Free 30 min zoom lesson & chat

[Grayson Masefield]

Hey Accordionists,

This summer (NZ summer) I'm doing further research and would like to reach out again to the accordionists on the forum, gathering info on technical and musical issues.

I'd love to hear about your experiences with the accordion, your learning and practicing processes. The lesson can be on any playing material you'd like (such as a piece you're currently working on or a technique you're looking to master) and is for accordionists of all levels, systems and in any genre.

Feel free to reply in the thread, pm or email me at gmasefield@gmail.com.

Thought I'd also include a clip from my latest project for International Tango Day:

 

[OuijaBoard]

The musicians are lovely, but this is tango-flavored art music and the dancing is balletic and/or modern-dance freeform, not tango dancing. Is there any tango being danced and played for "International Tango Day"?

 

[Walker]

Hi Grayson,

It's great that you are doing these 30 minute lessons and you have the knowledge and skills to assist accordionists on any system. Thank you for your generosity!

However, I hope you don't mind me making a suggestion here, but I think there are other things that can be done that would be of long lasting benefit for accordionists for many generations to come.

I would appreciate it if you would write a modern method for free bass accordion in English. I would also love it if you would write some short books of music for free bass accordion, perhaps transcriptions of classical pieces or original music too. Ernest Deffner Publications, back in the day, through the efforts of Palmer & Hughes wrote some wonderful and enduring study books for the accordion. The Selections for Free bass accordion (book 1 and 2) are brilliant little books, but these American publications are getting increasingly rare. I am sure people would buy your books and they could have fingering in dual systems - like C system converter button accordion and Quint free bass piano accordion.

Hey, maybe if you had a word with Titano, they might even start to produce a Grayson Masefield Converter model. Now that would be cool!

Also, I'm quite good with Sibelius, so if you need a typesetter...​

 

[losthobos]

Post deleted ....
I promise to try and stop being a monster in the new year.....

 

[Grayson Masefield]

The musicians are lovely, but this is tango-flavored art music and the dancing is balletic and/or modern-dance freeform, not tango dancing. Is there any tango being danced and played for "International Tango Day"?

Certainly, it was both a concert and milonga event. The concert highlighted the evolution of tango nuevo, with a special emphasis on Piazzolla and performances by guest dancers specialising in Tango Escenario. We were then joined by milonguero & milongueras in the Auckland community and performed tandas in the style of the 'big four' (Di Sarli, Pugliese, Troilo, and D'Arienzo). For further details, feel free to visit our website at www.aotango.com/tangoday.

 

[Alans]

Hi Grayson,you posted a questionnaire about a year ago and then we never heard back from you. I’m not sorry about the missed lesson-I’d be too self-conscious to play for you,but I think a few people responded to your questionaire and then you disappeared. I’m always happy to help but I was very puzzled by that.

 

[saundersbp]

I think there are other things that can be done that would be of long lasting benefit for accordionists for many generations to come.

I would appreciate it if you would write a modern method for free bass accordion in English. I would also love it if you would write some short books of music for free bass accordion, perhaps transcriptions of classical pieces or original music too. Ernest Deffner Publications, back in the day, through the efforts of Palmer & Hughes wrote some wonderful and enduring study books for the accordion. The Selections for Free bass accordion (book 1 and 2) are brilliant little books, but these American publications are getting increasingly rare. I am sure people would buy your books and they could have fingering in dual systems - like C system converter button accordion and Quint free bass piano accordion.

I agree completely - there is a very significant lack of decent modern materials for free bass in English. I've been collecting what is available in most languages over the past year.

What is needed is a modern version of Palmer Hughes basic books, and to do for free bass accordion in English what this great publication did for preset chord accordion in the 1950s.

I'd say a modern method for 2024 is a VLE (virtual learning environment), which can be as simple as PDF text/illustrations with link to videos posted on youtube etc. The important thing is that all this is completely free with no attempt to monetise, coupled with the iron fist of an experienced educational publisher for VLE's (not an accordion teacher) and content produced by a consortium of the best teachers out there.

This free access should help people going down rabbit holes of bad, ugly or hard to obtain decent materials behind paywalls. Although a less popular instrument than say guitar or piano, its high time the accordion had something more decent for new learners of all ages.

 

[losthobos]

I use some great piano players for guidance on YouTube....the option is there to give a patron/PayPal donation should you wish ...I often do as very grateful for good inspiration...
Pdf scores often downloadable
Some players also link to their external sites...
Would be great if an accordion player of fine standing (or how about a cooperative of several players) were to follow the same lead....
Erwan Mellec is a fine CBA player who has a site but is monthly subscription...
This has prompted me to remember a fine trombonist and neat accordionist BobM who used to frequent this forum... he'd planned to compose a book on bass studies ..primarily a jazz player but had great sense of harmony and arrangement...his left hand was great but he'd joke that his right hand moved like an elephant on ice skates and trashed whatever the left hand was up to....miss him...

 

[Tom]

This thread has gone way off track as usual, and I wish you (Grayson) major success with this project. That you find some new students who have the motivation, time and resources to appreciate the lessons you bring to the table. I took advantage of one of your introductory free lessons a few years back and it was great but I am not in a position to continue for one reason or another. Good luck to you.

As far as the method goes, if this were the real working world, that many of us retired dentists have left, we would start a committee of like minded individuals to put together a plan, and define the parameters of the desired outcome. Meet regularly through zoom and report on progress regularly. Anyone care enough?