and ignore the bass and leave it to the bouzouki or guitar or bodhran

Subject: RE: Does anyone play a freebass accordion?
From: GUEST,Kevin
Date: 14 May 10 - 03:25 PM

Thanks for all this interesting info. I'm tinkering around with standards on the piano and like the idea of trying them out on the free bass accord too, if I can find one. You can find more vids of free bass accordion at YouTube by searching for "Classical Accordion."

Subject: RE: Does anyone play a freebass accordion?
From: GUEST,Deni C
Date: 19 Sep 10 - 03:24 AM

I have a roland fr3s which allows a switch between stradella and free bass. It has several different systems of freebass. Although the accordion keyboard is not 'fast' enough for tunes, I use it to accompany songs and the sounds and versatility are brilliant.

Cheers
Deni

Subject: RE: Does anyone play a freebass accordion?
From: GUEST,Rogever
Date: 03 Oct 11 - 04:08 AM

Yes, I play a freebase Pigini, a freebase Giullietti, an Ellegaard with converter, a mini-hybrid bandoneon (with 3 rows chromatics for each hand) and I am awaiting my Adolf Arnold bandonion with Adolf Arnold Peguri layout.
Pure piano notes may be unsuitable but can be a good start. Remember all the time that you don't do runs on buttons the way you do on tangents, but you can do much more with chord play on buttons. Books on accompanying for piano that cover playing melody and accompaniment together will show you a lot. Ellegaard wrote a tutor for Hohner on free base. You can find it on amazon and it gives worthwhile exercises. Keep training your left hand. Bandonion and free base playing is two-handed whereas Stradellan makes a lazy left and dominant right.
Play canons and simple duets with your two hands. You are in for a beautiful time.

Subject: RE: Does anyone play a freebass accordion?
From: GUEST,Banshee
Date: 04 Jun 12 - 02:19 PM

Yes, I recently picked up a b-system rubin 6 stradella/free bass converter bayan (russian accordion). When i use the converter to change to free bass, the first two rows stay the same as stradella - counter bass and bass. The other four rows are set up chromatically with the lowest notes closest to the floor. The right hand side is a three-row.
I am completely drawn in by the idea of being able to play my jazz or classical repertoire not only on piano, but also on my true love-accordion! I'm finding it a little weird how sometimes fingering on a button system will require me to play a lower note with finger 4 than 3, but then i am really just starting out! My dream is to one day work up to playing vivaldi's 'Winter' on my bayan!

Subject: RE: Does anyone play a freebass accordion?
From: Paul Burke
Date: 04 Jun 12 - 03:10 PM

How does the note pattern on the bass end compare with, say, the pattern found on a duet concertina?

Subject: RE: Does anyone play a freebass accordion?
From: open mike
Date: 05 Jun 12 - 11:06 AM

I read this as "Does anyone play a fretless accordion?"
the answer is "yes".

Subject: RE: Does anyone play a freebass accordion?
From: Mr Happy
Date: 20 Jun 12 - 12:04 PM

I read this as "Does anyone play a fibreglass accordion?"

Oops!