In the market for something else

[maugein96]

Bella,

Glad the box arrived OK and you are happy with it.

Best go bare handed like Dingo says. Loosen that strap and youll get on a lot better.

I could count the number of accordionists Ive seen wearing accoutrements on their left hands on the hairs I still have left on my forelock, and Ive been bald since before I turned 40.

If you hit problems with your right hand sticking to the treble keyboard try this:-

 

[Bella]

Thanks Dingo. Yes, I had seen some of those posts, and had seen a fingerless glove suggested as an option, which is why I tried it. Fine on my old accordion. Anyhow, I've been getting acquainted with her (she really needs a name) this evening, without said glove. Loosened the bass strap a bit, and that seems better. Perhaps I did have it too tight, though my hand/arm didn't feel in any way constrained. I'll just keep experimenting.

Edited to add - So sorry Maugein - missed seeing your post as it was on the next page to Dingo's. Ha ha, yes I've seen that guy before on YouTube. Someone posted on this forum - you maybe?

 

[Dingo40]

Ha, ha, John: good one

 

[maugein96]

Thanks Dingo. Yes, I had seen some of those posts, and had seen a fingerless glove suggested as an option, which is why I tried it. Fine on my old accordion. Anyhow, Ive been getting acquainted with her (she really needs a name) this evening, without said glove. Loosened the bass strap a bit, and that seems better. Perhaps I did have it too tight, though my hand/arm didnt feel in any way constrained. Ill just keep experimenting.

Edited to add - So sorry Maugein - missed seeing your post as it was on the next page to Dingos. Ha ha, yes Ive seen that guy before on YouTube. Someone posted on this forum - you maybe?

Hi Bella,

Yes I had posted a couple of clips of him before. I believe his sight started to go and he was worried that he wouldnt be able to see the buttons on his CBA. Dont know how or why he ended up with the cloth on the keyboard, but I see that the gimmick has been copied by one or two others. 

He has featured in several Italian TV documentaries about the folk music of Emilia Romagna. I developed an interest in the accordion music of that area, largely because the CBA instruments they use are almost identical to those used in France. 

Im sure youll overcome the issue with the bass strap. For some reason an inordinate amount of theory goes into how to sit and hold an accordion, and IMHO it all gets taken too far. 

Youll see players wearing their instruments in such a manner that defies every rule that the correct brigade deem must be adhered to. Many of them have made a lot of money as pros despite flying in the face of convention. One of the best examples of that was Wolmer Beltrami, who played seated with no shoulder straps on at all. Added to that he steadfastly refused to use his right thumb on the treble buttons, and his bass buttons were mounted on the extreme left of the bass side, so if he had used a glove, sleeve, or any other such adornment, then he would have literally tied himself in knots. 



I think by that time he had started to use an accordion stand, but that was a recent concession.

 

[Dingo40]

John wrote:

. "Don't know how or why he ended up with the cloth on the keyboard, but I see that the gimmick has been copied by one or two others. "

John,

He was probably dipping into his bucket of chips and hot chili sauce with sour cream and didn't want to mess up his keyboard 

(Paul, I don't know why the font size,it just does it without my intervention  :huh

 

[Bella]

I'm not so bothered about 'correct' (though, imo, always a good place to start) - my beginner practising is starting to take me to larger bass button jumps, which become difficult to execute accurately when my wrist randomly sticks/doesn't stick/partially sticks to the instrument.

 

[maugein96]

I'm not so bothered about 'correct' (though, imo, always a good place to start) - my beginner practising is starting to take me to larger bass button jumps, which become difficult to execute accurately when my wrist randomly sticks/doesn't stick/partially sticks to the instrument.

Hi,

If you loosen the strap right off (not so far as it comes off the thread) and try it like that. You can then gradually tighten it back up as required. Biggest jumps I normally encounter in French musette are about 5 or 6 rows, and I can honestly say my wrist/palm never gets stuck on any of my four boxes, all of which have different types of bass strap. 

