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Cleoma Falcon Created a got dam Maelstrom

I went back into the archives and researched the words "Allons a Lafayette" and found that there was and probably still is confusion about this song.

I will quote AJ from the time period of Feb. 2014:
"As far as I understand the standard way to play Lafayette is in third posistion. Well I've been trying to pick out the original Joe and Cleoma tune and it sounds distinctly different to me, I'm certain its in C. Was Joe Falcon playing it on an F accordion or is his version in first posistion?
The modern versions don't sound half as bouncy as Falcon's. Has anyone else noticed such a difference between the original and modern versions? Please (wood)shed some light."

...and back to Greezy.
Listen very closely to the original version by Joe Falcon and Cleoma in the video below. There was even some confusion when they recorded the original version! LOL, Cleoma came in on that guitar right off the bat in the key of "C", when she should have waited for Joe to intro the very first few notes of the song(which are in "G")then come in on the "C" with the guitar when Joe begins the melody (which starts in "C"). In other words, she came in on the right key, but she came in too soon. She screws this up I believe twice during the song. Maybe Joe Falcon wasn't sure himself? Joe's voice is doing the correct version of "Allons a Lafayette, but at at least one point, Cleoma is not following his singing voice correctly either! This innocent mistake has set off confusion and speculation about "Allons a Lafayette" ever since. I hashed this out by taking out the guitar, the "c" accordion, the fiddle, and listened to very many youtube videos and played along. Oh it gets even better. I am no where near done with this conundrum. STAY TUNED! Please, retain your got dam comments until I finish the story! LOL

Re: Cleoma Falcon Created a got dam Maelstrom

Ok, now I give you Harry Choates, who's band comes in at the right time and in on the key of "C". If you want to learn "Allons a Lafayette" let the master fiddler "give you the song" as it should be! If you've never experienced a fiddler "giving you the song" as you try to mimic his fiddle sounds on your accordion, then you haven't yet begun to live!
Also pay close attention to the singing. He is singing the A-part of "Allons a Lafayette". At no point in time does he sing the B-part or the turn. As a side note, the guitar chord progression for Allons a Lafayette is as follows: C,G,D,G and repeat for the whole song for both the melody and the turn. The song ends with one last short A-part, and ends with the "G" guitar chord. So we have a song that starts in "C" but ends in "G" according to the guitar. Oh, there's more to come! Believe that like you believe in Jesus! Its about to get twisted as a bag of dislexic pretzels. You might want to go pour yourself a stiff drink.

Re: Cleoma Falcon Created a got dam Maelstrom

Greezy you're overthinking things.

I'm pretty sure Allons à Lafayette as played by Cleoma and Joe Falcon is in the key of G, played in second position on a C box.
As you noticed, Cleoma f**** up the chords, especially at the start of the tune. The melody calls for a IV chord at the beginning (C chord) but she stays on the I chord (G) and chills on it... which gives the song its color!
Of course the record is not true to A440 pitch so it may complicate things a bit if one wanna play along.

OB

*** EDIT ***

Ohhhhh, now I get why this seems to confuse some people.

The melody starts on a C chord but it's not a C tune. The tune is in G. As you pointed out, there's also a D chord in the mix... G, C and D = I IV and V for the key of G = G tune.

There's quite a few tunes starting on the IV chord. Grand Texas comes to mind.

Re: Cleoma Falcon Created a got dam Maelstrom

Oh but wait Boudreaux, there's more to come. Sometimes it pays to "overtink" tings. You'll see. It will be for the good of all. That is mission priority.

Re: Cleoma Falcon Created a got dam Maelstrom

Let us go forward in time and visit Dennis McGee in 1929-1930. The time when he recorded the music you can listen to on YouTube provided in link #2 or below in the video. A fiddle man with a repertoire of possibly over 500 Cajun songs as mentioned by Barry Ancelet and currently part of the archives. Especially, give a listen to the song named "Jeune Genes de la Campagne" @0:37:47. Now, you have to consider the fiddle came first before the accordion. And Dennis McGee would probably have a pretty good handle on these old fiddle tunes and their correct names!
Read the following quote which you can view for yourself provided in Link #1.

And I quote, "Cajun Music was first recorded on April 27, 1928 when Joe Falcon recorded "Allons a Lafayette", a spin-off of the older traditional tune "Jeunes Gens de la Campagne" (Young gents from the country). This piece was later recorded by Iry LeJeune as "Jeunes Filles de la Campagne" (Don't get married) - worded three different ways but basically the same tune."

