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02 Sep 12 - 11:28 AM (#3398996) Subject: Modifying an accordian From: Dave the Gnome Here's the deal. I have a 12 bass accordian - Lovely little thing but I must admit to not playing it much. Amongst my very limited repertoire (2/3 songs at the moment) I would like to add a couple of east european-ish songs which switch into minor for part of the tune. I know the theory - My little accordian only does root note and major chord BUT, surely by preventing the middle note of the major (3rd) playing I could play in either major or minor. Sounds simple enough but before I take the covers off and start to twiddle with the complicated stradella linkage does anyone have any experience of this, any advice or even a simple 'don't do it!' With reasons of course :-) Cheers DtG |
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02 Sep 12 - 12:14 PM (#3399008) Subject: RE: Modifying an accordian From: Ann N I've heard of people carefully taping over the bass side reed/pallet hole for the middle note of the major chord to prevent it sounding. Easier than twiddling with the linkage :) |
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02 Sep 12 - 06:59 PM (#3399229) Subject: RE: Modifying an accordian From: Dave the Gnome Aye - I think that is the first line of attack, Ann, but I have the strangest feeling that the same hole is used for other purposes. The genius of the linkage is that it can use the sane reeds for numerous chords - Hence saving multiple versions of the same reed. Now I'm not saying that is the case here and you have inspiered me to have a look if nothing else - It certainly could be as simple as a bit of duck tape :-) Hope so anyway! Thanks Ann. Cheers DtG |
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03 Sep 12 - 12:05 AM (#3399306) Subject: RE: Modifying an accordian From: GUEST,.gargoyle Purcase, borrow or steal another accordian. Modify, play and have fun. You have perhaps noticed...more than one "squeeze box " at the feet in an "Irish session ",...and more than one guitar lying on the floor. Sincerely, Gargoyle accordians are cheap...make one your major...the other your minor...(one your wife...the other your "backstreet girl.") |
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03 Sep 12 - 12:39 AM (#3399314) Subject: RE: Modifying an accordian From: Ole Juul It certainly could be as simple as a bit of duck tape :-) Try duct tape - it sounds better. ;) |
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03 Sep 12 - 03:27 AM (#3399345) Subject: RE: Modifying an accordian From: GUEST You ar elikely to be right about the smae reed being used for multiple purposes. Let's see... 12 bass, only major chords, so that's root note and major chord for each of 6 keys e.g. Bb-F-C-G-D-A 3rd of Bb will be D, also used by G and D chords 3rd of F is A, also used by D and A chord 3rd of C is E, also used by A chord 3rd of G is B, not used by any other chord 3rd of D is F#, not used by any other chord 3rd of A is C#, not used by any other chord So you should be able to tape out the last three thirds without affecting any other chords, and play in G minor, D minor or A minor. Alternatively you could fix the linkage so the palettes for the thirds aren't opened, but that might be difficult to do reversibly or even at all. (obviously shift the whole pattern along if the basses go from F to E, which they might.) |
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03 Sep 12 - 03:30 AM (#3399347) Subject: RE: Modifying an accordian From: treewind Sorry, that was me. Cookie reset now. |
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03 Sep 12 - 04:15 AM (#3399366) Subject: RE: Modifying an accordian From: JohnInKansas A Warning on duct tape however. If left too long in one place it loses it's flexibility and "tackiness" and becomes something akin to concrete but with some characteristics of cast iron. I've known a couple of people who taped up a car with either/both duct tape and/or masking tape and didn't get the paint job done within a couple of weeks, and had to use a body grinder to get the *@&$^%@ off. (A chisel wouldn't do it.) Duct tape should be okay if you check it fairly frequently and put fresh tape on if/when it starts to harden. You might also consider the plastic electrical tape that just gets gummy with age. It leaves a mess of "goop" if left too long, but several solvents can be used (carefully) to clean up the sticky. Disadvantage is that it's not quite as sticky when fresh as the duct tape, and might fall off more frequently. John |
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03 Sep 12 - 04:32 AM (#3399375) Subject: RE: Modifying an accordian From: Murray MacLeod Ever the pedant, the first modification I would do would be removal of the letter "A" and insertion of the letter "O" ... |
