Button-Accordion Tutorial Project
(Dual-row G-C or A-D, with Accidentals)
Based on tunes2play4fun.com & Facilitated by ZOOM
MINI-COURSE BA1: BASIC MELODIES
UNIT ONE (of TEN)
Playing Very-Familiar Melodies (on the Dual-row Button Accordion)
(Dual-row G-C or A-D, with Accidentals)
Based on tunes2play4fun.com & Facilitated by ZOOM
MINI-COURSE BA1: BASIC MELODIES
UNIT ONE (of TEN)
Playing Very-Familiar Melodies (on the Dual-row Button Accordion)
SLIDE SET & NOTES - INSTRUCTIONAL SESSION ONE
Zoom Slide 5
Disclaimer: This mini-course has been assembled by a (mostly) self-taught player, who is neither a professional musician nor a professional music-teacher, but with a tutoring and instructional development background, and with a new-found love of the button-accordion. Hence: No charges, no fees, no exams, no guarantees ... just playing for fun. |
Zoom Slides 9 - 10
List of Units for Fall, 2021 Although the lists looks rather technical, and there is some of that, the main focus of each unit is on your improved playing. Remember that with your microphone muted, you can play as much as you want in the instruction session, and the rest of us can't hear you! |
Zoom Slide 11 Unit 1 - Topics
If this were Sesame Street, Unit 1 would be brought to you by the letter "L". Learning to play the button accordion does involve a lot of looking, listening and learning. However the two most important words in learning are Practice, and Fun, brought to you by the letters "P" & "F", |
Zoom Slides 13 to 15 Exterior parts
In Units 1 to 6, the focus is on melodies, playing the buttons on the treble end. However, the bass-end is still important, as we pull & push on that end to open and close the bellows, and we will make frequent use of the Air Lever. In Unit 7 to 10 we will make extensive use of the bass-end buttons. |
Zoom Slide 19 - 21 Demonstrations
Melodies are played by the right hand, using the treble buttons. Tunes involve playing with both hands, where the left hand adds harmony and/or beats. "Tunes" are defined this way for the purposes of this button-accordion project. Not every musician or music teacher agrees with this definition. |
Zoom Slide 24 - 26 What we need
to know For a very familiar melody, we need to know which buttons to press, when to push and when to pull the bellows, and how to match this to the song-lyrics. It is assumed that if we can sing it, then we already have a feel for the rhythm. Although perhaps we could learn "by ear" using "trial & error", we are going to enable a faster process by developing a button-accordion notation. |
Zoom Slide 28 Push or pull?
Each pressed button can generate two notes, on for the "push" & one for "pull". A push on the bellows closes them, pushing air out of the bellows cavity. A pull on bellows opens them, pulling air into the expanding bellows cavity. This mini-course uses a naked button- number for push, and a button-number with star (or asterisk) for pull. |
Zoom Slide 30 Featured melody
(i) Happy Birthday To You is a classic, with a simple rhythm and a melody that is universally familiar. Play on outside row. Place your first finger at button 5 and your little finger at button 8, covering all the needed buttons with your four right fingers. Start with bellows at mid-point (half-way between closed and a safe-max-open), using air-lever only if needed. |
Zoom Slide 31 Featured melody
(ii) On Top Of Old Smokey may be quite familiar to those of us of a certain age, again with a simple rhythm and melody. Play on inside row. Place your first finger at button 3 and your little finger at button 6, covering all the needed buttons with your four right fingers. Start with bellows at mid-point (half-way between closed and a safe-max-open). using air-lever only if needed. |
Zoom Slide 32 Featured melody
(iii) Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee is a classic in "church" circles, and the melody is really a classic (Beethoven). Play on inside row. Place your first finger at button 2 and your little finger at button 5, covering all the needed buttons with your four right fingers. (You will need button 2 for the Web 2nd half.) Start with bellows at mid-point (half-way between closed and a safe-max-open), using air-lever only if needed. |
Zoom Slides 33-34
Someone once claimed that mastering most skills is 10% knowledge and 90% practice. While the actual percentages may be different, the mastery of the button accordion certainly depends on some knowledge combined with lots of practice, preferably in small non-tiring periods that are fun. Pick one (or more) of these for practice, perhaps the one that is most familiar. |
Zoom Slide 36
(v) Down In The Valley may be quite familiar to those of a certain age, again with a simple rhythm and melody. Play on outside row. Place your first finger at button 5 and your little finger at button 8, covering all the needed buttons with your four right fingers. Start with bellows at mid-point (half-way between closed and a safe-max-open). using air-lever only if needed. |
Zoom Slide 37
(vi) My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean may be quite familiar to some of us, with a simple rhythm and melody. Play on either row. Place your first finger at button 4 and your little finger at button 7, covering all the needed buttons with your four right fingers. Start with bellows at mid-point (half-way between closed and a safe-max-open). using air-lever only if needed. |
Zoom Slide 38
(vii) I'se The B'y is quite familiar in Newfoundland & Labrador. If played slowly or moderately, as a folk tune, it can have a "waltz" feel. However, in NL it is often played quickly as a jig (not at all simple). Play slowly or moderately (either row). Place first finger at button 5 and your little finger at button 8 Start with bellows at mid-point (half-way between closed and a safe-max-open). using air-lever only if needed. |
Zoom Slide 39
(viii) Worried-Man Blues may be quite familiar to some of us, again with a mostly simple rhythm and melody. Play on either row. Place your first finger at button 5 and your little finger at button 8, covering all the needed buttons with your four right fingers. Start with bellows at mid-point (half-way between closed and a safe-max-open). using air-lever only if needed. |
Zoom Slide 41
Given your day and slot number, try to sign in to Zoom as close to the starting time as possible. You will be admitted to the Zoom session at the starting time. There will be time for listening, but mainly for playing. Have your accordion ready. It should be a "fun" half-hour, once you get use to it. |