Below is Dennis. Click on the "show more" button on the actual Youtube video to be able to negociate to the songs you want to hear. Remember 0:37:47.


And then Iry comes along years later in 1954 and records "Don't Get Married" which was eventually accepted by Cajuns by the name "Jeune Filles de la Campagne" by the wording in his lyrics. Notice the change of the word "Genes" to "Filles". Very slick of him don't you think? Ok, I'm spent for the day. It's just too much! More to come tomorrow evening or possibly the next morning early.

Re: Cleoma Falcon Created a got dam Maelstrom

Greezy, I can't wait to read the reports of your musings. And sorry if I disrupted your train of thought.

Re: Cleoma Falcon Created a got dam Maelstrom

Mr Greezy this is all good stuff, so thanks.

Re: Cleoma Falcon Created a got dam Maelstrom

That's ok Boudreaux, I was just trying to be funny with the "retain yall got dam comments" thing. Your **edit** actually helped me out with the answer to all this mess. And thanks Mr Guy for the encouragement too. Didn't mean for it to be taken literally. But certain comments from some folks challenging what I am trying to do could have steered this post in a whole new direction and possibly away from a solution. As I am finding out, "Allons a Lafayette" is a difficult matter in itself! It was the first recorded Cajun song. How many times has this song been worked over and changed or made better or worse, or made easy or more difficult than its original recording? And then, that "original recording" turns out to be "NOT SO ORIGINAL". It was a knock off of "Jeune Genes de la Campagne". Why the Falcons didn't do it in its original name and form we may never know the exact reason. Maybe the words "Allons a Lafayette" made it more relatable to the listening audience both Cajun and non Cajun. But ever since..this song has been twisted and turned every which way but loose. Even Harry Choates fiddle was tuned odd! Starting with the big string down to the smallest string the tuning he used was GDGD which was a cross tuning that allowed him to play the high and the low parts with one fiddle. He was the only fiddler in the band, but it sounds like there might be two. He veered away from the Cajun fiddle down tuning of FCGD which probably confused things even more.

Now, getting back to the accordion. Which key is Allons a Lafayette being played in? It is definitely being played in the key of "G"! How do I know for sure. Because I took my "D" accordion and played along with Jesse Lege's band which is using a "C" accordion. I played that "D" accordion in the 3rd position and I was able to follow along with a sound match for most all of the song. And when you play a "D" accordion in the 3rd position....wait for it......YOUR PLAYING IN THE KEY OF "g".!!!!!! But there is still more. It aint over yet. So, by now, WE SHOULD NOT feel guilty at all for not knowing what the heck is going on with "Allons a Lafayette" or not being sure. This song is twisted in an unusual way, with time and circumstance playing a part in helping to twist it. There is still a factor I haven't talked about yet. It is a recording of Marc Savoy playing "Jeune Genes de la Campagne" on a "D" accordion. I'll get into that on the next post, but for now, here is a video of Jesse Lege and Mack Manuel's version for you to play along with. But just to twist it up even more, (WHY DON'T YOU TRY PLAYING THE B-PART WHEN JESSE IS PLAYING THE A-PART AND PLAY THE A-PART WHEN JESSE IS PLAYING THE B-PART. You'll find it matches up either way!

"ALLONS A LAFAYETTE".

Re: Cleoma Falcon Created a got dam Maelstrom

A non standard standard! That wouldn't have occurred to me 3 years ago.

Re: Cleoma Falcon Created a got dam Maelstrom

Well, the story comes to an end. Forgive me for being too chatty. My mind is like a steel trap when I lock onto something and I can scarcely control it or shut it down. With that said, I submit my final exhibit and call on a witness to talk about it. Here to explain the following recording of "Jeune Genes de la Campagne", AKA "Allons a Lafayette" done by Marc Savoy, Ann, and Michael "pretty sun" Doucet, is a man that is very close to me. I give you the 33rd Degree Master Musician.

