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 THREE (of TEN)

​Accidentals for Melodies Played on Outside Treble-Row

Return to BA2- Unit 3
SLIDE SET & NOTES - INSTRUCTIONAL SESSION THREE

​
Zoom Slides 1 to 3

Welcome to Unit 3 of BA2, our intermediate-level dual-row button-accordion mini-course.

This mini-course, like BA1 before it, is based on the premise that all learning involves a lot of (supported) self-teaching.
Zoom Slide 4       

Welcome to Unit 3 - accidentals (for
​                           outside-row melodies)

​Note that Units 1-3 cover intermediate-level "melodies;" 

Unit 4 is on chordal "harmony;"

Unit 5 is on "tunes" & chordal harmony;

and Units 6 to 10 (winter, 2022) will be on intermediate-level tunes.
Zoom Slide 5 - List of topics
​(Repeat) 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.

Many of these "asides", indeed much of this commentary, is very similar to that of Unit 2, except that here it is applied to accidentals used in melodies played on the outside row (in our examples, the G-row).

​ASIDE #1   The accordions referred to in this BA1 mini-course are:
  • Dual row, with rows a 4th apart (like G-C, or A-D, or C-F)
  • Diatonic for buttons 2 to bottom
  • Accidentals on buttons 1
  • Fully transposable among similar accordions.
  • Mostly transposable between rows, but with some exceptions.​
Zoom Slide 6

By transposable, we mean that we can take our accordion notation and play it on a G-C box, on an A-D box, and on a C-F box, and many more, provided we play it on the same row and buttons.

For many melodies the accordion is also transposable between rows, but with some exceptions.
Zoom Slide 7  =  Topics

The piano highlights the 12 notes (7 white and 5 black) in each octave.

The seven white keys in each C octave are a good starting point for looking for the pattern of increasing pitch (or frequency) values that define the diatonic major scale.
​(Repeat) ASIDE #2:   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 approximately 12% between two notes (such as C & D) is referred to as
a "tone", though I prefer the term "step".   An increase of about 6% between two notes (such as E & F) is referred to as a "semi-tone", though I prefer "half-step".

The math may not look like it at first glance, but 2 semi-tones = 1 tone 
(same as 2 half-steps = 1 step)
​

ASIDE #3:   A diatonic set, such as the G-set (G, A, B, C, D, E, F# and, G), may be defined by the following (major scale) pattern of successive pitches or frequencies.:
                                                                                   G to A  = separation of one tone (or step)
                                                                                   A to B  =  tone (or step)
                                                                                   B to C  = semi-tone (or half-step)
                                                                                   C to D  = tone (or step)
                                                                                   D to E  = tone (or step)
                                                                                   E to F# = tone (or step)
                                                                                   F# to G = semi-tone (or half-step) then the
                                                                                                                      pattern repeats for the
                                                                                                                      next octave in G.

If all of this is confusing ... don't lose any sleep over it ... it's not that important.


ASIDE #4:   The following slides show the diatonic pattern of increasing pitches (or, if you prefer, frequencies) for the octave between buttons 3 and 6 on our accordions, and one shows the same pattern between buttons 6 and 9.

Notice the "step step half-step step step step half-step" pattern.

IMPORTANT:  Notice that the pattern is identical in each of the following slides.  This pattern is what we mean when we say that our button accordions are diatonic.  The fact that the pattern is the same for all of them is what makes them transposable.
Zoom Slide 8:  G-C Accordion

Inside (C) row (Buttons 3 to 6)
Zoom Slide 9:  G-C Accordion

Inside (C) row (Buttons 6 to 9)

​
Zoom Slide 10:  G-C Accordion

Outside (G) row (Buttons 3 to 6)
Zoom Slide 11:  A-D Accordion

Inside (D) row (Buttons 3 to 6)
Zoom Slide 12:  A-D Accordion

Outside (A) row (Buttons 3 to 6)
Zoom Slide 13:  C-F Accordion

Inside (F) row (Buttons 3 to 6)
Zoom Slide 14

For many melodies, we can transpose directly between rows - meaning we can play the melody on either row following the same notation.

This is NOT the case for melodies that include missing notes.

Nor is it simply the case for melodies that include ACCIDENTALS.

