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 EIGHT (of TEN)
Introduction to Tunes with Two Beats per Bar
(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 EIGHT (of TEN)
Introduction to Tunes with Two Beats per Bar
SLIDES & COMMENTS
Slide 1 (Tutorial Project BA1 - Main goal)
Slide 1 (Tutorial Project BA1 - Main goal)
|
Welcome to Unit 8 of BA1 |
|
Slide 2 (List of units)
|
This Unit is an introduction to simple-time tunes that can be played with "two beats per bar."
The original notation for many of these tunes was "four beats per bar." As an introduction, and for simplicity, the tunes have been rearranged here with two beats per bar. We'll come back to "four beats per bar" again (briefly) in Unit 10. |
|
AN ASIDE: |
Accordion notation with two beats per bar is not all that common for simple-time accordion tunes, for which three or four beats per bar are more common. However, it is the standard beat pattern for jigs and other compound-time tunes, popular in many regions. Compound-time TUNES are well beyond the scope of this introductory mini-course. (Though it is fun to play compound-time MELODIES, which is how many accordion players cover jigs, leaving other instruments, such as guitars, to provide the beat.) |
|
A general introduction |
As humans, we enjoy patterns with repetition. For example, this is true of the food we eat, the games we play, the work we do, and the music we listen to. This is certainly true of our accordion playing, where melodic patterns are associated with the rise and fall in the pitch of the musical tones or notes, and where rhythmic patterns are associated with the increase and decrease in the lengths of successive musical tones or notes. In this Unit (and also Unit 10), we explore the repetitive patterns of musical beats, their contributions to the tune's overall rhythm. |
Slide 3 (Unit 7 - List of Topics)
|
Beats are musical pulses, uniformly repetitive in time, and can be created in a number of ways.
Topics 1 to 3 deal with the purpose(s) of beats, with rhythmic beat patterns, with beat emphasis within bars, and with their button-accordion notation. Topics 4 to 6 are about Zoom and Home practice, and Topic 7 is our usual look ahead to the next Unit (9). |
Slide 4 (Creating Beats for a Purpose)
|
Melodic Beats can have at least three purposes:
i) as a contribution to the tune's harmony, ii) as a contribution to the tune's rhythm, iii) as a musical clock, driving the melody forward, and perhaps keeping other musical instruments on time. Frequently, beats serve all three purposes. |
Our immediate focus is on the beats produced by the accordion, specifically using its bass-note and chord buttons. However, it should be noted that sometimes it is another instrument, such as a drum set, a base guitar, or a group of rhythm (strumming) guitars that serves as the musical clock driving the music forward and keeping multiple instruments, including the accordion, on time.
Slide 5 ( )
|
b) Even if player don't use the base-end buttons, they can create a "beat effect" by uniformly changing the loudness of selected music notes. They can do this by changing the intensity of the push and pull of the bellows.
c) Remember that the outside treble row is "matched" with the bass-end's outside buttons 1 & 2, and that the inside treble row is matched with the bass-end's outside buttons 3 & 4. |
Slide 5 (Topic 1.1 Melodic rhythm - How long to hold each note?)
|
|
d) Tap on bass-note buttons 2 or 4 for bass-note beats.
e) Tap on bass-chord buttons 1 or 2 for chord beats. f) Alternating between bass-note beats and chord beats creates a beat pattern that helps enhance the tune's harmony, helps create a rhythmic beat pattern (albeit a simple one), and adds interest. |
Slide 6 (Topic 2.1 Representing 1.5 beat intervals)
|
Note that, in these simple examples, the number of beats is the same as the number of notes. In general, this isn't the case. For a tune with only 2 beats per bar, you will find some bars with only one note (lasting for 2 beats), and another might have three or more notes (but, again, totalling just two beats).
c) Twinkle, twinkle |
Slide 7 (Topic 2.2 Representing 1.5 beat intervals)
|
In Unit 6, we are interested in exploring the relationships between:
a) Outside bass buttons 1 & 2 and the treble outside-row buttons 2 to 11, for both pushes and pulls. b) Outside bass buttons 3 & 4 and the treble inside-row buttons 2 to 10 for both pushes and pulls. |
Slide 8 (Topic 2.3 Symbol ( semicolon ; ) for 1.5 beat intervals.
|
The
|
Slide 9 (Topic 2.4) Pairs ( " and ; ) of notes.
|
For simple-time melodies, the combination of a half-beat note (double quote) and a one & a half beat note (semicolon) is common. Observe that each pair of notes spans two beat intervals.
