An old favourite

[Dingo40]

And people agonise about how and what they should sit on while playing! :lol:

 

[Corsaire]

Thank for that, Dingo ! What a pleasure to see an accordionist looking as if he's enjoying himself ! Like many, I used to sit to play until last summer when one evening we played with another singing group. Their accordionist moved around (he has a built-in microphone), playing in a way that included the spectators in a way that is not possible when remaining static. It was so inspiring to see the delighted reaction of the people watching that I borrowed a smaller accordion and started to play standing. Without the constraints of a stool and a heavy box, the feeling of freedom of movement and expression has transformed my playing, or at least the appearance ! Now it's a question of persuading the singers to look as if they are enjoying themselves. It has clearly made quite an impact on the people watching from the comments since playing in a more animated fashion.

p.s. I enjoyed JerryPH's Guantanamera - it made me smile

 

[maugein96]

And people agonise about how and what they should sit on while playing! :lol:

Tostao is one of a number of Brazilian players who are not content to just play. He is a virtuoso on both sides of that PA, and if you persevere with those clips youll see him play the bass side without the bellows pins, and detach the bass side onto the floor. There is another Brazilian guy who plays doing a slow dance and the accordion ends up being inches off the stage. The music isnt exactly mindblowing, but it offers up an unusual sight to we staid European types.

Considering the accordion took such a long time to be accepted as a serious instrument, a lot of etiquette has found its way into the manner in which it should or should not be played.

Many years ago the Italian virtuoso, Wolmer Beltrami, appeared in a TV documentary that was later released on VHS video (remember them?). Beltrami habitually played CBA sitting with no shoulder straps, and a workmate, who was keen on the accordion, gave me a copy of the video to watch. He commented on Beltramis excellent playing and made the throwaway remark that his playing may have been even better had he worn shoulder straps! Some players only use one shoulder strap, or none at all, like Beltrami. Some left handed players play the whole contraption upside down. In Finland they play standing in lakes, as weve recently discovered.

Basically, it doesnt matter if youre on a skateboard or free falling out of an aeroplane. Just so long as you finish the piece with the bellows closed, you should be OK. I mean it does look better, doesnt it?

A phenomenon which appears to exist across the whole spectrum of musicians and musicianship is that, regardless of what instrument is being discussed, somebody will always try and tell us that there is only one correct way to do things. My late father was a great harmonica player, and played it upside down with the high notes to the left.

Ive been trying to play all of my instruments in the correct manner for over 50 years, and I must say it has paid off. When I look in the mirror everything looks good, but I dont allow anybody else to look in that mirror, in case Ive been kidding myself for all those years!

 

[Corsaire]

Considering the accordion took such a long time to be accepted as a serious instrument, a lot of etiquette has found its way into the manner in which it should or should not be played.

That is exactly the sort of thing that can discourage people. There cannot be one correct way of playing because of factors such as different morphologies, box weight and size, positions, etc etc. There is no one-size-fits-all. There may well be guide lines, but thats all they are ....

Each person finds his own way of playing though of course it can be useful to have some help/suggestions if there is a problem. Strap adjustment, hand position, how high to hold the box, fingering - were all different shapes and sizes and sometimes just have to manage as we can. When I started lessons here in France, my teacher asked me if I used my little fingers to play. I showed him my pinkies and said that there was no problem with the right hand, but a no-no with the left. The top phalange on both is bent (playing the piano as a child ?) and I risk hitting the wrong bass button so manage with the other 3 fingers.

Id rather see players put some feeling into playing, and show the enjoyment they are getting out of it. There loads of Youtube videos of excellent players worldwide, but many are not so interesting to watch as they come across as too mechanical. It can reflect in the music too. But thats down to personal perception and preference.