Hey, I think some of youz guys are actually starting to get the picture. The picture of the difficulties with the "3rd" position. They don't call it 3rd position for nothing! The last on the list. The most avoided. Look guys, in my opinion, the 3rd position will always be the "SHOW OFF" position. It is not necessary and it does not have to be learned in order to play Cajun accordion. But I know for sure that it will improve your 1st and 2nd position playing if you occasionally delve into and use the 3rd position. Fiddlers don't like the 3rd position either if you're wondering. A note of interest....Did you know that Walter Mouton played the fiddle 1st before he ever played the accordion? I'm pretty sure that fiddle knowledge gave Walter a pretty good advantage when it came to playing accordion. Hey, Wayne Toups watched Walter Mouton....not the other way around. But Walter likes to hide his secrets. Didn't do a whole lot of direct teaching on purpose. Didn't want to give up that advantage I guess. Well, we know better now.

Bryan, I did make a mistake. Allons a Lafayette was originally played in the first position. But it was never recorded, that I know of, done in the 2nd position. In fact, its very hard to play Allons a Lafayette in the easy second position because our ears don't want to let us play it in that position. Because we've only heard it done in 1st and 3rd. But alas....I worked at it for about 30 minutes and yep, I played it in the 2nd position key of "G" on the "C" accordion. It is possible, but not probable. LOL

Some other "positions" that can be played (using C accordion as example), A minor, D minor, E (check out Lost Bayou Ramblers live J'etais Au Bal version where they modulate to E), but each with missing notes, of course. Maybe some others.

When I got my first accordion, I didn't know about that position stuff, and had no one to watch, so just hunted and pecked out notes. I ended up playing everything I first learned (Jetais au bal and Eunce two step were two) in first position, didn't know about second til I got an instructional video, that opened up a whole new world.

I'm still puzzling on Allons a Lafayette. Something very wrong there! Haven't quite put my finger on it. Working feverishly.

But yes Bryan, I believe we're about to open up a whole new world with this "positions" thing. Or we could walk away from it and never know the better. It would be like some Amish guy and his wife or daughter knowing only the missionary position and then one day they find a TV, a VCR, and one California porno movie in the barn next to the horse's stall with a note taped next to the play button saying, "PRESS PLAY BUTTON". They could either throw the whole thing to the road and follow their traditions of no technology, or they could secretly press that play button and open up a WHOLE NEW WORLD. LOL, they may not understand it completely at first, but hey, if it feels good, they don't have to understand it right? Then 10 years later, their whole way of life is somehow completely destroyed and in disarray just from pressing that got dam "PLAY BUTTON" that day in the barn...

Hey Greezy, I'm up here in Ohio at moment working alongside the Amish and they're great
people with a sense of humor. They have canny ways to get around technology and modern ways like you wouldn't believe- without compromising their principles, joy to have around and I can't fault them.

Hopefully after all these work trips I'll clock up enough air miles to make it to Lafayette!

Dang AJ, way over there in Ohia. I had a roommate from Ohia once. We partied down hard back in those days. Good fellow he was. As for them Amish. They have my complete and total respect. They are the other microcosm in America. They kept to the old ways even more than the Cajuns. And I'm sure they are as crafty as it gets and all the better for it!