Button-Accordion Tutorial Project
(Dual-row G-C or A-D, with Accidentals)
Based on tunes2play4fun.com & Facilitated by ZOOM
MINI-COURSE BA2
Intermediate Melodies & Tunes
UNIT TWO (of TEN)
Accidentals for Melodies Played on Inside Treble-Row
(Dual-row G-C or A-D, with Accidentals)
Based on tunes2play4fun.com & Facilitated by ZOOM
MINI-COURSE BA2
Intermediate Melodies & Tunes
UNIT TWO (of TEN)
Accidentals for Melodies Played on Inside Treble-Row
SLIDE SET & NOTES - INSTRUCTIONAL SESSION TWO
Zoom Slide 6 = Topics
Although "accidentals" are found in only about one-quarter of the melodies & tunes on tunes2play4fun.com, they include some of the most popular selections on this accordion web site. This Unit covers accidentals in melodies that are played on the inside treble-row. In two weeks, Unit 3 will focus on the outside treble-row. |
ASIDE #0: If you find the "ASIDES" confusing, just ignore them. They are not "core", merely "asides". You can always come back to them later, if you feel like it.
ASIDE #1: You don't need to know much music theory to play the accordion (or most other instruments, for that matter), but it may help to know some. Many of these ideas are easier to demonstrate visually on a piano keyboard. Hence a brief diversion to the piano keyboard and a look at the full octave between middle-C (vibration of 261 Hertz) and the next higher-C (vibration of 522 Hertz) to its right. They have the same letter C, because the second one sounds like a higher version of the first. Oh yes, the term "Hertz" is short-hand for "vibration per second", or "waves per second", or "oscillations per second", etc.
|
Zoom Slides7 & 8 = Octave notes
& diatonic subsets. In the music notation that originated in western Europe, each octave contains twelve unique and "equally"-spaced notes. For the C-octave selected at left, these twelve notes are labelled: C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G#, A, A# & B By "equally" spaced, I mean that each piano note has a fundamental frequency that is about 5.95% higher than the note to its left, which, accumulated over the full octave shown, leads to higher-C being 100% larger than middle-C. |
ASIDE #2a: We can play these 12 notes in succession, on our accordion's inside-row,
for one octave (and one octave only)
C C# D D# E F F# G G# A A# B next C
3 o1 3* o1* 4 4* o6* 5 i1* 5* i1 6* 6
ASIDE #2b: Buttons 2 to 10 of the inside row of a G/C accordion make up a C diatonic set. The inside buttons 2 to 10 of an A/D box make up a D diatonic set. This is the case for all such 21-button dual-row accordions, with accidentals on buttons 1. Thus, the conclusions we draw from the G/C accordion will be applicable to the others as well. Finally, our accordion notation will be using button numbers (1-10 for the inside (i) row and 1-11 for the outside (o) row), and not letters, to represent the notes we are playing.
ASIDE #3: The term "tone" has multiple meaning in music, distinguished by the context in which the term is used. For example, we can say that a vibrating physical source emits a "tone", which travels as a sound wave. The term can also be used for something quite different, the musical separation of notes:
A frequency increase of 12.25% between two notes (such as C & D) is referred to as a "tone"
An increase of 5.95% between two notes (such as E & F) is referred to as a "semi-tone".
The math may not look like it at first glance, but 2 semi-tones = 1 tone
The math:
Two successive (cumulative) increases of 5.95% are equivalent to a single increase of 12.25%.
If all of this is confusing ... don't lose any sleep over it ... it's not that important.
ASIDE #4: A diatonic set, such as the C-set (C, D, E, F, G, A and B), may be defined by the following (major scale) separation-pattern of successive notes:
C to D = separation of one tone
D to E = tone
E to F = semi-tone
F to G = tone
G to A = tone
A to B = tone
B to C = semi-tone then pattern repeats
for the next octave in C.
ASIDE # 5: Personally, I wish they had not used the term "tone" for this separation. In the tutorial pages under the "info" menu on our site, I sometimes use the term "step" instead of "tone", and the term "baby-step" instead of "semi-tone".
for one octave (and one octave only)
C C# D D# E F F# G G# A A# B next C
3 o1 3* o1* 4 4* o6* 5 i1* 5* i1 6* 6
ASIDE #2b: Buttons 2 to 10 of the inside row of a G/C accordion make up a C diatonic set. The inside buttons 2 to 10 of an A/D box make up a D diatonic set. This is the case for all such 21-button dual-row accordions, with accidentals on buttons 1. Thus, the conclusions we draw from the G/C accordion will be applicable to the others as well. Finally, our accordion notation will be using button numbers (1-10 for the inside (i) row and 1-11 for the outside (o) row), and not letters, to represent the notes we are playing.