Re: Cleoma Falcon Created a got dam Maelstrom

Eh umm. Hello everyone. I was asked to come here and share my point of view concerning Cajun slide of hand and trickery and how it applies to the songs known as "Jeune Genes de la Campagne" "Allons a Lafayette" and "Jeunes Filles de la Campagne" All three are pretty much the same song but different in a small and subtle way. "Allons a Lafayette" was created by playing the singing part of "Jeunes Genes/Fille de la Campagne" on accordion at the start of the song which contains that tricky "C" chord, followed by the turn or B-part which is very much in the key of "G". The B-Part of "Allons a Lafayette" is actually the A-part and only part of "Jeune Genes and Filles de la Campagne". It does not have a turn. It's turn is the singing melody of "Allons a Lafayette". I hope I did not lose you with all the back and forth. Below are the recordings of the "Royal Families" of Balfa Toujour and The Savoy-Doucet Band playing "Jeunes Filles and Jeunes Genes" respectfully. Two very good versions.



I have come to this discussion board before and commented on a few things. I exposed something about the Savoy-Doucet Band's cover picture for the Live at the Dance CD which you see above. You should open the actual YouTube video and expand it to full screen and really look close at all three of their instruments. Now this is my specialty! Subconscious Symbolism! LOL, Greezy is learning it well too. Look really close at those instruments. Fiddle in his right hand instead of in the correct left hand, his accordion turned completely upside down on the wrong knee, and her guitar not only on her left knee, but turned over upside down also. (This was not by accident!!) In fact, all this talk of the different accordion positions 1-3 was first introduced by the woman in this photo by way of a book she authored. If you don't think these people are capable of taking an old song and turning it backwards, confusing the living hell out of you, and calling it their own, then I have some ocean front property in Lafayette I'd like to sell you. But Ann acted honorably and listed all of the original artist of the songs they performed on the CD sleeve. She even included a few song lyrics and the translation. If they hadn't done that, they would have felt my deepest and most sincere RATH! Good to see all of you again, I hope I've been helpful. At this time, I will call the final witness. "The Keeper of the Blue Max" AKA "THE BLUE MAX". He is the chosen one! He and he alone will be the one to present the world with (The Blue Max Master's Riff). And with that, he will become the most honored accordion teacher of all time. If he ever completes that dam riff! Take it Blue!

Re: Cleoma Falcon Created a got dam Maelstrom

Hey everyone. This story comes to an end at a fitting time. Coinciding with the end of our Observations of Lent. I gave up smoking and drinking the hard liquor for Lent, and I can't wait till tomorrow so I can fill my lung with smoke and my belly and mind with Gentleman Jack! I've suffered profusely for giving up the things which I love the most in honor of the suffering of ole JC. The time is coming for me to make up for all that suffering. Haha. I am not a man of many words so I will leave you with my thoughts on "allons a Lafayette". The beginning of the song is pretty confusing. It can easily be mistaken for being a "C" song just due to the way the play progression feels on the accordion. The bellows don't get too extended for the a-part or melody of the song which is usually the case when you play in the 1st position on any accordion. In this case, the "C" accordion. It is very easy to play allons a Lafayette incorrectly for the a-part which is done dominately on the top half of the accordion key board. The turn is done from the middle on down. Best bet is to really take the time to listen to Joe Falcon do his thing and try to copy it exactly over and over again until you get it solid. I also recommend the recording by Harry Choates. It will help you to iron out any difficulties you may have not yet gotten. And on that note, I will leave you with a link that talks about the great Harry Choates and his final days on this Earth. Let it remind you that you should not beat your head against the wall about songs like "Allons a Lafayette". Just do your best and know that you are not alone in your struggles. There are many brothers out here that are having or have had the same exact problem.
The link to the tragic story of Harry Choates is right down there. See it?

Re: Cleoma Falcon Created a got dam Maelstrom

Greezy, marci bocoo for the good story.

Thanks to all that fuss about Allons a Lafayette, I gave a good listen to the original recording of Joe Falcon and Cleoma Breaux, waxed on April 27th 1928.
For some reason, I had always assumed Cleoma f°°°°° up the chords, and quite beautifully at that, giving the tune a haunting presence (see my previous comment). I got that from several quick listens to the song, and a couple discussions with cajun musicians. It is true that the chord changes seem erratic at times, although rock solid rhythmically. So I took that for granted pretty much. And then you guys showed up saying the song might be in C and wondering about how the accordion part is played. All that talk made me wonder...

Is ths darn song really in G as I said it was? How come the erratic guitar backup sounds so good? How about the accordion part? Was Joe really playing a C box in the key of G?

