Button-Accordion Project
(Dual-row G-C or A-D, with Accidentals)
Based on tunes2play4fun.com & Facilitated by ZOOM
MINI-COURSE BA1
The Button Accordion, its Music & Notation
UNIT FOUR (of TEN)
Fine-Tuning Melodic Timing (for Somewhat-Familiar Song-Melodies)
(Dual-row G-C or A-D, with Accidentals)
Based on tunes2play4fun.com & Facilitated by ZOOM
MINI-COURSE BA1
The Button Accordion, its Music & Notation
UNIT FOUR (of TEN)
Fine-Tuning Melodic Timing (for Somewhat-Familiar Song-Melodies)
SLIDES & COMMENTS
Slide 1
Slide 1
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Welcome to Unit 4 of BA1 The primary goal of BA1 is to support your efforts in learning to play your button accordion, |
Slide 2
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All learning involves (supported) self-teaching, whether in face-to-face or distance environments.
Please note the (optional) individual "25-30 minute" Zoom conferences as scheduled with you for Wednesday & Thursday evenings. These are intended to provide tutoring & feedback for you, as and when needed |
Slide 3
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In Unit 3 we played button-notes that were held for a single beat interval or for multiples of a beat interval.
In Unit 4 we will fine-tune our melodic timing to play button-notes that are held for a fraction of a beat interval.. This will open up a much larger number of somewhat familiar melodies on the accordion. |
Slide 4
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Our first two topics today, cover the development of a Unit 4 notation for these fractional notes.
Topics 3 to 5, our featured melodies, provide practice for these fractional notes. Topic 6 presents five (optional) extra practice melodies. Topic 7 looks ahead to Unit 5. |
Slide 5
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We will use Frere Jacques to help make the case for fine-tuning our notation.
If you are already quite familiar with this melody, then you really don't need any additional timing or rhythmic information. However, we'll proceed on the assumption that you are only "somewhat" familiar with this melody, and, in the next slide, will include rhythmic timing information. |
Slide 6
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In this verse we have 32 button notes, of which 24 are held for one or for two beat intervals.
However, this verse contains eight notes that are each held for a fraction of a beat interval (shown as white question marks). Thus, we need to find (invent or select) symbols for such fractions. This leads us to Topic 2. |
Slide 7
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For the melodies in BA1 (and for a host of other melodies) three fractions are sufficient, at least for now:
one-quarter 1/4 one-half 1/2 (= 2/4) three-quarters 3/4 I've selected quote marks (one, two & three) to represent these fractions |
Slide 8
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This is illustrated in the examples at left, for both bellow's pushes and bellow's pulls.
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Slide 9
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Next we return to Frère Jacques our first featured melody.
The fraction we need for eight of the notes here is one-half a beat interval, as shown (high-lighted in white) in the notation at left . |
At first glance this fractional notation may make the melody look much more complicated and difficult.
However, in the vast majority of cases, these notes are grouped in pairs with each pair covering a single beat interval.
Example: The pair "5 "5* at beginning of line 3 is held for a total of one beat interval.
And, of course, if it is a melody you know really well, you will probably play these fractional pairs without even thinking about it.
However, in the vast majority of cases, these notes are grouped in pairs with each pair covering a single beat interval.
Example: The pair "5 "5* at beginning of line 3 is held for a total of one beat interval.
And, of course, if it is a melody you know really well, you will probably play these fractional pairs without even thinking about it.
Slides 10
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For practice purposes, identify the sets of rhythmic patterns.
For the beginner, perhaps the 1st four notes could be considered a simple pattern, which is repeated on the same line. Similarily for the next pattern with repeat on 2nd line, and again on the 5th line. The pattern on line 3 is repeated on line 4. |
Slide 11
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For beginners: Begin with the first line, practicing each pattern. |
Slide 12
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For beginners: When the first line can be played comfortably, move to the second line,
and so on for the remainder of the verse. Finally play the whole verse without stopping, maintaining the rhythm shown. |
Slide 13
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Our second featured melody, On Top of Old Smokey, is a traditional American folk song that may be somewhat familiar to you.
Note that there is only one pair of half-interval notes here (line 4 in white). |
Slide 14
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Review the rhythmic patterns.
Note the identical pattern in lines 1 & 3. Then, compare the melodic rhythms in lines 2 and 4, where the patterns are nearly identical.
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The composer could have simplified the final line as "For court-ing too slow" and held the first note for one beat interval. Then the rhythmic patterns on the 2nd & 4th lines would have been identical. However, I sense that the way it is written above, with the half-beat notes, makes the melody rhythmically more interesting.