ASIDE #3: The term "tone" has multiple meaning in music, distinguished by the context in which the term is used. For example, we can say that a vibrating physical source emits a "tone", which travels as a sound wave. The term can also be used for something quite different, the musical separation of notes:
A frequency increase of 12.25% between two notes (such as C & D) is referred to as a "tone"
An increase of 5.95% between two notes (such as E & F) is referred to as a "semi-tone".
The math may not look like it at first glance, but 2 semi-tones = 1 tone
The math:
Two successive (cumulative) increases of 5.95% are equivalent to a single increase of 12.25%.
If all of this is confusing ... don't lose any sleep over it ... it's not that important.
ASIDE #4: A diatonic set, such as the C-set (C, D, E, F, G, A and B), may be defined by the following (major scale) separation-pattern of successive notes:
C to D = separation of one tone
D to E = tone
E to F = semi-tone
F to G = tone
G to A = tone
A to B = tone
B to C = semi-tone then pattern repeats
for the next octave in C.
ASIDE # 5: Personally, I wish they had not used the term "tone" for this separation. In the tutorial pages under the "info" menu on our site, I sometimes use the term "step" instead of "tone", and the term "baby-step" instead of "semi-tone".
Zoom Slide 9 = Diatonic Sets
& Accidentals On a piano, each octave of the C diatonic set consists of the notes C, D, E, F, G, A and B (followed by higher C). These are the white keys. The remaining five piano notes (C#, D#, F#, G# and A#) are accidentals. In this "C" example, the accidentals are all on the black keys. This is not the case for any other set, such as the G-diatonic set (as we'll see in Unit 3). |
ASIDE #6: Back to the button-accordion. The set of buttons 2 to 10 on the inside treble-row is diatonic because the separation pattern of (major scale) notes in its lower octave is as follows:
Buttons 3 to 3* = musical separation of one tone
Buttons 3* to 4 = tone
Buttons 4 to 4* = semi-tone
Buttons 4* to 5 = tone
Buttons 5 to 5* = tone
Buttons 5* to 6* = tone
Buttons 6* to 6 = semi-tone, etc. etc.
This also applies to buttons 2 to 11 on the outside row.
Buttons 3 to 3* = musical separation of one tone
Buttons 3* to 4 = tone
Buttons 4 to 4* = semi-tone
Buttons 4* to 5 = tone
Buttons 5 to 5* = tone
Buttons 5* to 6* = tone
Buttons 6* to 6 = semi-tone, etc. etc.
This also applies to buttons 2 to 11 on the outside row.
Zoom Slides 10 & 11 = Inside Row
Octaves This is a useful way of dividing up the notes on the inside-row of your accordion. Two missing notes (lowest A and highest D) are borrowed from the outside row. There are two complete diatonic octaves (referred to here as "Low" and "High"), and two partial octaves (re- ferred to as "Lowest" and "Highest") |
Zoom Slide 17 = Prominence of
Accidentals Approximately 3/4 of the melodies & tunes on the tunes2play4fun.com site are fully diatonic, without accidentals. The others tend to use no more than one or two accidentals in a verse or chorus. As we'll demonstrate later, it is some-times possible to substitute one of the diatonic notes for a "hard to quickly reach" accidental. |
Zoom Slides 23 = More Accidental
Locations When playing on the inside row, there are two other accidentals that can be borrowed from the outside row. The lowest is found on outside buttons o2*, and the higher is on outside o10*. These two are octave variations of the F# accidental, if using a G/C accordion.(Also, recall the o6* note earlier), |
Zoom Slides 25 = Location Summary
Here we have a complete mapping of the diatonic notes and seven of the accidentals. The empty grey blocks (eight of them) are spaces for accidentals that would be available on a piano or guitar, but are not available on our dual-row button accordion. This can limit our freedom in selecting melodies for our accordions. |
Zoom Slide 26 = Considering
Accidental Substitutions The chorus of Home On The Range has one accidental (o1*), found on the first line. Since the fingers are playing just below it, this is not a difficult button to reach. However, I've included it here to illustrate the process of finding a substitution if you want one. |
Zoom Slide 29 = More Practice
The traditional English song-melody Scarborough Fair is a good practice number for many reasons. If played on the inside C row, these include: 1. It uses cross-playing from inside to outside rows for a couple of notes. 2. It features the accidental o6* (=F# on a G-C accordion.). |
ASIDE #7: The majority of song-melodies on the "tunes2play4fun.com" site are performed in a major key, and end on the key note (which is C ... button i3, i6, or i9 ... for the inside row of a G/C box).
Note that Scarborough Fair begins and ends, not on C (say, button i3), but on the lowest A note (button o3*). This suggests that it is being played in the "A" natural minor key, which uses the same diatonic set of notes as C major. It does have a somewhat sad or melancholic feel to it, as expected for melodies in a minor key.
Note that Scarborough Fair begins and ends, not on C (say, button i3), but on the lowest A note (button o3*). This suggests that it is being played in the "A" natural minor key, which uses the same diatonic set of notes as C major. It does have a somewhat sad or melancholic feel to it, as expected for melodies in a minor key.