First week on a chromatic button accordion

[jfeagans]

Got my Roland FR-1X button accordion last week and having a blast learning to play.

I am a long time PA player, so nothing new to learn on the bass side. I stuck with the default C-system from the stock Roland and got the Maugain Methode du accordion book for some orientation. After some practice there I went for my old Palmer Hughes books. It was helpful going through book 1 and 2 which I did almost 60 years ago when I started at age 8. Practicing daily enough to charge the batteries in the Roland every day! I am now to book 3 of the PH series and the PH Polka book.

And I might add, all of this is done from Japan where I am on an extended trip.

 

[Tom]

Great!!!!!

 

[dunlustin]

Encouraging start.
Don't know if this is helpful:
How hard tunes are may depend on the instrument: a PA octave stretch, or the fact that a chord shape can be moveable...
Book tunes are chosen sometimes because they fit well on a keyboard.
Maybe some CBA-designed stuff could sit alongside the other books you like to use?

 

[jfeagans]

Encouraging start.
Don't know if this is helpful:
How hard tunes are may depend on the instrument: a PA octave stretch, or the fact that a chord shape can be moveable...
Book tunes are chosen sometimes because they fit well on a keyboard.
Maybe some CBA-designed stuff could sit alongside the other books you like to use?

Near as I can tell from my uneducated experience, we have the equivalent of a 37 key PA here--without the 8va shifts up or down. Two octave stretch is no strain at all. I am only working the first three columns with an occasional reach into the 4th column. If I found a text it would be helpful for fingering. The French text labels the thumb as "0" rather than "1". From my guitar playing it seems the strategy is to minimize moves to optimize fingering.

 

[oldbayan]

As you get used to the keyboard you will learn how and when to take advantage of the 4th and 5th rows. CBA is nothing more than a piano keyboard cut in groups of 3 notes, put at an angle! I play mostly B-griff as I find it more natural to play "left to right". Have fun.

 

[jfeagans]

As you get used to the keyboard you will learn how and when to take advantage of the 4th and 5th rows. CBA is nothing more than a piano keyboard cut in groups of 3 notes, put at an angle! I play mostly B-griff as I find it more natural to play "left to right". Have fun.

I had to let your words sink in for a day then I had my aha moment today. Playing the intro to Luci e ombre, it suddenly because easier starting from row 5 on G. I went back and applied to Santa Lucia and Little Brown jug in PH book 3. Now everything is coming together.

 

[Mr. Hyde]

I had to let your words sink in for a day then I had my aha moment today. Playing the intro to Luci e ombre, it suddenly because easier starting from row 5 on G. I went back and applied to Santa Lucia and Little Brown jug in PH book 3. Now everything is coming together.

'AHA moment', what a beautiful word

 

[Mr. Hyde]

I just transferred to a CBA last month as a long-time PA learner, just like you. Good luck!

 

[oldbayan]

I just transferred to a CBA last month as a long-time PA learner, just like you. Good luck!

It's nice to be able to play both Bonus: if you can play C-griff and B-griff you are a star!

 

[oldbayan]

It's nice to be able to play both Bonus: if you can play C-griff and B-griff you are a star!

C-griff on the left, B-griff on the right!

 

[dak]

C-griff on the left, B-griff on the right!

My instrument has a dedication filed into the bass mechanics, and was likely intended to wean the person it was dedicated to off the weird freebass system he got Venanzio Morino to build for him in the 1920s or before, and get him to change to a standard left and right hand C system. If that theory holds water, the valiant attempt (this is a great instrument) failed since the player used that old contorted system until his death and apparently there are no photographs of him (at least his daughter couldn't find any) trying to play that instrument of mine bearing the dedication to him.

His own weird system was C system on the right, and a two-row Beyreuther (like Jankó but with buttons) system on the left with the low notes at the bottom like it is done with bayans. Oh, and on the Stradella, C7 was followed by Gdim instead of Cdim. Whoever built my instrument did implement that bit of peculiarity he was accustomed to also there, but apparently that was not enough to carry the day for him and he probably gave it back for Hohner to resell it in 1960.

Now in the system he continued using instead those two Beyreuther rows only covered the "baritone basses" in the chord reeds. If you wanted to go lower, you needed to use the Stradella bass buttons and counterbass buttons. Yet another system. He was not merely fluent but brilliant with this thing, and played frequently on Swiss radio in various small ensembles.

At any rate, I consider this 3-row regular chromatic in the right, 2-row regular chromatic (but low notes at the bottom) in the left unless you need the bass octave system crazier than C-left, B-right.

 

[KiwiSqueezer]

... I play mostly B-griff as I find it more natural to play "left to right"...

Please could you explain more about this? I think I know what you mean, but...