I know how to sit. I know how to stand. I know how to clap. I know to keep the accordion on my knee when I want it to play. But I don't know the best position of where the accordion should lay. Currently I have it positioned just barely facing away from me at a slight tilt. Is this correct??? I have tried standing with a strap but have caught the strap on my belt buckle. Another thing is the thumb strap which keeps sliding right off my thumb when I play. Is this part of the knee position???

I ultimately want to learn more songs but it's getting tough. I like Corky LeJeune's style better than most but can't stand his band. Don't get me wrong because I like a lot of swamp pop music. I just don't like how they crowd him onstage. He needs more room to perform so I wonder if he should sit or stand??? If he stood he could turn away from them. If he sat he could easily get a taller stool since he's so short. To me, the ability to be able to breathe is more important than being crowded on a stage.

I feel your pain brother! I went through the same thing, trying to find the most comfortable position to play. After a couple months of discomfort, I finally decided to use a two strap system like the one use on two and three row accordions. It has worked better than I hoped. I don't need the thumb strap at all and am able to slide my thumb up and down the keyboard as needed , just like I would with an Irish accordion. My wrists are always straight eliminating stress and pain, and because of the second strap, stress on my left shoulder is greatly reduced because the accordion is stabilized by it. Though a bit unorthodox for Cajun accordion, this setup is very comfortable for me whether I am sitting or standing. The accordion is always in the same position.

For the thumb fallout, put a rivet in the thumb strap to decrease the size of the loop. It was a major help for me.

Lance, are you the dude who was jamming at the Festival Saturday afternoon with Jonno, et al?

Thanks for the strap info. At this point I'll try just about anything.

Jammin' with Jonno? Me? No. That was Dub Deshotels if memory serves me Budweiser. I spoke with him afterwards and got a rather cold shoulder from him. He didn't even give a camp. He drove in from Marksville and obviously had other things than accordion playing on his mind. I just about got a contact high from his breath. Turns out he does a lot of K2 and hard wine. Me, I personally smelled more like smoked meats and spilled beer. But at least I don't smell like I'm hurting myself... you know?