For ACCIDENTALS, we must modify our notation for different rows

NOW . . .  ON TO UNIT 3,  ACCIDENTALS FOR OUTSIDE-ROW MELODIES

Although "accidentals" are found in only about one-quarter of the melodies & tunes on tunes2play4fun.com, they include some of the most popular selections and pages.

Zoom Slide 15

​(Repeat) In the music notation that originated in western Europe, each octave contains twelve unique and "equally"-spaced notes.  For the G-octave selected at left, these twelve notes are labelled:

G, G#, A, A#, B, C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#

By "equally" spaced, I mean that each piano note has a fundamental frequency that is about 6% higher than the note to its left, which, accumulated over the full octave shown, results in the high-G being 100% larger than the low-G.
ASIDE #5 (mostly repeat):   Buttons 2 to 11 of the outside row of a G/C accordion make up a G diatonic set. The outside buttons 2 to 11 of an A/D box make up an A 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 (2-10 for the inside (i) row and 2-11 for the outside (o) row), and not letters, to represent the diatonic set of notes we are playing.
Zoom Slide 16 

On a piano, each octave of the G diatonic set consists of the notes G, A, B, D, E, & F# (followed by higher G).
​These are 6 white keys & 1 black key.

For the G-set, the remaining five piano notes (C#, D#, F, G# and A#) are accidentals.

Now that we have identified the accidentals, we have to locate them among our accordion buttons.
Zoom Slides 17

This is a useful way of dividing up the notes on the outside-row of your accordion. 

Two missing notes, highest C (=i9) and highest E(=i10), are borrowed from the inside row.

​There is also a note (lowest E) that is missing, and cannot be borrowed.
Zoom Slides 13 - 14

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 15 

If we focus on the "Low" octave in G,
we can identify three accidentals (C#, D#, & F) and their button locations on the outside (o) and inside (i) rows.  
                  C#  on button o1
                  D#  on button o1*
            low F    on button i4*

​These accidentals appear in the upper half of the low octave in G.
​ASIDE #6:  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 Slide 16

 The first verse of "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You" has two accidentals, o1* and o1, both in line 3.
Zoom Slide 17

This popular song by Richard Rogers (music) and Oscar Hammerstein II (lyrics) was the opening song in the musical Oklahoma, 1943.

The chorus features an accidental, i4*, on the first line,
Zoom Slide 18    

Next we focus on the "High octave in G,
and identify three more accidentals    (G#, A#, & high F) and their button locations on the inside (i) rows.  
                  G#  on button i1*
                  A#  on button i1
           high F   on button i8*

​The first two of these accidentals appear in the lower half of the high octave in G.
Zoom Slide 19 

The first verse of Galway Bay has one accidental (i1*) in the fourth line. 
Zoom Slide 20    

The first verse of "Blues Eyes Crying in the Rain" has an accidental (i8*) that appears twice in the first line.
Zoom Slides 21

Here we have a complete mapping of the G diatonic set of notes (outside row) and six of the accidentals. 

The empty grey blocks (ten 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 22 

The first verse of "I Overlooked An Orchid" has two accidentals (i1 & o1*), with the i1 appearing at the beginning of lines 2, 3 & 4.

The i1 note is preceded by button 5 and follwed by button 7.  Many players, even experienced ones, may find it difficult to pick up the i1 note without loosing the rhythm of the piece.

​
Zoom Slide 23

Continuing from Slide 22, the substitution for i1* can be the outside-row button 6, and the substitute for o1* can be the outside-row button 5.
Zoom Slide 24

Here are four more melodies for your consideration as home-practice numbers.

There may, or may not, be time to demonstrate them in our Unit 2 Instruction period.  However, each is accompanied on site by a number of youTube videos.
Zoom Slide 25

The first verse of  "Bye Bye Love" has one accidental (o1) on the third line.
Slides 26

The second half of the chorus for "Grey Foggy Day" has one accidental (i4*) on the first line, at left.
Zoom Slide 27  

The first half of the first verse of "America The Beautiful" has one accidental (i1*), in line 4 at left.
Zoom Slide 28

​The chorus of "Just a Closer Walk With Thee" has two accidental (o1* & o1) that appear in the first line at left.
Slide 29

Just reminding everyone about the individualized slots next week.

​Checking to see if any slot swapping is needed.
Slides 30 & 31

In Unit 4 we move on to tunes, but with an emphasis on harmony.

​
Slide 32
​
See you next week for the individualized Unit-3 sessions,
and in two weeks for Unit 4.