Freebass accordion left hand position

[pierrez]

Hello forum,

I'm a total beginner at accordion. I have bought a small freebass accordion (like this model https://www.musik-center.de/fr/hohn...rJ_bNP5AGSV9gdswmG4bRF0bK2iVSOusaAs9bEALw_wcB)


As this accordion is a bit small I found it difficult to play in sitting position (I cannot fix a corner against my thigh) so I decided to play standing.

I tried to practice some basic scales on left hand, however I found that whenever I move my left hand up and down to reach the keys, I lose control of the bellow and it makes big noise. I don't know what would be the best technics for the left hand position / movement, and I found little resources on internet.. Would someone be kindly suggest how to move left hand without losing control of bellow ? Thanks !

Regards,
Pierre

 

[pierrez]

I would like to precise that the loss of control happens when I try to move left hand while holding one button (because I want a legato)

For example I was doing C major scale 2323234 (move hand) 2, and it's particularly difficult to move hand while I was pressing with 4th finger. I don't know what would be the correct way to do that

 

[Tom]

Welcome Pierre!!!

1. Make sure your accordion straps are properly fit and adjusted. Tight enough so your accordion itself does not move much while pushing and pulling the bellows. There are youtube videos on how to adjust your straps.

2. Slow down!!!! Start with one note. Play that one note when pushing and pulling. Then add another note. Don't play scales until you can play one note smoothly in both directions. Make sure you can play your hands smoothly, independently before playing them together. Basically, take it easy, one small move at a time.

Good luck!!!!!!

 

[lmschgo]

1. Make sure your accordion straps are properly fit and adjusted. Tight enough so your accordion itself does not move much while pushing and pulling the bellows. There are youtube videos on how to adjust your straps.

Tom makes an excellent point. You may also want to consider a back strap for additional stability.
I have an FR1x, which is quite light in weight. After adding a back strap to the shoulder straps, it is quite stable and I play it in the sitting position without needing to support the accordion on my leg(s).
Howard

 

[insert-witty-username]

If it makes you feel any better, I have the same problem, probably in a less dramatic version, playing sitting on a standard bass accordion: once the left hand gets very low (basses with many flats), it feels like I'm about to drop the bellows, so it's hard to avoid getting tense and losing some control. It seems to be in the laws of physics, you just have very little leverage down there.

 

[JerryPH]

Those tiny accordions... I thought mine was small:



Yours is even smaller... lol

They are fun to play but yes in a setup, controlling the accordion to make sure it is a little tighter does become important... more so when they get smaller and hand motion is much more than on a Stradella system. Back strap is recommended and a little bit tighter feel to the body will help.

Many may think that tightening the bass strap is a good idea... its not. Having a SLIGHTLY looser bass strap helps in moving the hand up and down the range of buttons and also having something like a wrist cloth or glove will help as well.

 

[saundersbp]

I tried to practice some basic scales on left hand, however I found that whenever I move my left hand up and down to reach the keys, I lose control of the bellow and it makes big noise.

I love lightweight accordions but they are definitely harder to play than a big monster because of the lack of the downward effect of gravity vs. lateral motion on the bellows. I imagine an accordion even with the tightest of straps would be very tricky in a zero gravity situation...

 

[JKJ]

something like a wrist cloth or glove will help as well

Rank beginner here. I bought this from Liberty Bellows.


It helped me move my left hand in the bellows strap without having to loosen it too much.

Prob something cheaper somewhere but I couldn’t find anything that suited me on Amazon. Liberty is great to deal with.

JKJ

 

[JerryPH]

I used an old Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu rash guard, it is the PERFECT material. Ultra slim, VERY slippery and wicks perspiration away from the hand. A BJJ rash guard cost me about $10CA and I can make 8 or more gloves from one rash guard:

The Glove – Accordion Memories

 

[JKJ]

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu rash guard

Brilliant! And I already have a sewing/embroidery machine and I’m not afraid to use it...

I’ve never heard of a rash guard. Around the farm here I usually only wrestle with llamas, horses, and peacocks (a large male can break your jaw with a wing), sacks of feed and bales of hay. I’d bet wearing one would help protect the arms when stacking hay in the summer - I get covered with scratches and itch for days.

