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CAJUN ACCORDION DISCUSSION GROUP

 

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Re: Finger tips or flat-fingered? Are both equally good?

Tom - perhaps you could post some of what you're playing?

Re: Finger tips or flat-fingered? Are both equally good?

I was a pretty good trumpet player as a kid. Rule #1 was to arch the fingers where you could place a golf ball inside them. The finger tips always rested on the buttons, pressing straight down. Chris Miller's instructions support a similar style for accordion.

I usually play flat-fingered because I get lazy, but when I try to discipline myself and use the finger tips, I find that it is much easier to articulate busy runs.

Maximum results from minimum motion - that's the idea.

Re: Finger tips or flat-fingered? Are both equally good?

Example of playing strictly with the finger tips: Walter Mouton.
Example of playing almost entirely flat-fingered: Nolan Cormier.

Conclusion: two of the best accordion players I've ever had a chance to play with that have different yet complimentary styles and are undeniably masters of the Cajun accordion.

I personally think it all boils down to your personal style and while I find myself being sloppy when I play flat-fingered, I don't always like the feel of playing with just the finger tips.

John

Thanks everyone...

Really appreciate your suggestions. If I knew how to post sound clips i would ,but I don't. Most players who have heard me think I can actually play; I guess I fake it pretty good. But I've never been to Louisiana, sat with Danny twice, Saw Jesse play once and that's about it. Grew up east of Cleveland so Lady of Spain gets into my playing naturally... A kind person e-mailed me some specific suggestions that I'm going to try tonight.

Also, Why do some of you open the bellows at the top or the bottom and not just pull straight out? Never understood that either.

Re: Thanks everyone...

I ain't no expert, and can't remember your playing very well, but you were better than me at the time (which ain't saying much actually, given how much of a baby I was back then).

The left hand side is my Waterloo. Can't for the life of me play a waltz on the left hand side while playing melody.

As far as the polka/oom-pah-pah sound, what I've had pointed out to me, which supposedly Danny did, was to overlap the two buttons. While one is beginning to close the other is beginning to open. I guess it smooths out the sound. This would require keeping both fingers DOWN on the buttons, and engaged, not flying up and coming in for a landing on each beat (and I'm talking about me here).

These days, I just play the top button on the left side. Waltzes still befuddle me there, but I can work in the 2-3 beats sometimes, depending on how busy the right hand is being.

Regarding finger tips vs flat, I guess I naturally play finger tips, but, being an excitable boy when I play, my fingertips can be pretty sore after, and sometimes during a gig, particularly a long gig. I'd like to play more flat fingered, and I do some when I'm feeling the pain.

Re: Finger tips or flat-fingered? Are both equally good?

Depends on the geography.

If the buttons are way inboard of the edge of the keyboard rather than close to the keyboard, it makes a difference.

Re: Finger tips or flat-fingered? Are both equally good?

Maybe the build of your hand plays a role, too.
I think I bend all my fingers, except my pinky, which is shorter than the rest, and curved to the inside (a handicap known as "clinodactyly")

IMO with both techniques you can play fast enough for Cajun music, which is generally slower than Irish trad or Canadian reels. Maybe that explains why both techniques can work for Cajun music.

Anyway: You can move your fingers as "fast" as you want, but don't forget the bellow, which has to follow suit as well! If your left/right coordination isn't right, it doesn't sound right, whether slow or fast.



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