See if this helps?

http://www.bignick.net/BoxLessons/boxlesson_7.htm

Best of luck in your new Cajun accordion endeavors!

--bn

Thanks Big Nick. I thought the octave scales that were suggested in an earlier reply referred to playing single notes up & down, i.e., not scales with octave pairs like in your web lesson 7. Your lesson is very clear & helpful. Also, I recently received your DVD #2. I skipped DVD #1.

OK, Bill,

Glad to be of some help.

I wish you well in your endeavors!

Be sure to come back to visit the forum from time to time.

There are numerous 'experts' in a variety of fields
that visit this site, so chances are you'll get any
questions answered!

Merci beaucoup,

--bn

Bill,

Don't overlook Mary Had a Little Lamb on BN Vol #2.

The sooner you can play it, the sooner you'll become a player! After you've learned it, you'll look back upon it as a milestone of accomplishment.

If I may suggest, please get Big Nick's Vol 1 DVD. In it you will learn the basics including the octave notes, the scale, the bouncing technique ect. Don't short change yourself. Good luck and keep squeezin'.

I have to add that too much reliance on playing octaves will make playing difficult and pull you off the beat, particularly when playing at a fast speed.

I compared my playing to a friend, and she didn't play very many octaves. I finally compared a recording of her playing to my playing, and, I found that hers was better and cleaner, and mine improved when I didn't play as many octaves.

The reflex playing of octaves does allow me to place my fingers without as much though about whether the next button should be on the push or the pull, but there is a tradeoff. I still play octaves, but less.

According to Dirk, the octaves can create blends and chording. He also says they can be used to bounce between them in a rocking back and forth fashion. They can also (according to Dirk) change the feel in a song, ie, playing a higher melody on the bottom buttons and then play a similar melody on the lower keys at the top. He says this is to create interest and tension in a song. Dirk creates tension with me, so all this information might just be bunk. But if Dirk says it, I tend to want to believe it.