And the more I thought about this "maelstrom of a tune" and how Cleoma - a seasoned musician - could have messed up basic chords on a recording session - a BIG thing at the time -, the more this hypothesis sounded phony. Seriously, would you believe that someone like Cleoma Breaux Falcon would have showed up at the studio not knowing precisely what to do and would have banged random chords on her guitar while the wax was running? Or maybe was she stressed out and paniced?

Why not. I recall reading somewhere (Wade Falcon's blog?) that there was a third musician with Cleoma and Joe that freaked out and did not sing (Joe sang instead, which was not the initial plan). And the producers in that NOLA studio weren't really into recording them at first, as they thought two musicians could not really cut it compared to the big bands they used to record. So there might have been some bad vibes / tension going on, which could have impacted Cleoma's performance.

But this explanation did not satisfy me totally. There had to be some sort of a logic behind this "erratic" backup at least partly responsible for the song's character and unmistakeable haunting beauty. Some sort of a logic that I couldn't quite decypher with my 21st century ears and brain.

Gotta go now. I'll let you know what I discovered tomorrow. I'm telling you, it is important stuff. This may very well change your perception of cajun music forever LOL.

Re: Cleoma Falcon Created a got dam Maelstrom

Right on Boudreaux. That's the way to go at it. Question everything! That's how you find things out. And your typing has lovely prose. LOL.

Meanwhile, while you're searching, some of the guys wanted to hear Chere Tout Tout played in the 3rd position key of "F". Well here you go!



That Belton Richard was one tricky son of a *****! He got it from his dad Claybey Richard who just happened to be the accordion player for fiddler and vocalist Adam Hebert. See the Adam Hebert collection on youtube. When it comes down to it, Adam Hebert could really sing man! And that's because of the diversity of the keys they were playing in. They made it unique. He just doesn't get that much radio play due to his music being on records. But that's changing. They remastered it digitally. Claybey knew his accordion in all the positions! And because of that Belton probably learned positions 1-3 from him. Then Belton hit the music scene playing in all those positions with different key accordions and made the Cajun music sound different. He made it his own style. But no one really ever figured it out, until now.

Here's some Adam Hebert for you. Also, Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys did "borrow" a few of this man's songs as you will see if you look at the titles in the Adam Hebert collection.



Re: Cleoma Falcon Created a got dam Maelstrom

In point of fact, listen to just how diverse Belton Richard was.



If you listen to Belton Richards recordings under Belton Richard Topic on youtube (84 videos), and listen to the Adam Hebert collection, you're going to begin to see where Steven Riley got most of his tricks. You're going to realize that your "Hero" isn't all that special. You're going to realize how "put on" he actually is. A pretty boy that can play the accordion. He claimed that his mentors were Dewey Balfa and Octa Clark as a way to boost his prestige. Well, evidently, Steven's real hero was Belton Richard. But how often do you hear him actually admit to that? Oh, he used a lot of Dewey Balfa's stuff too, don't get me wrong. But it was strategically planned and done in such a way that it would eventually place himself as "The Accordion King". Even though he borrowed every got dam thing he knows from other musicians! Oh, I better stop! My neck is starting to get hot and my blood pressure is rising. Anger is setting in................

And by the way, while we're starting to expose the cover ups, I am one of the few people who actually knows who Wayne Toups' first mentor for the accordion was. But you won't ever hear Wayne admit to it. It just so happens that my first mentor was the same person that Wayne refuses to acknowledge. No, this old man wasn't popular enough for Wayne. Instead, Wayne claimed Walter Mouton as his true mentor. And what do Walter Mouton and Belton Richarc have in common? B-flat accordions and 3rd position trickery. I'll stop there. Get out your knee high rubber boots boys cause the sh** is about to get deep up in here!

Re: Cleoma Falcon Created a got dam Maelstrom

Greezy, your continued efforts to discredit Steve Riley seem to overlook the unalterable facts that he grew up in charmed environment.

Steve credits cousin Marc Savior as his principal infuence on the accordion. Other influences certainly came later not so much by listening to records, but by actually performing in the bands of legendary players as a youngster. Playing drums, guitar, fiddle, and accordion, he participated in - not just listened to - the music of Dewey Balfa, Octa Clark, Hadley Casteel, and others, in his late teens, live on stage. Denus McGee and Sady Courville jammed frequently at grand-pere Burke Guillory's house with Steve often present. He sat on the lap of more masters than most can name.

