There's much to do about banjo's on this forum.
When I'm learn to play the banjo, I have to learn a lot standard licks that will fit in a G,C,D.....
Now I'm playing accordeon too and I wonder if there are also standard licks for the accordeon that will fit in a C,G,D,A,F,E...
If you can play like that you can play everything, just get the right lick...,
Are there a lot accordeonplayers that play the banjo too?
I know that Bruce Daigrepoint and also Dirk Powell play or played banjo .

thanks, sounds like you know whatitis! maybe we can watch you play sometime love dennis&lindia

Hey Johnny you should come over to banjohangout.org sometime. My page is http://www.banjohangout.org/myhangout/home.asp?id=7077
Thanks for the great advice, some of this I am already doing. Bruce

This is probably the only in you may have to learn.

Play triplets without any song, just to get to know them.

Octaves, bouncing, over and over and over. Triplets and the supernatural squeezing effect! If you don't do this enough, you will never prevail

I'd say get these things down first and then make those in between single notes flourish!

Bruce,

Although I hate playing from paper, I sometimes need to do it. (especially if there is no one around to tell me, which is 99% of the time)
it sometimes depends what is better. Listening and singing/humming is very good of course, but it is difficult sometimes to find the right tone on your 'keyboard'. And if no one is around to help you or play it slow, to tell exactly wich button to pull/push, paper can be very, very useful indeed. But sticking to notes keeps you away from listening to the real sound an the rythm (and in fact cajun is more rythm than melody, maybe....).
SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THREE METHODS
EXAMPLE: I learned Grande nuit special mostly from paper after having heard it from a very bad tape. (Eric Martins book and tape) because I liked the "bridge". So I was motivated to learn it. I did it note for note. Paper, finding notes. one bar, two bars, stop. Listen, reading while listening, etcetera. Speed up to get the feel (only two bars), check, again . Tried to play two bars correct without mistakes, start again etc. After one evening (it was realy exhausting) I could remember one part of the tune and could "see" the notes before me when driving to my work and rehearsing in my head. During break I closed my eyes and visualised the tune. I hummed in the elevator, on the toilet etc.
Takes me four days! But now I can play it reasonably well.
METHOD 2: But I also play along with a CD just to get the feeling. And it is good to listen to other tunes, of course. Sometimes I stop and try to remember.
I find out that some 'riffs' can be found in many tunes. So I spend some time to figure it out. (not suitable for learning a specific tune, but good for the feel..)

METHOD 3 learning a specific song only by ear:
listen day in day out. In the car, specially. In between, try to find out where the notes can be found. Try to play a specific part (only one or two bars) out of your head. At a regular base: work realy hard to recall and play a short piece. If not good!!!! Do it again until gou get fed up with it. Then promise yourself to stop immediately after you played it without mistakes.
Don't play at times you don't have the energy for it.
Sometimes it is better to play 10 minutes realy concentrated and be sure it gets in your fingers, ears and brains (than one whole week making noise; your family will enjoy it too) Imagine yourself being on stage.

Sometimes I like to see if whI can remember what I learnt. So I start playing some 'riffs'and put everything which comes across my mind/ fingers together. So I find out what happens if I do 'this'or 'that'.
MAny times I find pieces of tunes (see method 2). So I learnt a tune in five minutes, once. Because I already 'knew' the parts. But it's these tunes I am negible to mix up or forget easily, since the parts are soooo common. (maybe more than 50% of the tunes have 90% the same components?)

Gus (who would like to try the same method on the banjo too. what a lovely instrument. But don't have one)

I learned button accordion by ear, listening to the same songs hundreds of times. It also solved some mysteries to watch other players on stage, and today, the videos from Dirk Powell, Steve Riley, Corey Ledet, and Wilson Savoy are great for the visual cues. Camps like the Augusta Heritage Center are incredible immersion experiences. And I'd say add recording yourself. The biggest leaps forward I've made followed from listening back to my playing. It's the acoustic mirror, and it doesn't lie. You instantly find out what works and what to throw away. It may take a toll on your pride, but incorporating simple low-tech recording, even just using your cell phone voice recorder, will send you ahead.

i'll tell y'all russ plays a killer Cajun accordion!!!!
and of course, zydeco.....but his Cajun chops are substantial!!
roger

as good as you play the fiddle?

Gus

Roger, It was big fun playing tunes with you at Pat & Will's Halloween brunch. I hope we have more opportunities.

Well my daughter and I last Thursday afternoon made up a waltz tune which I play some pickup notes and then play the major parts in octaves. We made an A part and then a B part to it. We got hired because we were a bluegrass band for a wedding gig Friday night and played a small concert for all the guest. Not only did we make some good money, but they had two fully cooked whole hogs with apples stuffed in their mouth. So that night we had rehearsed our little waltz tune and we played it with the accordion, fiddle, bass and guitar. It went really well. So today we played a church and after we got there and got the sound setup we goofed off till service started. I took both of my boxes in the church and we just noodled around with the tune some more. We did our set at the church homecoming and was about to sit down, when the pastor stood up and said "It has been requested that you play that squeezebox". So I got back up explained how we was experimenting with Cajun style music and we had wrote this little piece just a couple of days before. So we played it the same way as Friday except even smoother and it really sounded good. Someone there even gave it a name. So I think the fire is lit for the most part and the accordion is here to stay as part of the show. When we was about the leave with the bus, some lady came up and I heard her asking where I was? I walked to the bus door and the lady said, "I loved all your music today, but the accordion was my favorite", That made me feel good. Man if only the banjo would have been that easy LOL. Thanks folks for all your imput and I think I'm hooked and the rest of the family heard how beautiful the music is this little instrument can make. Bruce Weeks

Great, Bruce!

in my humble opinion the cajun accordion and the banjo are both rythm instruments and the melody is just the "vehicle"

Gus

hey
that;s a good point

i;ve always said sort of the same thing

"every instrument in a zydeco band is percussion
the accordion is just 10 little drums"

wle.

Larry I think I'm getting somewhere now. I listen to one Marc Savoy's recordings of Home Sweet Home and since I play it trick style on the banjo, I decided to give it a shot trying to play it in octaves on the box. After 3 days I can make this thing rock!!!!!!!!!!!! Now I'm working on Faded Love also. Did you play golf a few days ago with Jr Martin? I talked to him yesterday about a better box. He said he was just in Atlanta a few days ago, but he was calling your last name something different if it was you. Bruce