Button-Accordion Tutorial Project
(Dual-row A-D, D-G, G-C or C-F, with Accidentals)
Based on tunes2play4fun.com & Facilitated by ZOOM
Advanced Tutorial Materials for Individualized Session
An Overview of Harmonic Matching
Between Bass-end Chords & Treble (inside-row) Notes
(Dual-row A-D, D-G, G-C or C-F, with Accidentals)
Based on tunes2play4fun.com & Facilitated by ZOOM
Advanced Tutorial Materials for Individualized Session
An Overview of Harmonic Matching
Between Bass-end Chords & Treble (inside-row) Notes
Tutorial Slides with Comments & Explanations
(If you are not ready for these materials, that is OK. We'll return to it later
in BA1 & BA2 instructional sessions when you have had more experience.)
(If you are not ready for these materials, that is OK. We'll return to it later
in BA1 & BA2 instructional sessions when you have had more experience.)
The next two "consonance-reference" tables are borrowed from Unit 4 of the Intermediate BA2 mini-course, and represent one listener's conclusions about the consonance matching between each note (on the the inside treble row) and each of the chords (on the bass-end). Other listeners, with different accordions and listening skills, may draw different conclusions, and that is OK. Trust your own accordion and judgement.
Table 1 (below) shows that, for one listener at least, on the PUSH, the outside bass-end chord button ob3, provides great (or at least good) consonance with the treble inside-row buttons 2 to 9, but only fair with button 10. The blank spaces show matchings with significant dissonance, usually (though not always) avoided.
Table 1 (below) shows that, for one listener at least, on the PUSH, the outside bass-end chord button ob3, provides great (or at least good) consonance with the treble inside-row buttons 2 to 9, but only fair with button 10. The blank spaces show matchings with significant dissonance, usually (though not always) avoided.
Table 2 (below) shows that, for this same listener, on the PULL, the outside bass-end chord button ob3* provides great consonance with the treble buttons 3* & 6*, and good consonance with buttons 2*, 4*, 7*, 8* and 10*, but only fair consonance with buttons 5* and 9*.
For this listener, on the PULL, a great consonance can be achieved using the bass-end inside-row chord button ib3* with the treble buttons 4* and 8*, and a good consonance with treble buttons 5* and 9*.
This inclusion of ib3* with treble inside-row buttons 4*, 5*, 8* & 9* often (though not always) represents harmonic improvement. For reasons that we will get to in later BA2 instruction sessions, there are tunes where other bass-end chord buttons may be preferred.
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This inclusion of ib3* with treble inside-row buttons 4*, 5*, 8* & 9* often (though not always) represents harmonic improvement. For reasons that we will get to in later BA2 instruction sessions, there are tunes where other bass-end chord buttons may be preferred.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Normally at this stage you have a choice of
Some tunes may sound better one way, and some the other.
HERE, I'm encouraging you to use the press & hold method, playing the chord button for the
same length of time that you play each treble button. That is, you play them both together.
The practice melodies that follow are given with two versions for playing bass-end chords:
Version 1 features only the bass-end outside chord buttons o3 and o3*.
Version 2 features o3 & o3*, and also the inside chord button i3*
Each is first illustrated in the next slide with a single line in two tunes.
You may observe that:
the melody (treble) button-notes are shown above
the lyrics, and
the chord (bass-end) buttons are shown underneath
- EITHER a brief tap of the indicated chord button for each treble note,
- OR pressing and holding each chord button for the length of each treble note played.
Some tunes may sound better one way, and some the other.
HERE, I'm encouraging you to use the press & hold method, playing the chord button for the
same length of time that you play each treble button. That is, you play them both together.
The practice melodies that follow are given with two versions for playing bass-end chords:
Version 1 features only the bass-end outside chord buttons o3 and o3*.
Version 2 features o3 & o3*, and also the inside chord button i3*
Each is first illustrated in the next slide with a single line in two tunes.
You may observe that:
the melody (treble) button-notes are shown above
the lyrics, and
the chord (bass-end) buttons are shown underneath
On way of proceeding: Do version 1 for all the tunes; then do version 2 for all of them.
Alternate: Do version 1, followed by version 2, for each of the tunes.
Your choice.
Closing Comments: 1. In our BA1 & BA2 coverage of this topic we assume that the best
sounding chord match for each treble note, when played in isolation,
will also be the best match when used in a melody. For somewhat
complex reasons, that we may explore in a future BA3 (if there is
one), there are melodies with musical phrases where this is not
necessarily the case, and where other chords may sound better.
2. Coordinating the left & right hands can be a challenge for beginners.
Lots of practice and lots of patience are required. However,
using the bass & chord buttons can add to the fun of the button
accordion.
sounding chord match for each treble note, when played in isolation,
will also be the best match when used in a melody. For somewhat
complex reasons, that we may explore in a future BA3 (if there is
one), there are melodies with musical phrases where this is not
necessarily the case, and where other chords may sound better.
2. Coordinating the left & right hands can be a challenge for beginners.
Lots of practice and lots of patience are required. However,
using the bass & chord buttons can add to the fun of the button
accordion.