I had
been playing for about six years when I made a conscious decision
to NOT sound like any other accordionist and so I started to
experiment with the possibilities the instrument offered. The
first thing I discovered was "IT BREATHES!!"…
which also meant it could whisper or scream, cough or stutter,
chuckle or howl and it could sustain a note longer than any
human, or wind instrument…(so why are we treated as second
class musicians?) Let's look at a few other advantages our beloved
instrument has:
- Keyboard
speed; try your fastest passage on a piano or organ or guitar…doesn't
it bring to mind tap dancing in gumboots?
- Ready
made stradella bass chords; all set out in a logical pattern
and self contained as far as rhythm and sound depth go.
- Portability;
hey! I stroll for a living at a restaurant…I replaced
a duo on Friday a string quartet on Saturday and other musical
options the rest of the week and it's not because I'm better
than them, or cheaper - nope - I get amongst the diners, tease
and entertain them, keep them eating and drinking longer than
they expected, ask them for requests (y'know…you hum
it….I'll play it) and all the while I'm not taking up
revenue earning table space!!!
- Volume…just
about the loudest fully self contained instrument around…
- So,
we play an instrument with enormous potential, maybe it's
our own potential and mind sets we need to develop.
SIMPLE THINGS AMUSE SMALL MINDS
Remember, when we are playing in front of the great unwashed public
they are "Accordion Simpletons" and have a media inspired
ignorance and attitude to the "SQUEEZEBOX". Try playing
something they know. Play it well and they will applaud 60% you
and 40% them for recognising the tune…then dazzle them with
your "techo" stuff!
LESS
IS MORE…
Take a melody- simplify it- reduce it to it's essence- play
it listening for similarities to other tunes- maybe try flowing
from one tune to the next. Here's an example… "What
a wonderful world" when simplified, becomes "Baa-baa
black sheep" or "Twinkle-twinkle little star".
MORE
IS LESS…
Get hold of some music with guitar chords and make those chords
by splitting the elements the left hand can't do to the right
hand… at the same time try to keep your pinky and/or 4th
finger free to carry the melody line. You'll find a new and
exciting depth to the colour of sound especially if the fingers/thumb
you allocate to assist the bass chords are in synch with the
bass rhythm.
PASSING
NOTES…
You probably call these "mistakes" right now…
but consider this: Of the twelve notes available to you only
two will sound wrong and then only if you linger on them…
three others may sound strange, only if you don't immediately
compensate by:
- playing
them again in the same sequence
- playing
them like grace notes
- turning
them into a jazz chord
- glaring
at a child in the audience
BENDING
NOTES…
This is something we can't really do… except sometimes
on a low Coupler when pushing bellows in HARD… it's pretty
hard to control the amount of bend so I prefer to fake it by
playing grace notes before the note I want to actually end up
on. Try increasing bellows pressure during the preceding notes
and then "ummph" into the main note…say if you're
bending up to C.. go Bflat (soft)- B (louder) hang on to B as
you hit C and swell the bellows simultaneously…If you have
a practice area with a good "reverb" effect (like
a large empty room) you will hear the difference quicker and
you'll be encouraged to experiment further.
MAKE
THE ROOM WORK FOR YOU…
Everywhere you perform has it's own unique ambience… the
smaller the room or the more carpet or clothing in it the more
immediate the sound…use your double reed sounds on treble
and try angling the sound above the audience. In a big room
with reverb or an echo, aim for the back wall in the slow bits
and the sides in the faster bits…try some "stops"
and let the walls bring them back to you…loud cascading
arpeggios sound awesome off the back wall.
VIBRATO
TREMELO JELLO
Try using different techniques whilst holding a note or chord;
- Rocking
your wrist in a thumb/pinky wiggle….
- Tense
your whole arm until it starts to vibrate.
- Rest
your chin on the top of the accordion and vibrate your head.
- While
pulling the bellows out twist your body and right arm in a
rocking or sawing motion.
- Stand
flat-footed on your left foot, elevate your right heel and
put most of your weight onto your toes - then wobble your
leg using the knee as a pendulum.
Did I
say this stuff was gonna be easy??.
COPY
OTHER SOUNDS…
Here's some things an accordion can emulate or fake so effectively
that people say "Wow, I never knew an accordion could sound
like that!"
Train,
Blues Harp, Siren, Lead Guitar, Pan Pipes, Mandolin, Glenn Millers
Band, Dixie Band, Bagpipes, Whistle, Any Of The Other Wind Instruments…And
Probably Heaps More!!!!!!!!!!!!
ENJOY
WHAT YOU'RE DOING…
If people think you're having a ball they get caught up in your
enthusiasm and may even overcome any niggling little attitudes
they may have developed 'cos of bad accordionists in their past.
Hey, I have an uncle in his late 70's who is known in my family
as "WINDY" because of loud'n'bad squeezebox playing…
so now you'll know why I hassled my folks for a year before
they got me an accordion.
THE
LAST WORD
Develop a professional attitude to your craft… remember
to treat every practice as a performance and every performance
as a concert. Know this; a Professional is one who does her/his
best even when he/she doesn't feel like it.
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