 

[debra]

Hello forum,

I'm a total beginner at accordion. I have bought a small freebass accordion (like this model https://www.musik-center.de/fr/hohn...rJ_bNP5AGSV9gdswmG4bRF0bK2iVSOusaAs9bEALw_wcB)


As this accordion is a bit small I found it difficult to play in sitting position (I cannot fix a corner against my thigh) so I decided to play standing.
...

The first thing to do when considering to buy an accordion is to consider the right fit. Small accordions are made for children. Large accordions for adults. As an adult you should not learn to ride a bicycle using a children's bike. You also don't learn the violin using a 1/2 or 3/4 size violin, but you use full-size items. While you can play a small freebass accordion it will not be comfortable. I have one somewhat smaller accordion and to play that I place a block of wood under my left foot to raise my left leg to support the accordion. But for a really small 26 key accordion like yours even that will not work. Playing while standing may be the only option left, but you are less likely to practice for a few hours a day like that.

 

[tcabot]

Large accordions are a nightmare to carry about and pick up, but once you're strapped in, they are quite good, assuming you don't get squashed by the weight.

Since you're a total beginner, the problem is more likely to be in the straps set-up & technique rather than the instrument, but the instrument size does not help. Ask an experienced player near you to help you with the straps adjustment (and keep in mind that you might need to re-adjust the straps depending on the amount of clothes you're wearing. I found that I was adjusting the straps by about an inch when wearing a warm woolly sweater compared to playing naked.)

If you want small, light and free bass, I'd suggest considering a duet concertina or a chromatic bandoneon at some point. Hand co-ordination is a transferrable skill and bellows control is similar-ish on all of them, so it doesn't really matter what you start on imho.

 

[tcabot]

I found that whenever I move my left hand up and down to reach the keys, I lose control of the bellow and it makes big noise.

Another thing to consider is that on a fb accordion I found it hard/almost impossible to do hand shifts down on the push and up on the pull.
Less of an issue on a moschino, but a lot more noticeable on 3-row chromatic systems. I think it's just the nature of the beast, as your left hand is already fully loaded controlling the bellows.

 

[losthobos]

Keep in mind that you might need to re-adjust the straps depending on the amount of clothes you're wearing. I found that I was adjusting the straps by about an inch when wearing a warm woolly sweater compared to playing naked

I always found playing naked shredded my nipples.....

 

[tcabot]

I use these:

 

[JerryPH]

You guys are crazy!

 

[JerryPH]

While you can play a small freebass accordion it will not be comfortable.

I would like to add that though the above *is* very true, one can continue the phrase with "until you learn what it takes to get comfortable".

I own that small student level FB unit...

... at first it was really awkward playing it as it flopped all around on me when wearing it, but I found that it took several strap adjustments to improve things some, but then finally changing the straps for something longer/larger and adjusting them properly, along with using a backstrap made a huge difference.

The type of instrument itself will also make a big difference. The keys on this accordion are not child size and the spacing of the free bass buttons is very close to the spacing/size of my Morino or Gola, not like on (for example), my tiny Titano (kid sized layout, which with adult fingers is a true challenge).

 

[tcabot]

You guys are crazy!

I don't play the accordion very well, but at least I look dang good doing it.

 

[debra]

Another thing to consider is that on a fb accordion I found it hard/almost impossible to do hand shifts down on the push and up on the pull.
Less of an issue on a moschino, but a lot more noticeable on 3-row chromatic systems. I think it's just the nature of the beast, as your left hand is already fully loaded controlling the bellows.

This difficulty is why many advanced fb players use the Stradella base notes for the lowest octave instead of moving their hand towards it on fb.

 

[saundersbp]

This difficulty is why many advanced fb players use the Stradella base notes for the lowest octave instead of moving their hand towards it on fb.

I'm not an advanced played, but I do use the stradella bass/counter bass in a couple of pieces where there is a very big jump in the LH and the music goes fast.

The one problem is the alignment of notes seems to be different between manufacturers which is kinda annoying!