Roland accordion in Europe

[Alans]

I watch accordion videos every day. Most of the musicians are European because I am interested in classical repertoire. But I have never seen a European play a Roland. Is it not appropriate for classical music or did it just not take over there?

 

[Deleted member 48]

Classical musicians usually don't play digital or electronic music instruments. 

I don't see Lang Lang, Kissin or other pianists playing Chopin concertos on digital pianos. 

Or violinists playing the Sibelius violin concerto with an electric violin. 

Segovia didn't use a heavy metal guitar for the Fernando Sor pieces. 

There is a huge difference between an acoustic instrument and a digital. 

A serious accordion teacher will prefer traditional bellows movement over the Roland bellows.

 

[dunlustin]

http://www.v-accordionfestival.com/



Michael Bridge is a bit of a cheat but Canada is almost Europe isnt it?

 

[debra]

Ludovic Beier, Dominique Paats... Europeans playing Roland as part of their job to promote Roland V-accordions... but when you look for classical players just using a Roland as their main instrument for classical accordion work... keep searching. I don't know them.

 

[Shand79MorinoMan]

As far as I am concerned these electronic  gizmos are not accordions
In my book the Only Accordion is an Acoustic One
Roy

 

[debra]

 As far as I am concerned these electronic  gizmos are not accordions
In my book the Only Accordion is an Acoustic One
Roy

True. Just like a digital piano is not a piano, but I still like my digital piano a lot...

 

[Corinto]

As far as I am concerned these electronic  gizmos are not accordions
In my book the Only Accordion is an Acoustic One

Yes, sure, I agree, ... but my midi accordions now allows me to practice more without disturbing family or neighbours.

Previously I rented a little practice place 18 kilometers from home, now I can save the rent and the gas and the time to go and come, and can practice whenever I feel so. Great.

 

[Reedwarbler]

This one is a few years old but I think is worth watching/listening to.

 

[JerryPH]

I watch accordion videos every day. Most of the musicians are European because I am interested in classical repertoire. But I have never seen a European play a Roland. Is it not appropriate for classical music or did it just not take over there?

In Europe, and well... here too, digital is just not caught up with the classical crowd.  The vast majority are purists, which should not come as a surprise  Obviously thee are some exceptions:






(the above is a classical piece abused in a more modern format... lol)

And of course one of my favs, though he is not an eastern European... lol

 

[Deleted member 48]

I have some déjà vu feelings about digital musical instruments...



Vivaldi - The Storm- by Vanessa Mae 


When the show is more important than the music ...





The digital accordion can replace a whole combo, orchestra, brass band, rock band, you name it.
Its a totally different music instrument from an acoustic accordion.

I really cant imagine Vladimir Horowitz would have dressed up like Liberace.

Its another universe 

Perhaps we should rename the international music competitions, like:
Queen Elisabeth got Talent (the Belgian piano - violin - singer classical competition)
or Tchaikowsky got Talent

Digital accordion competitions seem more about the glitter and glamour, the show, the spotlights, the dresses, the it factor,...

Vladimir Horowitz and Alfred Brendel probably would have ended last places in a digital piano competition.

Roland is playing the same commercial tricks Hohner used in the 1920s-1930s: the music of the coin, sponsoring music competitions, teacher-dealer mechanisms, etc.

Even Lang Lang is promoting digital pianos, but he wont use them for his own recitals or concertos.

 

[Alans]

Perhaps this has been argued here to death but I wonder-I too am confused by the Roland phenomena. I see how it can create worlds of music that the acoustic accordion cannot,but is that accordion music? My puzzlement is this. I know several fine accordionists who have paid up to perhaps twenty thousand for their free bass accordions,or maybe ten thousand for their regular accordion.but with service these instruments will and have lasted a lifetime. With the rapid change in technology what use will a Roland accordion be in ten,five years. Unless you are hugely wealthy and can afford a new iPhone every year, who has ten thousand dollars to shell out for the latest technology another five years from now. As we all know the electronic pianos we played in the eighties are pathetic today. I just don’t understand the point of an investment this great when the shelf life is so limited.

 

[Glenn]

If the enjoyment one gets from playing an accordion is the ratio of shelf life divided by cost then electronic and top of the range accordions come out about evens. It’s a pretty sad measure though in my humble opinion. If we factor in the shelf lives of the players themselves this type of calculation loses some of its utility. 

 

[JerryPH]

Perhaps this has been argued here to death but I wonder-I too am confused by the Roland phenomena. I see how it can create worlds of music that the acoustic accordion cannot,but is that accordion music? My puzzlement is this. I know several fine accordionists who have paid up to perhaps twenty thousand for their free bass accordions,or maybe ten thousand for their regular accordion.but with service these instruments will and have lasted a lifetime. With the rapid change in technology what use will a Roland accordion be in ten,five years. Unless you are hugely wealthy and can afford a new iPhone every year, who has ten thousand dollars to shell out for the latest technology another five years from now. As we all know the electronic pianos we played in the eighties are pathetic today. I just don’t understand the point of an investment this great when the shelf life is so limited.

Generally this is not a topic argued anywhere because it is a question with no one fixed answer unless you ask it with one additional question... what do YOU like?

It's not a question of what is better... both have good and bad points.  Most people would be asking why the heck are you even wasting your time discussing/playing such an undesirable instrument in the first place!  (lol)

Speaking as someone that had gone the route of a classical education on a free bass instrument and also owns not one, not two, but 3 "electric" accordions from 3 different "generations", it was an easy step for me to make because I simply recognized, leveraged the advantages of, and enjoyed the heck out of each.  I get equal enjoyment from playing acoustic accordion as I would playing the Elka/Iorio or Roland accordions.  I invested in them all, like them all, use them all and can have fun with all.

This comes down to one... and only one reason... I like them all !

For me, other people's opinions of what is "right" or "wrong" means very little after I have made my choice, that's what it comes down to, for me anyways.  This "argument" can be made in pretty much all areas... why would you want an electric saw when a hand saw can do the same?  Why would I want a digital camera when a film camera does the same?  Why would I want a car when a bicycle does the same?

Yes, technology based solutions have a lower lifespan... but while it is here, while my Elka /Iorio and/or Roland work, I am using them and enjoying the heck out of it.