SILENT NIGHT - Group participation!

[JeffJetton]

Nice job, Anyanka!

 

[jozz]

I cant hear anything is it made on a Mac? My PC cant deal with Mac MP3s.

Great job :!: and I dont know, its made on Windows 7 with the LAME encoder to mp3. It plays back in my Windows Media Player, but we might make a video of it soon.

 

[JerryPH]

Good job! We have another winner.
Now... how did you train your dog to sound JUST like Rudolph? :lol:

 

[Keymn]

Your performances, is something I miss.
Been Gigging frequently and keeping up with the “trends” of music styles, sometimes just pays the bills. Will be making my trip to Phoenix first week of January, no gigs to deal with at least the first quarter of the year, hopefully. A chance to play for myself in a new environment.
Although, last Sunday and Monday performed at Bonett House Museum “Holiday Nights”. Did not use my accordion, played my Korg PA3x. Played those Christmas and holiday tunes with the Mannheim feel. No need to put on a show, just some nice background while visitors toured the museum. Was able to combine 3 orchestras on the melody! Next step midi out channel on the accordion right hand, add another orchestration and accordion. 5 parts? Something I never done before...

This holiday season I am so grateful to be a part of this forum. Thanks for the music you share. Taking a simple approach to music performances has been my lifetime goal...wish you well.

 

[Geronimo]

This holiday season I am so grateful to be a part of this forum. Thanks for the music you share. Taking a simple approach to music performances has been my lifetime goal...wish you well.

Well, Jerrys video creation arts are not what I call a simple approach. He did made me smile with his cheesy background alone. The video part of my creations has more of a proof I did it even while greatly annoyed character than adding artistic content. I still do it because it tends to make stuff more tangible in some manner.

Anyankas track actually was the most straightforward version I would actually consider for serious play for me. Ill probably ring up another version with a different instrument basically using the original score (which is for soprano and alto and either guitar or organ positive) and going for an organesque sound in one stanza (some things can be done without electronics). It would have been an opportunity to employ the free bass, but to be honest, this score maps ridiculously straightforwardly to standard bass so there seems little point in that.

I have to admit that I also thought of trying to do something with the help of my old Solton arranger, but when idling through Youtube videos, preexisting versions on comparable or better equipment from people much more skilled with it left me seriously underwhelmed.

 

[TomBR]

Ive always liked the story, whether its true or not, that Franz Gruber wrote a Tune for Silent Night but that it was only when he wrote a harmony line to it that the magical melody we know appeared. Not just trying to be different but my effort is inspired by that story and based on old memories of a Silent Night tenor line. Cassotto on the treble and a rare chance for the tenor coupler on the bass.
All including sound is just from a Canon Ixus.
<YOUTUBE id=ztDHOyFWI0A url=></YOUTUBE>

And oh dear, doesnt doing a video tell you a lot.... Nuff said! Close cropping based on a view that the world isnt ready for the funny faces I was making! :x :roll: :?

[Edit] Just checked, it mostly still works with the tune, apart from that seventh button I couldnt resist! (Tuning A443)

 

[jozz]

And oh dear, doesnt doing a video tell you a lot.... Nuff said! Close cropping based on a view that the world isnt ready for the funny faces I was making! :x :roll: :?

the important part is that you did it :ch

otherwise just wear sunglasses

 

[Geronimo]

Ill probably ring up another version with a different instrument basically using the original score (which is for soprano and alto and either guitar or organ positive) and going for an organesque sound in one stanza (some things can be done without electronics). It would have been an opportunity to employ the free bass, but to be honest, this score maps ridiculously straightforwardly to standard bass so there seems little point in that.

And here we are. My time ran out on this one (there is always someone sleeping in this house), so I had to mush together a few half-good versions and settle for two stanzas. This is a different instrument than the last take (the Morino Artiste VID in the previous take is for sale, this one isnt). While I dont make use of its free bass in this version, I do make use of most of its reeds in the second stanza.

The resulting sound is rather organ-like when played at large volume. While the bass reeds themselves lack the punch the other instrument has due to its bass cassotto, the large amount of coupled chord reeds make up in volume if not in depth.
<YOUTUBE id=W-MfHLGm9gw url=>[media]</YOUTUBE>

 

[JerryPH]

Lovely sound... you have Free Bass on that one, have you tried a version where you inverse the hands, play the melody on the left and the harmony on the right?

 

[Geronimo]

Lovely sound... you have Free Bass on that one, have you tried a version where you inverse the hands, play the melody on the left and the harmony on the right?

