Basic PRACTICE SUGGESTIONS
The Beginner's key to Learning Tunes
CLIMBING TUNE MOUNTAIN: Activities for Learning Accordion Tunes
Learning to play the button accordion is a progression from the hesitant creation of squeaky sounds to the competent and confident playing of musical tunes. It may also be viewed as a progression from a dependance on button-accordion notation for learning new tunes, to being able to play them by "ear" after hearing them only a few times. The list below is one way of dividing these progressions into learning activities, where it assumed that beginners will focus on the first five:
While there may be some beginners who pick a favorite tune and stick with it until they can play it smoothly with both hands, with embellishments, the majority of beginners prefer to learn a larger number of tunes with a focus first on the right hand or treble buttons, following activities 1 to 5 above.
Learning to play the button accordion is a progression from the hesitant creation of squeaky sounds to the competent and confident playing of musical tunes. It may also be viewed as a progression from a dependance on button-accordion notation for learning new tunes, to being able to play them by "ear" after hearing them only a few times. The list below is one way of dividing these progressions into learning activities, where it assumed that beginners will focus on the first five:
- Learn the tune by listening to it as many times as necessary.
- Exercise your right-hand (treble) fingers on the accordion.
- Practice the melody, using the button-accordion notation.
- Further develop the melodic rhythm and pace, with the aid of a youTube video.
- Play & practice the tune along with youTube, as much as possible by "ear" (using the accordion notation as needed).
- Exercise your left-hand (bass and chord) fingers on the accordion.
- Practice the tune with both hands, using the accordion notation as needed.
- Play & practice, with both hands, along with youTube, mostly by "ear" (using the notation only where needed).
- Add your own flavour to the tune, with your own embellishments, as you like.
- Play & practice the tune by "ear" (or memory), without youTube or the accordion notation.
While there may be some beginners who pick a favorite tune and stick with it until they can play it smoothly with both hands, with embellishments, the majority of beginners prefer to learn a larger number of tunes with a focus first on the right hand or treble buttons, following activities 1 to 5 above.
1. Learning the tune
Learn the tune by listening to it as often as you need to. If you have the melody "in your head", it will be much easier to learn to play it, and you will progress much more quickly to "playing by ear". Each tune page contains at least one youTube video for you to listen to. When you find yourself humming the tune, or singing the lyrics, without even thinking about it, then you know that you have it "in your head".
2. Exercising the right-hand (treble) fingers
Exercise your right-fingers, by playing the first part of the melody (for example, the first line), using the given button numbers (for pushes and pulls) in the accordion notation. Don't worry about other notation details. Repeat until you can play these notes clearly and move smoothly between buttons while pushing and pulling on the bellows.
An Aside: Don't worry if it doesn't sound very much like the first part of the tune you just heard on the radio, on a CD or on youTube. Focus instead on being able to move somewhat smoothly from note to note, or button to button, whether bellows are being pushed or pulled.
Learn the tune by listening to it as often as you need to. If you have the melody "in your head", it will be much easier to learn to play it, and you will progress much more quickly to "playing by ear". Each tune page contains at least one youTube video for you to listen to. When you find yourself humming the tune, or singing the lyrics, without even thinking about it, then you know that you have it "in your head".
2. Exercising the right-hand (treble) fingers
Exercise your right-fingers, by playing the first part of the melody (for example, the first line), using the given button numbers (for pushes and pulls) in the accordion notation. Don't worry about other notation details. Repeat until you can play these notes clearly and move smoothly between buttons while pushing and pulling on the bellows.
An Aside: Don't worry if it doesn't sound very much like the first part of the tune you just heard on the radio, on a CD or on youTube. Focus instead on being able to move somewhat smoothly from note to note, or button to button, whether bellows are being pushed or pulled.
3. Practice melody, using button-accordion notation
The aim here is to play the complete melody smoothly and somewhat rhythmically. It starts as an extension of the finger exercise, but gradually the melody emerges.
The aim here is to play the complete melody smoothly and somewhat rhythmically. It starts as an extension of the finger exercise, but gradually the melody emerges.
- Before playing, take a few moments to consider the tune's rhythmic features, as shown in the given button-accordion notation, taking account of its given time signature. In the case of songs, consider also the musical phrasing shown (shown by the "/" symbol in the lyrics). With this in mind, and the tune in your head, you are ready to play and practice.
- Play the tune on your accordion, following the given accordion notation. Practice until your fingers are moving relatively smoothly between the buttons, and your bellows are being pushed and pulled rhythmically, without undue hesitation, and you are using the air button as needed, and you are comfortable doing so.
4. Further develop melody, aided by youTube videos
As you gain experience and reach a comfort level with your accordion, you will probably be able to do this activity much more quickly, and use these videos mainly as an aid to learning by "ear". In the meanwhile, they provide a means of further developing the melodic rhythm. Here is how.
As you gain experience and reach a comfort level with your accordion, you will probably be able to do this activity much more quickly, and use these videos mainly as an aid to learning by "ear". In the meanwhile, they provide a means of further developing the melodic rhythm. Here is how.
- Select one of the youTube videos (in a key that is matched to one of the rows on your accordion).
- Play along with the video, adapting to its pace and rhythm, following the accordion notation, as necessary. In some cases, such as with fast-paced jigs and reels, it may be easier to follow if the youTube video speed is initially cut to 50%, or, as you progress, to 75%.
- Practice until you are satisfied with the result.
5. Play the tune partly by "ear" (along with youTube)
Remember that the goal is to be able to play the tune by "ear" (or memory). Playing along with one of the youTube videos will help, even if you have to look at the accordion notation frequently.
Remember that the goal is to be able to play the tune by "ear" (or memory). Playing along with one of the youTube videos will help, even if you have to look at the accordion notation frequently.