It may be the case that your arm movement is causing the outside of your hand to rest on the bellows strap? If so, you are definitely going to get stuck on big jumps. Sit with the bellows closed in front of a mirror and try your jumps without moving the bellows until you can do them without sticking. Then try them whilst working the bellows. If you pull too hard on the bellows you'll stick. Once they start to move, the bellows will do so without too much pressure being required, so try and resist the temptation to "lock" your left wrist against the strap. 


Gentle pressure on the strap will allow more freedom of movement up and down, and of course on the push you can take the pressure off altogether. 

I am a pretty crap bass player, and aside from the odd little run I am an "oompah" specialist. However, I have never experienced my left wrist or arm sticking as you describe. If you try and relax a bit. That wrist needs to slide and it won't manage it if you have your wrist tight against the bellows strap.

---

John wrote:

. "Don't know how or why he ended up with the cloth on the keyboard, but I see that the gimmick has been copied by one or two others. "

John,

He was probably dipping into his bucket of chips and hot chili sauce with sour cream and didn't want to mess up his keyboard 

Very good Dingo!

I reckoned tagliatelle wrapped around the buttons would have been more of a hazard, or maybe he was just a "man of the cloth" who played accordion!

I actually tried it and it works. You just pour beer on anything that sticks to the cloth and away you go. 

Highly recommended.

Seriously, "Galinino" became his trademark. I'm sure the name refers to a type of linen found in Italy but I cannot now remember.

 

[debra]

(Paul, I don't know why the font size,it just does it without my intervention  :huh

Maybe someone also posting through the iPhone (that's what you use, right?) can help out here.
Really, these discussion boards were all constructed with computers in mind, not phones.
I always have a toolbar visible that lets you change font size, include images, etc. That should be visible to everyone, but maybe it isn't...

 

[Tom]

Hi Bella,

To post a pic of your beautiful new accordion,  hit "new reply" (not "post reply").  Then, at the bottom you hit "choose files" , the, to the right "add attachment".  Good luck!

 

[Bella]

Thanks Tom. I got that far, and then couldn't because my file size was too large. Can't seem to resize pics on this tablet, but have altered camera settings. Just haven't got around to taking another pic (too busy playing it!).

 

[Tom]

Ok, we'll accept that as a legitimate excuse!

 

[Bella]

Hmm - I didn't exactly mean to absent myself for so long. Got frustrated not being able to post a picture of my new accordion. Tried taking pic in smaller format, but apparently still too large for this forum.

 

[maugein96]

Hmm - I didnt exactly mean to absent myself for so long. Got frustrated not being able to post a picture of my new accordion. Tried taking pic in smaller format, but apparently still too large for this forum.

Hi Bella,

Started to worry that you had sent it back for some reason, but obviously not. 

If you have access to a free photo album app on whatever system you use, youll probably find that you can crop the photo to leave everything out except the accordion itself (no fancy backdrops etc). You basically crop it right down then save your new photo.


Im not a whizz kid with photos of any description, having never owned a camera in my life, but I can use something called Win Pro, which is basically crap, but appears to be the default photo app on my laptop.  

The forum is full of whizz kids on various different electronic matters, but you may need to put a post on the How do I [font=Tahoma,Verdana,Arial,Sans-Serif]board for a better explanation. [/font]

[font=Tahoma,Verdana,Arial,Sans-Serif]Our last house still had old gas lamps and if they had been in working order I would have struggled on how to light them, never mind battle with modern electrickery. I think I belong to the era when the fire was a pit in the middle of the floor, and people burned anything they could get to keep warm. Never seen any pics of cavemen playing Piatanesi accordions. They probably burned the lot![/font]

[font=Tahoma,Verdana,Arial,Sans-Serif]Im sure youll crack it eventually.[/font]

 

[Tom]

Hope it's going well, Bella! Good idea from John, take a picture of the whole room, then crop it to the accordion. I use the "Photo Compress" app for Android.

 

[Bella]

Ok, that's a good idea. I'll fiddle some more, though busy getting ready to go away, so may go silent again.

