Problem with an accordion or lack of bellows technique?

[EuroFolker]

Next best thing would be a video session. If you haven't found someone to work with by next Wednesday, I'll be back home with access to my own instrument and we can try talking things over and trying them out at the level you are at.

Obviously I've heard you play so I'd be very nervous, being a total beginner, doing a video session with such a pro, but I may take you up on it

 

[dak]

Obviously I've heard you play so I'd be very nervous, being a total beginner, doing a video session with such a pro, but I may take you up on it

Obviously you heard the results of me sitting through weeks of recordings of some intermediate-level stuff I thought I have practised to death, with me getting more and more exasperated until I get some recording where I made mostly minor mistakes. And then I figure out that I have the light all bad and whatever and take the take anyway. If I start in a video with a smile and pushing the bellows closed, this is the result of comical exasperation at the umpteenth failure just before.

You don't get to see that. Also this is not an offer to do a concert but for figuring out how your instrument behaves mechanically and to what degree someone on the other side of the link thinks the instrument is unusual. As I said, the next best thing after somebody actually touching your instrument themselves.

 

[OuijaBoard]

I suspect you'll be able to locate someone proficient who can play it for 20 minutes or so on different register combinations and give some thoughts.

 

[Squeezeplay]

You're in Alberta, right? Then you should pay a visit to Edwin Erickson in Buck lake, (not very far south-west from Edmonton).
He can give you all the advice you need and is a very skilled accordion repairer (with over 40 years of experience).

He might as well drive to Ontario. Alberta is three times larger than the . UK he lives at one end, the tech. the other.
People who aren’t from here don’t realize we Canada is six time zones wide. Wider than the Atlantic Ocean.

 

[dak]

He might as well drive to Ontario. Alberta is three times larger than the . UK he lives at one end, the tech. the other.
People who aren’t from here don’t realize we Canada is six time zones wide. Wider than the Atlantic Ocean.

Our house community is easily six time zones wide, with some people having finished lunch before others get up and break fast.

 

[JerryPH]

Well, if you ever think to come visit my area, let me know, no specific reason needed.
I always get a kick from my European family that ask how many countries we’ve covered just covering the distance driving from Montreal to Ontariio and the look on their faces when I say “same country, but we did changeto another province”… lol

And here I am thinking that it is a simple walk in the park to drive 1300km in 14 hours just to pick up an accordion like I just did earlier this week… haha

 

[Squeezeplay]

Jerry, when I lived in Vancouver, we had relatives come to visit from the Isle of Mann. They wanted me to pick them up at the airport, which I happily told them yes, until I discovered the airport was in Montreal !

 

[Dingo40]

Vancouver to Montreal:

distance of Vancouver to Montreal - Google Search

 

[debra]

He might as well drive to Ontario. Alberta is three times larger than the . UK he lives at one end, the tech. the other.
People who aren’t from here don’t realize we Canada is six time zones wide. Wider than the Atlantic Ocean.

I had not yet looked it up. I now looked up how far you are from Edwin (Buck Lake near Edmonton).
On Google Maps Okotoks is maybe 3 hours south of Buck Lake.
(Unless there is another Okotoks further away?)
In Canadian terms that is not very far. Ontario is 3 states over to the east.
It looks like most people in Alberta live in the southern half of the state? That puts most people within 3 or 4 hours from Edmonton.
I realize we live in a much more densely populated area, but even here 3 hours drive to find a good tech is not unheard of.
I have recommended repairers that were a 3 hour drive but are the best for a certain job (like complete reed replacement).
We have many more accordion dealers and repairers, but good ones are far and few between...

 

[debra]

Well, if you ever think to come visit my area, let me know, no specific reason needed.
I always get a kick from my European family that ask how many countries we’ve covered just covering the distance driving from Montreal to Ontariio and the look on their faces when I say “same country, but we did changeto another province”… lol

And here I am thinking that it is a simple walk in the park to drive 1300km in 14 hours just to pick up an accordion like I just did earlier this week… haha

I am thinking that too. I happily drove from Eindhoven to Castelfidardo (1500km each way) for the accordion repair courses and to buy accordion parts and repair tools. I would happily do the same if I were to buy another accordion, to get it straight from the factory. In fact I would do it twice: once to go place the order and once to collect it.

 

[EuroFolker]

I no longer use the used accordion, to fully get used to the new one.

I am attaching the technical exercise which made me wonder whether there is an issue.
If I start with the bellows fully closed, I will run out of air when I press the bass buttons in the last measure.
(O = open, Z = close)

This is when trying to open and close in exactly the same amount of travel.

If I start with the bellows open 1/4, I have the air reserve for the end.

Even if there's anything wrong with the accordion, the only thing I am comfortable with is to have the authorized dealer look at it.

That can wait until I travel there to choose the next one.

I would like to thank everyone for their support and contributions.

 

[dak]

I no longer use the used accordion, to fully get used to the new one.

I am attaching the technical exercise which made me wonder whether there is an issue.
If I start with the bellows fully closed, I will run out of air when I press the bass buttons in the last measure.
(O = open, Z = close)

This is when trying to open and close in exactly the same amount of travel.

Uh, if you play this exactly as written and every bass and chord button uses the same amount of air, you run out in the middle of the last bar just by mathematics. You need to steal the necessary air in between. Diatonic instrument users typically have to deal with much larger asymmetries and fix that by use of an extra-convenient extra-silent air button. The soloist my instrument was built for wasn't sold on foregoing that luxury (he also played diatonics), so a "decorative bar" across the whole bass side will operate an extra-large air valve.

Without that kind of cheat, you need to plan ahead and/or accumulate stolen air in advance.

If I start with the bellows open 1/4, I have the air reserve for the end.

Yes, that's sort of apparent from the notes.

Even if there's anything wrong with the accordion, the only thing I am comfortable with is to have the authorized dealer look at it.

That can wait until I travel there to choose the next one.

I would like to thank everyone for their support and contributions.

I wouldn't worry because of that particular exercise.

 

[JerryPH]

You may want to post a little video of you playing this segment... tempo and technique can have a huge impact on the amount of air used for any given passage. Played slow, loud and legato I can see running out of air on any accordion.