Slide 15
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Start your practice with the first line, repeating until it feels comfortable.
Then move onto the next line, and so on, until the verse is complete. After doing the "one line at a time" practice, then play the whole verse through without stopping. |
Slide 16
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A third featured song-melody is the somewhat familiar Irish composition Galway Bay.
This is the first verse. There are 18 pairs of half-interval notes here (in white). We'll repeat the practice steps from the first song-melody. This song may come back in a future mini-course as a great left-hand "beat" exercise. |
Slide 17
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Do you see any rhythmic patterns here?
Lines 1 & 3 have identical rhythmic patterns. Lines 2 & 4 also have nearly identical patterns (except for final tilde symbol in line 4). . |
Slide 18
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Practice, starting with line 1, as in previous featured melodies.
Continue ( one line at a time ) until you are comfortable with the full verse. |
Slide 19
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These five (optional) extra practice numbers all include some notes that are held for half a beat interval.
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Slide 20
Slide 20
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Black Velvet Band is a traditional Irish song that was popularized in the 1960s by Harry Hibbs, and has since been covered by a large number of performers.
Notice the identical lyrical and rhythmic patterns in lines 2 and 4, and both the similarities and the differences between lines 1 and 3. |
Slide 21
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This is the first verse of John Denver's "Annie's Song".
To check the rhythmic patterns, this is best viewed as an 8-line verse. At left, due to lack of space, the first four lines of the song are printed on two lines of the slide. See the Unit 4 version on tunes2play4fun.com (For Beginners) for a better layout. |
THREE OBSERVATIONS ON THE TILDE ( ~ ) SYMBOL (Annie's Song):
1. The tilde symbol ( ~ ) at the end of each line above means that the button note should be held longer, which, for this song, is two extra beat intervals, except for last line of each verse, which is three extra beat intervals.
2. Singers frequently "rest" their voices for such beat intervals at the end of lines, instead of holding the singing note the whole time; this is quite common for vocal performances.
3. While most accordion players will simply hold such notes longer, as indicated in Observation 1, others may actually also "rest", while still others may substitute embellishments or ornamentations (but more about this later).
1. The tilde symbol ( ~ ) at the end of each line above means that the button note should be held longer, which, for this song, is two extra beat intervals, except for last line of each verse, which is three extra beat intervals.
2. Singers frequently "rest" their voices for such beat intervals at the end of lines, instead of holding the singing note the whole time; this is quite common for vocal performances.
3. While most accordion players will simply hold such notes longer, as indicated in Observation 1, others may actually also "rest", while still others may substitute embellishments or ornamentations (but more about this later).
Slide 22
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This song-melody, Rose in Her Hair, has both American and Canadian authorship.
The melody and the first verse lyrics were written by Harry Warren and Al Dubin, respectively, for the film "Broadway Gondalier" in 1935. In the 1980s Bud Davidge and Sim Savory (of Simani) added two verses and an ending, along with some rhythmic and tempo changes. |
THREE OBSERVATIONS ON THE TILDE ( ~ ) SYMBOL (Rose in Her Hair):
1. The tilde symbol ( ~ ) at the end of some lines above means that the button note should be held longer, which, for this song, is three extra beat intervals.
2. & 3. See previous observations on the tilde ~
1. The tilde symbol ( ~ ) at the end of some lines above means that the button note should be held longer, which, for this song, is three extra beat intervals.
2. & 3. See previous observations on the tilde ~
Slide 23
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The lyrics and music for the gospel song In the Sweet By and By were written by S. F. Bennet and J. P. Webser, respectively, in 1868.
Identify the rhythmic patterns. Note that there are 12 pairs of button notes, for which each note is held for one-half a beat interval. |
Slide 24
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If You're Happy And You Know It is a fun action song, with many notes that are each held for half a beat interval, and some notes that are held for a full beat.
This is the first "melody" that asks you to play a bass-end button ... not enough to really make it a "tune," but fun, anyway. This song may come back in a future mini-course as a great left-hand "beat" exercise. |
Slide 25
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In our next unit (#5), we will consider notation for button notes that are held for one and a half beat intervals.
Our three featured melodies will be: a) This Land is Your Land b) Molly Malone c) Cliffs of Baccalieu The five (optional) extra-practice melodies for Unit 5 are listed at left. |
Slide 26
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The route to the tunes2play4fun.com
Unit 4 support materials "for beginners". |