Examples are shown at left, and high-lighted in white. Notice that within the pairs, sometimes the "note comes first, and sometimes the ;note comes first. |
Slides 10 (Topic 2.5 A full-verse example - Molly Malone),
|
Here is the complete first verse of "Molly Malone", showing eleven pairs of these notes (high-lighted in white).
|
Slide 11 (Topic 3.1) Rests
|
What Miles Davis, referring to jazz, actually said was: "It's not the notes you play, it's the notes you don't play." Sheet music is often includes both the notes for the singer and the notes for the instruments. The singer's parts usually include more "rests" than the instrumental part. How long to hold each rest? |
Slide 12 (Topic 3.2 Symbols for, and an example of, rests)
|
We can indicate, in our notation, the amount of time to hold each rest (in beat intervals) using the same symbols we use for the button-notes. This is illustrated at left.
Button accordion players often ignore the rest, and hold the preceding note (sometimes with ornamentation) for the time indicated for the rest. A frequent exception is a brief rest at the end of a verse or a chorus. |
Slide 13 (Topic 4 Featured song-melodies)
|
We are still experimenting with the practice portions of our Zoom session.
One possibility is listed at left. We have three featured melodies: a. This Land is Your Land b: Molly Malone c. Cliffs of Baccalieu |
Slide 14(Topic 4.a This Land is Your Land)
|
If the Canadian version were going from the most easterly point to the most westerly point of the Country, the second line could read:
"From Cape Spear to Mount St. Elias". However, it fails the rhythmic test; "Bona- vista to Vancouver Island" works just fine. Notice that we have only one pair of ; & " notes - in line 4. We do have three pairs of " & " notes. |
Slide 15 (Topic 4b Molly Malone or Cockles & Mussels)
|
Our second featured melody is the traditional Irish song, Molly Malone.
Notice the seven ( " & ; ) pairs of notes and four ( ; & " ) pairs. There are also three ( " & " ) pairs. This may a difficult melody for beginners because over half of the notes involve fractional time intervals. It is easier if you already know the melody. |
Slide 16 (Topic 4c Cliffs of Baccalieu)
|
This song-melody is included mainly to show the rests at the end of lines 3 and 6.
It also is a good practice in playing notes for fractional time intervals. |
Slide 17 (Topic 5)
|
Each of Units 2 to 5 include a number of melodies for additional practice, from which participants can individually select the one or more that they would like to practice and learn. In some cases, extra verses or choruses may be included on the web site. These are the extras for Unit 4. |
Slide 18 (Topic 5a)
|
This was composed in 1948 by Elizabeth Clarke, a nurse at Vancouver's Children's Hospital. It was inspired by a comment from one of her young patients that a bird had landed on a nearby windowsill, and sung to him.
It went on to be recorded by a large number of famous performers (Bing Crosby, Doris Day, Wilf Carter, etc.). In the past 72 years it earned millions of dollars in royalties, all donated to children's hospitals in Canada. |
Slide 19 (Topic 5b)
|
This is a traditional American "country & western" song.
Pay attention to the pair of notes ( ;5 "4* ) in the first line and again in the third line of this verse, highlighted in white. |
Slide 20 (Topic 5c)
Slide 20 (Topic 5c)
|
This song was composed by the late Hank Locklin, an American country music singer & songwriter from Florida.
The song, which has been covered by a large number of pop, country and bluegrass performers, is said to be typical of the Nashville sound in the mid twentieth century. Pay attention to the six pairs of notes using ( " and ; ) timing, highlighted in white. |
Slide 21 (Topic 5d)
|
Although this gospel number is more than 120 years old, it continues to be a favorite in gospel circles.
Pay attention to the four pairs of notes using ( " and ; ) timing, highlighted in white. |
Slide 22 (Topic 5e)
|
Each unit will also include a children's song for those of you who may have young children among your immediate or extended families and friends.
"Row, Row, Row Your Boat" is a very popular song for young children, and a melody that may be quite well known to those who have young ones in their immediate or extended families. |
Slide 23 (Topic 6)
|
Between Zoom sessions we'll use both email and the "For Beginners" option on the tunes2play4fun.com site. |
Slide 24 (Topic 6)
|
This site contains - slide set for Unit 5 - one tutorial note - featured melody web pages - extra practice web pages The song-melody web pages include accordion notation and embedded youTube videos in identified keys. |
Slide 25 (Topic 7)
|
n our next unit (#6), three or four weeks from now, we will introduce bar lines and bars to guide the playing of tunes.
The three featured song-tunes will introduce & demonstrate various arrangements of bass-chord beats. |
Slide 26 (Topic 7.1)
|
I
These will be followed by the six extra practice tunes. Pick one or more that you are familiar with. |
Slide 27 (Topic 7.2)
|
The route to the tunes2play4fun.com
Unit 5 support materials "for beginners". |