Interesting idea but I doubt it would work well for Silent Night: the left hand has a really piercing sound in its treble range, sort of the antithesis to cassotto (my last orchestra use was for some Wilhelm Tell solo in a Rossini medley). Ill give it a try but youll have to wait a few days: switching hands is not something Ill be pulling off sightreading, I think.

 

[losthobos]

Lovely too see everyones interpretations...thank you all.feels like im part of a family.....heres mine..
Though may be more aptly titled Hark the Herald Canary Sings...

 

[JerryPH]

Very nice! Your bird also seems to approve and adds some backing vocals... lol I am really having fun and enjoying each rendition everyone is sharing. It is interesting to see the various styles appearing!

 

[JerryPH]

Ill give it a try but youll have to wait a few days: switching hands is not something Ill be pulling off sightreading, I think.

I might try that today just for fun... The perfect reason to try out my latest little red Hohner (the one that is only Free Bass on the left hand).

 

[Anyanka]

Lovely too see everyones interpretations...thank you all.feels like im part of a family.....heres mine..
Though may be more aptly titled Hark the Herald Canary Sings...

Very nice playing, losthobos, but most of all I LOVE that canary warbling away above the melody! S/he sounds like a very happy little bird

 

[JerryPH]

Well, Jerrys video creation arts are not what I call a simple approach. He did made me smile with his cheesy background alone. <snip> ...I still do it because it tends to make stuff more tangible in some manner.

Well, its not ordinary, but they are quite simple... 1 video camera, sound going straight in to it, and 15 minutes on a video editing program... easy-peasy.

If it was the digital aspect that wasnt right, I made a remake, using 2 acoustic accordions, but again, not played in a standard manner.

Interesting idea but I doubt it would work well for Silent Night: the left hand has a really piercing sound in its treble range, sort of the antithesis to cassotto (my last orchestra use was for some Wilhelm Tell solo in a Rossini medley). Ill give it a try but youll have to wait a few days: switching hands is not something Ill be pulling off sightreading, I think.

I had to try it because the idea intrigued me. {}
I had 45 minutes today to play, and I ran through the song 2-3 times and recorded it twice... and made a video playing the song on my Free Bass accordions, using the let hand for the melody and the right for the harmony. 15 minutes on the computer again to edit the video and upload to YouTube, and... here is that version. I purposely did nothing technically difficult, trying to keep it as simple as possible. Anyway for what it is worth, here is the easier, simpler, unpracticed and raw versions of Silent Night on 2 Free Bass accordions.

<YOUTUBE id=-m_DBSzegS8 url=></YOUTUBE>

 

[Keymn]

Jerry,
Wow! Free Bass. Something I never tried.
We can Still simplify and be an expert musician such as you. Maybe I am a little weird , but I get lost when musicians overplay their chops. You have a passion for your accordions and I see it in your playing...Smoooooooooth...

 

[JerryPH]

Oh goodness... I am NOT an expert (but thank-you!), though I would love to get a lot better than I am... and I will. Thank-you for the kind words. I feel that you and I (and many others here as well), definitely share that passion.

What a good idea this thread was. It brought me back a little to my roots!

 

[Keymn]

I will never forget singing in an 8th grade choir “Silent Night”. The sopranos did a fill-in part. If I only had that arrangement!
Being an expert, in my opinion, is playing from the heart and paying special attention to your audience...
The backdrop is a plus helping to capture your audience.

 

[jozz]

Jerry,
I love how you did that. I have a question: how difficult is it to play free bass on the black Hohner as opposed to the red one? I see the free bass rows are further from the hand and you have to reach around more? Is that still doable? This came up in another thread on the same layout on an instrument I've been thinking about getting for myself.

 

[Geronimo]

I have a question: how difficult is it to play free bass on the black Hohner as opposed to the red one? I see the free bass rows are further from the hand and you have to reach around more? Is that still doable? This came up in another thread on the same layout on an instrument Ive been thinking about getting for myself.

Well, I cannot speak for Jerry, but I do use a free bass like on his Hohner frequently, and I also use the free bass on a Roland FR-1b occasionally where its in the outer rows. While the reaching around really precludes thumb use, it decouples bellows and finger action better. If your hand size is ok with that (neither Jerry nor I appear to have dainty hands), its not really bad.

But you wouldnt want to do it while standing up, I guess. If you really, really need a stage compromise that cannot be served by a high chair/stool, putting the left foot on a chair might work. That way, your left thigh can support some of the accordion weight.