Share any thoughts on transposing with the bass buttons?

[hummingbird]

I've been working with a lot of lead sheets and needed to learn close to twenty songs. That's not so difficult with my right hand playing. I can sight read fine, but can also improvise and figure out tunes pretty easily from a lead sheet as long as I've heard the tune.
But my original training was all on the piano. Despite having played for years now, the bass buttons are always trickier for me. The songs I'm learning may be changed at a moment's notice to another key. For right-hand playing that's pretty easy. But with left-hand playing I'm having to train myself NOT to go to the original chord as written on the lead sheet but pretend the new chord IS the original chord and go from there. I can do this at home alone but am concerned that once I'm onstage my brain may go out the window and I'll find myself playing the wrong chord.

Are there any tricks/shortcuts/methods you have used that make quick transposing for the left hand an easy process? This is kind of a new thing for me to have to learn--I've never needed this skill set before now.

My old teacher said just remember the pattern. I've been mostly doing that but can still find myself in the wrong place.

 

[Ventura]

i agree, the pattern is the key to transpose the left hand

let the right hand go on autopilot or solo melody line
for a few bars and focus on the left until the pattern takes hold in your head

the circle of 5ths is your friend here, the pattern will
be the same from any starting position

eventually it is automatic, and many accordionists transpose
FROM the bass side as a rule to guide the right hand

when they call a key change, can you get them to go one chorus
gently to give you time to catch it ? then you all can rev it back up

 

[hummingbird]

i agree, the pattern is the key to transpose the left hand

let the right hand go on autopilot or solo melody line
for a few bars and focus on the left until the pattern takes hold in your head

the circle of 5ths is your friend here, the pattern will
be the same from any starting position

eventually it is automatic, and many accordionists transpose
FROM the bass side as a rule to guide the right hand

when they call a key change, can you get them to go one chorus
gently to give you time to catch it ? then you all can rev it back up

Not sure if I can, but on the other hand I could just wait a little until I know I have it down.

 

[Ventura]

well, you could also choose a few songs that you already know and practice
transposing THEM since you already have those patterns memorized
(probably)

like we had the "go to" standard progression for a lot of songs
when we couldn't think of anything to play,
c
c
c
c
f
f
c
c
g
f
c
c
like Green Onions as an easy example..

once you can play green onions in C you can play it in any key..
just
move that left hand somewhere else and run the pattern

 

[Tom]

My main rule for busking or playing somewhere a song I don't know thoroughly is "simplify, simplify, simplify." You can get a lot of milage from just the root chord. You'll kind of develop a feel for when to go to the 4 or 5, etc. Of course this is not an excuse for knowing the harmony in the key you want, but in a pinch....most people won't notice because your melody is strong and you are smiling with good eye contact.....

 

[hummingbird]

My main rule for busking or playing somewhere a song I don't know thoroughly is "simplify, simplify, simplify." You can get a lot of milage from just the root chord. You'll kind of develop a feel for when to go to the 4 or 5, etc. Of course this is not an excuse for knowing the harmony in the key you want, but in a pinch....most people won't notice because your melody is strong and you are smiling with good eye contact.....

I like that idea!

 

[Alan Sharkis]

i agree, the pattern is the key to transpose the left hand

let the right hand go on autopilot or solo melody line
for a few bars and focus on the left until the pattern takes hold in your head

the circle of 5ths is your friend here, the pattern will
be the same from any starting position

eventually it is automatic, and many accordionists transpose
FROM the bass side as a rule to guide the right hand

when they call a key change, can you get them to go one chorus
gently to give you time to catch it ? then you all can rev it back up

The tough ones are up a half-step and down a half-step. But we seldom encounter that in a fake book; much more likely when accompanying a singer.

 

[Ikesaccordions]

If you practice the left hand and maybe improvise tunes in the treble, once you familiarize it, for example in a key you like to use, you will know it.