In the meantime, I have recently contacted an accordion teacher, Ed Moseley (seen his name mentioned on here). I've been getting on just fine teaching myself, but there is nothing like the deadline of an impending lesson to concentrate the mind! Will be meeting up with him shortly after our holiday for a first session. It's something of a trek with a 90 mile round trip, so will probably organise 3 or 4-weekly lessons that are a bit longer than a single session. Looking forward to talking to someone who plays and will, hopefully, be able to answer my questions as they arise.

 

[maugein96]

Ok, that's a good idea. I'll fiddle some more, though busy getting ready to go away, so may go silent again.

In the meantime, I have recently contacted an accordion teacher, Ed Moseley (seen his name mentioned on here). I've been getting on just fine teaching myself, but there is nothing like the deadline of an impending lesson to concentrate the mind! Will be meeting up with him shortly after our holiday for a first session. It's something of a trek with a 90 mile round trip, so will probably organise 3 or 4-weekly lessons that are a bit longer than a single session. Looking forward to talking to someone who plays and will, hopefully, be able to answer my questions as they arise.

Hi Bella,

I was doing a 100 mile round trip twice a month, for about 7 months, and it's amazing what you can learn in a very short space of time. However, 35 years of muddling through on my own then having a teacher who was a convert to CBA from PA never quite worked, and I couldn't quite relax enough to get the best out of it. 

If you and the teach are on the same wavelength it will probably be worth the effort, but in my case I was still battling with the same handful of tunes for the duration, and I grew tired of having to think for my right hand which hadn't been an issue (for me) beforehand. I went to try and improve my left hand, but ended up losing confidence.

Good luck!

 

[Dingo40]

I myself made 100 mile round trips, fortnightly, to an accordion teacher for years. Then a hiatus. Then 100 mile round trips to another teacher for years, then 50 mile round trips to yet another teacher for more years
Sorry to say, I never become a virtuoso!
(But I'm a pretty good driver!)

 

[Bella]

I think, Maugein, that what you experienced with tuition is pretty much exactly why I have decided to go for it now. I could continue on my own, but nothing is too deeply ingrained at the moment that can't be changed. What I don't want is to develop habits that become limiting as I progress. Another reason for having lessons, apart from the obvious one of actually learning stuff, is that it may open up possibilities for playing with others.

Anyway, something to look forward to after the hols.

 

[maugein96]

I myself made 100 mile round trips, fortnightly, to an accordion teacher for years. Then a hiatus. Then 100 mile round trips to another  teacher for years, then 50 mile round trips to yet another teacher for more years
Sorry to say, I never become a virtuoso!
(But I'm a pretty good driver!)

Dingo, 

When I passed my bus driving test I was told that I had become a professional driver. So if a bus in the UK ever runs you over you can rest assured it will be a professional job. 

I only ever did a professional job on one cyclist on a sports bike, who thought road signs and markings were only for other people. Fortunately (for me) my bus had 8 CCTV cameras and my digital tachograph registered a speed of 2mph at the point of impact. He was estimated to be doing 25mph on a pair of mini roundabouts, and clearly put himself in danger. 

He survived his ordeal, and hopefully has thrown his helmet camera away and stopped trying to race buses on public roads! 

I thought I was a pretty good driver until that incident happened, but you can't get it right all of the time. Had he been wearing an orange Hi-Viz vest instead of a yellow one in the prevailing weather conditions (glaring sunshine on a wet road surface) I would have probably picked him up in my peripheral vision, and stopped the bus, instead of picking him up off the road. Railway maintenance staff in the UK wear orange vests, as they will stop a train better than yellow ones, or so they reckon!

 

[Bella]

Railway maintenance staff in the UK wear orange vests, as they will stop a train better than yellow ones, or so they reckon!

Reckon that's probably true. I nearly missed seeing some cyclists on a country lane, who were wearing bright yellow/green hi-viz gear. They blended in perfectly with the sunny, springtime hedgerows!