Such experience cannot be compared to the upbringing of the average player, most of whom were limited to only a few direct personal influences and the recordings of others. Hadley Casteel told me that he hired Steve at age 16 "because he was THAT GOOD."

Steve Riley is the product of a fairy-tale existence, so tempered at a young age by various masters of the art, that his skill allowed him to eagerly embrace the music of others, such as Walter Mouton, Belton Richard and Adam Hebert, to satisfy his constant thirst to further exploit and improve his own musical mastery.

If playing another artist's lick is a sin, then Cajun music is hell-bound.

Re: Cleoma Falcon Created a got dam Maelstrom

Did he also get some lessons of Don Montoucet ?
Thanks Greez for all your efoorts to give us information about what we love so much

Re: Cleoma Falcon Created a got dam Maelstrom

too bad you are looking to this clown for information. But keep reading his bull**** he loves idiots

Re: Cleoma Falcon Created a got dam Maelstrom

No....., I should thank you Mel.

Jerry, if I'm the clown you say I am, then I am the clown under your bed buddy boy. The clown that you know is sliding around and moving under there during the night, but you don't want to look. You don't want to look because you know he will grab you and pull you into his domain.

LOL, but keep reading Jerry, nobody will judge you for being interested in what I have to give. Come,.....join us.

Re: Cleoma Falcon Created a got dam Maelstrom

Hey doodz.

Please stay on track, focused and polite, y'all. We are discussing the original "Allons a Luafette", aka "the first cajun tune". It is an important task and much has to be understood from this epitomical two-step. That being said, here is a report of my study of the tune.

Let me start by saying it is hard to decypher exactly which chords are played by Cleoma. Seems like the accordion and guitar are blended. I even tried some basic frequency shunting / boosting in order to isolate the guitar part but without any significant success. I actually had to listen to the tune again and again, trying to confirm / unconfirm my hypotheses. Now I think I have a decent understanding of the tune. At least decent enough to present to you the results of my informal study.

So first thing first. The accordion A part (the first part that Joe plays) is quite a bit different from the singing part, and Cleoma does not play the same chord progressions when the accordion is playing and when Joe is singing. The singing part is pretty obvious: it's in G and features the I (G), IV (C) and V (D) chords, in a C / G / D / G pattern. This is a fact of life and we'll all have to deal with it LOL. Now, Cleoma could totally have followed that very same pattern on the accordion part (that is what most modern versions of Allons a Lafayette do, same harmony for the instrumental and singing parts). But Cleoma actually does something more subtle (or so I think).

But now, we have to go back to the accordion thing (this is what really interests us, right?). I am positive that Joe Falcon played a C accordion on this recording. First, I doubt he ever had anything else. Would you believe Joe Falcon, right before heading to the Crescent City, standing in front of his accordion stable and wondering whether he should pick his C Monarch, or his F Sterling or.... Nah, this seems unrealistic really. Those old folks only had one, precious squeezebox. They did not live in the world of abundance and infinite choices that we're living today. Secondly, I can play note for note the accordion part on my C box (it's really pretty simple, if not bare bones basic for an accomplished player). Now, whether Joe played the tune in 1st of 2nd position is debatable. Since the singing part is in G, this suggests that the tune is played on the C accordion in the 2nd position (or "pull position"), in order to play in the key of G. This is what I mentioned in one of my previous post. This is a very sound and logical reasoning. However, Cajun music is far from being logical at times. It is a quirky beast and part of the quirkiness comes from the bisonoric / bichordal nature of the Cajun accordion, which limits the choice of notes and imposes which chords are being played on a melody. In the case of "Allons a Luafette", eventhough the singing melody is clearly in G, the accordion part is played mostly on the "push", suggesting a key of C tune. So basically, what we have here is a G tune that is played mostly on the "push" on a C accordion. Hopefully I'm still clear and y'all grasp my musings. For example, Joe finishes the accordion parts (A and B parts) on a big G note. Maybe he would have liked to squeeze a big G chord on the left hand (that's what the singing part does). But, as y'all know, one can't do that on a cajun accordion, since the G note is necessarily on the push (except for the first button, but let's not talk about that) and that means the left hand is ringing a C chord. Anyways, what this (complex I admit) demonstration highlights is that the concept of "position" is sometimes irrelevant, or unable to capture the complexity of cajun accordion playing (Greezy McGill wisely mentioned this in another post).