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03 Sep 12 - 05:10 AM (#3399381) Subject: RE: Modifying an accordian From: GUEST,Peter Laban 'Try duct tape - it sounds better. ;) ' Taking a tongue in cheek stab at the perceived ignorance of using 'duck' instead of 'duct'. A reaction seen often on this sort of discussions. Duck tape however is a brandname and (apparently) the original name for the stuff. So what does really sound better? ;-) |
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03 Sep 12 - 05:24 AM (#3399385) Subject: RE: Modifying an accordian From: Peter C Why not just play the bass note of the minor chord? |
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03 Sep 12 - 05:49 AM (#3399392) Subject: RE: Modifying an accordian From: Jack Campin Unlike duck/duct tape, gaffa/gaffer tape is designed to be removable, so it might be a better bet. |
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03 Sep 12 - 07:19 AM (#3399411) Subject: RE: Modifying an accordian From: Bernard Dave, the safest bet is to ignore the major chords, and play two adjacent bass notes for the minors. It may sound better if you blank off the lower bass notes (there's usually two per bass on smaller accordions) with a length of card between the reed block and the soundboard - easily reversible if you don't like it. Tinkering with the linkages may work okay, though - quite often all you need to do is carefully spring the require rod past the little bar that sticks out from the key - try it with one, and if it works, the world's your lobster... again, it's easily reversible if you don't break anything!! |
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03 Sep 12 - 03:18 PM (#3399572) Subject: RE: Modifying an accordian From: Dave the Gnome Great stuff - Thanks all. I will probably prevaricate until I go off the idea but even if that does happen, I will eventialy go back to it , maybe three or four times, and then I will try a few experiments and thank you all again for yout inputs. Bernard - Good idea about the adjacent notes - Th emost simple ideas usualy are and it escaped me altogether! I would have to get used to the fingering. I can't envisage whay you mean about the lower bass - Care to ellucidate. But I must warn it can cause blindness. And for those of you who bekieve I have some sort of waterfoul fettish - http://www.duckbrand.com/ But I must say I would probably use 3M gaffer tape anyway :-) Cheers DtG |
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03 Sep 12 - 03:20 PM (#3399574) Subject: RE: Modifying an accordian From: Dave the Gnome Good idea about having 2 boxes as well. Garg - Apart from one thing. One of the tunes in particular goes from major to minor and back - I am not that quick at off-loading an accordian - But thanks anyway and I always love your 'off colour' comments :-) Cheers DtG |
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04 Sep 12 - 12:44 AM (#3399795) Subject: RE: Modifying an accordian From: JohnInKansas Duck tape however is a brandname and (apparently) the original name for the stuff. Duct tape is a generic name, and was in use long before the appearance of the brand name "Duck Tape®". Note that using the term "Duck Tape" without the ® notation is a violation of copyright, since it is a registered trade name, and is one of the few cases in which someone other than the music mafia might conceivably sue. An arcane but curious warning is that duct tape should be avoided in holding your "pots" together when casting thermoset (resin+accelerator) plastic parts, since the adhesive on most tape contains sufficient mercury to render the activator ineffective with many kinds of casting resins, and makes a really gummy, sticky, and useless mess. (BTDT, and it took a lot of research to figure out why the pots failed - 40 years ago.) Some, but not all, masking tapes have similar undesirable effect in similar attempted applications. Neither tape kind would be generally recommended if you want best results, for example, to hold your broken parts together while they cure for any "two part adhesive," although there are enough different kinds of both tapes and "activated adhesives" that you might get lucky with a random selection of materials. Unfortunately the obvious alternative, "buncharubberbands" sometimes gives the same result, but in this case largely due to the sulfur content in some "rubbers." There are numerous variations in duct tapes availabe, with some being in the branded "Duck Tape ®" line. Colored and decorative (with patterns) kinds are widely marketed. Not generally available at consumer outlets are a few that actually offer even more "user friendly" properties than the common ones, but you're unlikely to find the "300 mph" or "supersonic" types on open markets. Thus far I haven't seen a "supervisor duct tape,"1 within the generic type, but it may exist. 1 "two-faced" John |