The past week or so I've broken away from the illusion/delusion that since I know keyboard I can play accordion like I play piano. I began piano as a beginner, so why not look at accordion with a beginner's eyes too?
It helped me to find a tune I was familiar with in the Palmer-Hughes preparatory accordion books recently received. I remember this tune from my youth and don't know whether it's solely attributed to the Palmer-Hughes writers - which may be, but I think its origin is some German composer or folk tune, maybe? If you know comment please, I'm curious. It may have been one that the piano teacher gave me for my lessons but my memory is telling me it originates somewhere else. And my reservoir of musical knowledge is fairly shallow!
So I started with practicing more simple tunes ... it took me a little while to find the "base level" where I'd feel comfortable. I needed to go back to a point where I could actually get the bass buttons working together with the treble keys... and make it work together. This is the result which is of course not perfect at all, but is headed in the right direction. I think the right hand position is improving and need to work on fingerings of the piece but I am okay with how after a good warmup this little simplified tune worked for me.
Slowing way down to get the bass buttons and coordinate the hands was important, and I can still hear the hesitation at every measure to find the bass button. That will improve with practice. It is very different from Piano as you play the notes in similar arrangement on the keyboard for both hands... getting used to the layout in Circle of Fifths order and chords on the bass side (the accordion is a Bellcordion 41/120 compact student accordion with a typical Stradella layout is challenging for anyone at first, and it is helpful to understand at least at some level the chord structure of Major, Minor, 7th and Diminished chords because those are what this layout uses. It is logical for music and the mechanism of the bass side is intriguing and a mechanical marvel, in my opinion.
Link to info about the system can be found at the link below and at many accordion resource websites.
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I have been warming up with Hanon for Accordion and another piece I'm working on plus this one "Dreaming," the tune mentioned above that I think has made the rounds in other format for years...from the Palmer-Hughes prep book 1b