Okay, now back to the guitar part. As we've just seen, the accordion part of "Allons a Luafette" is played mostly on the push on a C accordion. Cleoma could have most likely played exactly the same singing part chord progression (C / G / D / G) on the accordion part. BUT, what Cleoma actually does is way more subtle and in a way brilliant. Disclaimer: I'm reasonably confident about the veracity of my findings, but can't be 100% sure. It is mighty hard to hear the backup when the accordion is playing so... take what I say with a grain of salt. To my ears, Cleoma backs up the accordion using only C and G chords, following quite closely the chords that Joe is playing. In a nutshell, when Joe pushes, Cleoma plays a C chord, and switches to a G chord when Joe pulls the bellows. The difference in harmony for the singing and accordion parts adds a unique richness to the tune IMO. Especially since the accordion part has lotsa C chording, whereas the singing part is in the key of G, thus creating a sense of tension.

Now, I hope that these ramblings are useful to some of you and will give you the itch to pick up your accordion and play "Allons a Lafayette" the old Falcon's way. It still remains such a cool tune.

Re: Cleoma Falcon Created a got dam Maelstrom

This is the stuff that makes me scratch my head. I know very little of music theory and chords and all that foreign stuff, but I do recognize that much of Allons a Lafayette is C chord heavy. But can't it be in key of G and still have a lot of C chords? And if it would be considered in C, what would "Lafayette Two Step" be? I always thought it was the C version of the G original.

Re: Cleoma Falcon Created a got dam Maelstrom

Bryan,

"Lafayette Two Step" is indeed a C version of the original. But there are other differences too that are worth mentioning.

The singing parts and accordion parts in the Lafayette Two Step are identical, melody and harmony wise. The accordion does pretty much what the vocalist sings. And the chord progression stays the same throughout the tune, whether it is vocals or instrumentsls (F / C / G / C).
On the other hand, the Falcon version ("Allons a Luafette") features slightly different melodies for the singing part and accordion part, as well as different chord progressions.

Lafayette Two Step seems to be a simplified version of the Falcon tune (more repetitive). It is the version that is the most widely played today it seems (at least from my experience).

Re: Cleoma Falcon Created a got dam Maelstrom

I have found Allons A Lafayette pretty easy to play on accordion, in whatever key that is, but I can get pretty tripped up Lafayette two Step's turn.

Re: Cleoma Falcon Created a got dam Maelstrom

Dam Boudreaux, now that's what I call a complete and thorough breakdown! If the braves of the bravenet haven't learned "Allons a Lafayette" yet from this post, then I don't know what else can be done for them. If they choose to ignore all what has been said, they will be missing out.

Cleoma does hit that "D" chord on guitar. It's there. What makes me think that Cleoma was not an accomplished guitar player was her single beat strum rhythm. Or, that might have been the only kind of guitar rhythm she was aware of in her time period. She's not doing the 3 stroke rhythm on the guitar that good Cajun guitar players play today and have in the past. She was on rhythm with her single beat style, but she fell short with being on key or on the right chord at all times. I don't think she was a genius when it came to Cajun music. Maybe she hadn't been playing guitar for that long when they recorded. I think they both weren't familiar with playing this twisted version of "Jeune Genes de la Campagne" together.

It is one hell of a conundrum of a song. Much can be learned from it.

Re: Cleoma Falcon Created a got dam Maelstrom

Hey Greezy,

That point of view of yours is very interesting.

Cleoma does hit the D chord, but I'm pretty sure she does it only when Joe sings. When he plays, she seems to follow the C and G accordion chords. As you mention, she misses on one notable chord change. Right when the first accordion solo ends and Joe starts singing the first verse, Cleoma chills on the G chord when she should hit a C. Interestingly, she probably realizes her mistake at this very moment and hits a quick D chord (when Joe sings "pour changer..." to smooth out the transition to the following G chord. IMO this on the spot improvisation demonstrates a great sense of musicianship. To my ears, there's no other mistakes in the tune. Some chord choices might be interpreted as weird - especially for our modern calibrated ears - though. Most notably, choosing to backup the accordion part with mostly C chords, when the actual song is mostly in G adds a tension that is unusual.

Greezy, I beg to differ regarding your assessment of Cleoma's guitar skills tho. IMO she does a wonderful job. The rhythm is steady and solid, which really is all it counts!

