“The Clarinet Polka” by Keith Maillard

[Tom]

Not sure if I have recommended the novel “The Clarinet Polka” by Keith Maillard.

It’s one of my favorites that I decided to read again yesterday because, you know, practicing is so dam lonely. A 25 year old man returns from the service to his home on the West Virginia/Ohio border during the time of the Vietnam war. It’s a dreary mill town full of Polish people and their polkas, not to mention drinking, as you may imagine. There are, of course, accordions played here, although not by our hero, who undergoes the trials and tribulations of his return, gets a job repairing tvs, and somehow manages to fall in love, not surprisingly (this is a novel, so I’m not telling you anything you can’t imagine).

Anyway, imho, Maillard has a way of bringing you right into the story, evoking the spirit of the place and people, and I love the musical details. For people across the big water, this is an accordion slice of (bygone) life you are not likely to encounter often.

Highly recommended. Five stars.

 

[JerryPH]

This is one of those songs that if you can handle it, is deceptively easy and makes everyone's feet tap... but I've hard this song played badly SO MANY TIMES that suggests to me that you need to be pretty proficient if you are going to want to play that polka at speed without errors.

 

[Tom]

This is one of those songs that if you can handle it, is deceptively easy and makes everyone's feet tap... but I've hard this song played badly SO MANY TIMES that suggests to me that you need to be pretty proficient if you are going to want to play that polka at speed without errors.

I’m sure you can handle it Jerry, but it’s too much for me, and I’m smart enough to know it and not play it badly!

 

[JerryPH]

Actually, I think you misunderstood... I think you can play it well enough and should give it a go!

 

[Tom]

Actually, I think you misunderstood... I think you can play it well enough and should give it a go!

Oh, thanks Jerry, I will take another look….

 

[Ventura]

ha ha.. yes as a
"chord first ask questions later"
type i could only play the Clarinet Polka when
Mike Dombrowski (an original polish Falcon)
was in my band on the Gateway Party Liner
and HE took the chorus and i played part of the bridge
Chord Chord.. da da da Chord (and smiled like L:awrence)
then he hit the
da dA DA Da's too

it takes real dexterity and fully internalized fingering correctness
of technique from much practice till it becomes second nature
(mile a minute Jazz players for example)
to play the whole thing at speed on an accordion

Mike was amazing on Clarinette and Sax.. he willed
his fake-book to me when he passed like 50 years ago..
i learned a lot from him..
still play his arrangement of "Nevertheless"

my Aunt MiMi could hear his melody lines from her balcony
above the river on the Lawrenceville side of town
when we cruised past of a quiet Sunday NIght

 

[Thomas N]

I hate the song with a passion! So many of my accordion lesson years spent on that terrible song. It took so long to play it at speed and even then I would slur notes as my instructor effortlessly played it staccato. I mean I dreaded when we'd start a lesson and he'd say "Ok, let's begin with Clarinet Polka - show me what you've done this week..."

I don't know why I don't get along with that song. Technically, not a lot of sharps and flats. The entire first section is all white notes. I recall seeing Myron Floren play it smiling, never looking down, effortlessly hitting everything to perfection.

Moving on to "harder" songs like Dizzy Fingers and Jolly Caballero they didn't bother me half as much as Clarinet Polka. Maybe I just found them more interesting.

The only song I abhor more is Spanish Eyes and that's because my instructor insisted that be the first song of any live performance and we played it at least once during every practice session - often ending on it just when I thought I got away that week. I guess it was a personal favorite of his or something. Who knows, but I do know I avoid it like the plague now!

 

[Tom]

It was Mary Jo Duda playing accordion in the book. They like the Chicago style polkas.

 

[Zevy]

Clarinet Polka is the first tune that I studied with my teacher, Charles Nunzio. We used his arrangement. He didn't know how to arrange anything simply, even if some arrangements (not this one) were labeled as "simplified". He would insert suggestions to make it even more musical. So - for me, Clarinet Polka brings back good memories.

 

[Thomas N]

Clarinet Polka is the first tune that I studied with my teacher, Charles Nunzio. We used his arrangement. He didn't know how to arrange anything simply, even if some arrangements (not this one) were labeled as "simplified". He would insert suggestions to make it even more musical. So - for me, Clarinet Polka brings back good memories.

He was a great man, Zevy. You are fortunate to have studied under him personally.

 

[Zevy]

He was a great man, Zevy. You are fortunate to have studied under him personally.

Yes, I was very fortunate. I wish I would have used the opportunity more.

 

[Tom]

The clarinet player in the polka band has perfect pitch, and is a sort of musical prodigy, but doesn’t have any interest in learning to read music. She plays everything by ear, pretending to read. We’ve heard this story before. The accordionist wants to play the pop stuff like Blue Skirt, but our Janice just wants the old time Polish polkas.

 

[murathan]

Some find it easier to play on Bb major because of the black keys in the arpeggio. C major also can be chosen.

 

[Zevy]

Some find it easier to play on Bb major because of the black keys in the arpeggio. C major also can be chosen.

The popular choice of Bb is probably due to the clarinet being tuned in Bb.

 

[noelekal]

I can just manage a competent "Clarinet Polka" if (and that's a big if) I spend practice time on it daily. Makes me feel like Myron Floren to play it then, except for I have to look down during that passage with the 3/4 keyboard length jump from the low Eb to the high Bb during that third section with the Eb key change.

If I don't play it always in practice I degrade instantly into slurring and fumbling, even at slower pace. I do get out of the humor to always visit "Clarinet Polka," but it is my favorite polka, a happy polka that stretches the upper limits of my current keyboard capabilities since "Malaguena" seems to be beyond me these days.

 

[Tom]

They’ve finally got a 5 piece polka band together. No name yet, but the first gig this Saturday night. Maybe I’ll play a couple Christmas tunes at the open mic this weekend in honor of Mary Jo.

 

[Thomas N]

I can just manage a competent "Clarinet Polka" if (and that's a big if) I spend practice time on it daily. Makes me feel like Myron Floren to play it then, except for I have to look down during that passage with the 3/4 keyboard length jump from the low Eb to the high Bb during that third section with the Eb key change.

If I don't play it always in practice I degrade instantly into slurring and fumbling, even at slower pace. I do get out of the humor to always visit "Clarinet Polka," but it is my favorite polka, a happy polka that stretches the upper limits of my current keyboard capabilities since "Malaguena" seems to be beyond me these days.

That's the sad thing about aging, Noelekal. I'm mid-50's but have osteoarthritis in both hands. The doctors told me to use them as much as possible if I don't want to take drugs. So I've been doing that for a decade now. You can actually see the difference in my two hands. The left hand has swollen joints that are far more pronounced than the right hand. I feel it's from playing accordion. My right hand gets all the work with minimal left hand work - especially when I was using that damn BK-7M arranger for years.

I just cannot play as cleanly as I did in my younger years. I can still play fast speed runs but they are not as clear or effortless. And I know it's only going downhill from here. Eventually I'll just be that melody and three-note chord guy but I'll still enjoy the hell out of it!

 

[OuijaBoard]

I'm in the camp that loathes the darn thing. That and the John Philip Sousa catalogue are like a demonic plot to make people hate hearing accordion playing.

 

[Thomas N]

Well, what do you know...I found a YouTube video of my accordion instructor playing, you guessed it, The Clarinet Polka...



This appears to be from 12 years ago and the last time I took lessons with Gene was almost 40 years ago!

 

[Dingo40]

I also like the Myron Floren version.
See here: