playing without shoulder straps

[Deleted member 48]

We have some music shops in our wide region, Belgium, Netherlands and northern France, Western Germany. But we also face some problems: not all brands and models are readily available for playing and trial in the music shops. Music shops only have a very limited number of models at location in the shop.

We are lucky to have more accordion teachers in continental Europe. A teacher can help a lot, I finished my 9 years accordion at music school.

I have respect for UK and USA accordion players, trying to learn to play all by themselves. If there are no accordion teachers in the area, you could try to find an experienced amateur accordion player (10-20-30 or more years of playing) and take private lessons, or simply play and rehearse together. Working in duo can also help a lot.

I think the piano accordion and also the chromatic button accordion can be learned by selfstudy, but it wil be a little bit harder without this help from a teacher.
In history some fine examples exist of musicians who excelled throught selfstudy or with only minimal help from a teacher, some guitar players, eg Andres Segovia on the classical guitar.

In 19th and 20th century many had to learn by selfstudy the accordion. Even when developing on its own a complete individual and unorthodox playing technique (be it fingering, bellows change, holding position), examples exist of very good accordionists. It may take a little more time, but if there's one musical instrument where it's possible, it's the accordion.
Accordion is one of the easiest musical instruments to learn and to play, maybe even the easiest ever.

 

[Matt Butcher]

I have seen Owen Murray demonstrate with one of his students (I think Ksenija Sidorova) how with a good balance and posture etc it was possible to hold the accordion on your lap and play without the straps. This wasn't a teaching technique in itself, it was just to show the value of balance and posture (i.e. if you sort these things out you are not wasting energy fighting against gravity, more control over the instrument etc.. It did help me in fact, I have tried to copy it (and failed, obviously, but I don't waste the same amount of energy as I used to). I suppose that could be (mis?)translated into the idea that students play like this to learn control, but if I understood correctly it was the other way round - if you learn control, it's possible (though not desirable) to play like that.

 

[Deleted member 48]

Was the player's chin holding the instrument in a firm position?
I suppose Owen Murray used a heavy weight accordion +12kg for this demonstration of playing without the straps?
Depends on the weight, a light and small accordion will tend to slide, because the player's chin being too hight to block and hold the accordion in position. If the accordion moves too much, the right hand fingers risk to slide from the keys/buttons.

An old trick and, if you like, playing/training technique is to play (first slow and then faster) with a simple coin on top of the palm of your right hand, somewhere between the base of your right hand thumb and first finger. The trick is to avoid the coin from falling at the floor. It's an old playing technique used by some French musette players, for holding the right hand still and stable. My teacher one played this game with me, but only a few times, he never used it as a technique. It's difficult in fast passages, because a money coin tends to slide very fast from your hand...
I strongly discourage this "coin" technique for Irish traditional accordion music in a pub session or dance music

In fact, I was told by teachers and Russian bayanists, the right hand must be able to move freely up and down, and sometimes far from the keyboard. Not only for theatrical gestures and pose, but also for relaxation techniques.

 

[Matt Butcher]

No chin was used, but yes, a heavy long accordion that would rest easily on the lap. And she didn't launch into some virtuoso stuff, it was just a little demo of the advantages of conserving energy, no more than that. As I say, it helped me conserve energy by trying to follow the principle behind it (and, as I say, failing, but failing better than I did it before). He wasn't advocating playing or practicing like that. I like the idea of the coin (just as something to think about, I'm not rich enough to have all my money flying across the room every time I pick up an accordion).

 

[Deleted member 48]

The idea of holding a coin still on the (side) top of your right hand while playing is more a little trick, I wouldn't advise to use it.
The purpose of this trick is to hold the right hand in a stable position without trembling. It's no more than a funny joke or funny game you can play. It was more a game between accordionists at the local pub or café, to see how fast they could play without the money coin falling down.

It's better for playing-relaxation technique to be able to move the hand and under arm freely all over the lenght of the accordion keyboard. The balance between muscle activity and muscle relaxation is better.

There are other little tricks and games, play in a trio or quartet or more, put the chairs along one row. Everybody plays the melody on his neighbours accordion, everybody plays his own basses. No more than a little game.
Or in duo, 2 players face each other, and the two play the other's melody on the right hand side.

Or if you like, strip your socks, and try playing on the other accordion the melody with your...

 

[Anyanka]

Heres one designed for playing without shoulder straps:

 

[Deleted member 48]

We still have some footbasses in our regions, no longer in use off course.

try shoulder straps on this tiny box (start at 230):

Рустем Валиев. Гармошки - черепашки.
(Rustem Vasiliev. Garmoshka - Cherepashka , miniature type )

http://russian-garmon.ru/other-types

 

[Soulsaver]

Heres one designed for playing without shoulder straps:

I gotta get one of those.... :tup:

 

[Soulsaver]

More history & info here ..