Could you please elaborate on the 1 stroke pattern / 3 stroke pattern thing? I'm really not at all familiar with this nomenclature.

I think Cleoma (like most pioneers of guitar backup, whether it is Cajun or Old Time) was playing open chords thumb / upstroke style (the thumb playing the 1 and 3 beats on the low strings and the index or middle finger playing the 2 and 4 beats on the treble strings, in an upward movement, hitting the highest string first then the B and G strings). It is a very different style than the modern approach which is playing barre chords with the left hand and strumming with a pick on the right hand.

I also wondered about the "impromptu" nature of the "Allons a Luafette" recording. That's exactly how I thought before I investigated the tune more deeply. The tension and unusual chord changes might give an impression of unpreparedness. However, I honestly doubt they would have played a number they wouldn't have been familiar with. The missed chord change at the beginning was more likely a consequence of stress rather than amateurism.

Re: Cleoma Falcon Created a got dam Maelstrom

Boudreaux, it sounds like she's banging her strings from top to bottom with no upstroke. She's one stroking it over and over again. That's what I meant. That's the way I played rhythm for Cajun music when I first started with the guitar. I didn't know better. Hell, I'd even stroke that big string at the top when I was playing all the chords. I found out later, I was only supposed to use that big top string for the "G" chord or picking it individually for the base backup in between chord strokes. I learned this after watching Christine Balfa play rhythm and base on the same guitar. Never could do what she can, but I come close enough. I seldom play guitar when the Cajun music breaks out. It's not my preference. My old mentor would not tolerate the rhythm guitar while he played accordion. The guitar player had to be real good for him to allow it. He specifically mentioned that if the guitar player didn't know the song well or wasn't too good and hit the wrong note on that guitar, it sometimes would make him (the old man) automatically switch to playing a different song on the accordion. It would mess with his ears he said. So instead, he preferred playing the living hell out of those base seconds on his accordion.

Re: Cleoma Falcon Created a got dam Maelstrom

Greezy I'm pretty sure Cleoma plays in the old fashioned thumb style. Thumb plays the bass ("boom") and index plays the chord ("chuck") in an upward movement. No flatpick (perhaps a thumbpick + fingerpick?). Never seen anyone play like this these days, but that was the norm in the old days. It's a very percussive style.
Yep, a bad backup can f*** up a tune in no time.

Re: Cleoma Falcon Created a got dam Maelstrom

Well said Nedro. I guess it comes off as such, but I'm not trying to discredit Steven Riley totally. I am however, using his name and what he has done as an example. Remember, I personally loved Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys. Bought every CD up to the 10th CD. Would follow them around like a lost kitten. I was there the night they got fired from ever playing again at the Whiskey River Landing.(I got the first hand scoop from the owner of the place.) I learned to play just like Steve Riley for many of those songs he redid. Then I had an epic realization when YouTube started to get hot on Cajun music. I realized that there were all kinds of accordion players mimicking Steve Riley, and I suddenly felt stupid for having done the same thing. I watched and listened as Kevin Naquin shamelessly copied Steve Riley's style lick for lick and actually re-recorded Steve Riley's songs on several of his own CD's. I mean really, how low can you actually go? I started to feel like I was in accordion hell! I told everyone I quit playing accordion and I saved them up high on the top shelf of our spare room closet so it was out of sight. I sold that got dam confounded Bb flat accordion as soon as I could because it represented Steve Riley. I had no other reason to have spent so much money on a Bb accordion.

After 5 years I began to get the itch. I was missing my accordion again. I grabbed it one day, my old reliable "D" accordion, and begin to play the original, traditional way I first learned to play, and a got dam lightning bolt went off in my head. Play the old style and only the old style! The style of the common old farmer / accordion player. The style that first attracted me to the accordion. The style of my Grandfather. His style was the style of the true masters. The True Accordion Kings.

And thanks for saying that Steven Riley learned from Marc Savoy. I never wanted to say that because I wasn't sure. I know Marc personally, and he never mentioned not once, not ever, to me or anyone else in the circle that he taught Steven how to play. But I knew Steven hung around him in his novice years. Someone purposely groomed Steve Riley to become an icon. I got dam well know he didn't learn what he learned from any of those cheesy, vague accordion instruction videos that these supposed Cajun accordion masters put out these days and back then. All designed to keep you chasing a carrot on a stick that you'll never catch. All designed to make you want more and be willing to pay for the next one. Steve Riley did the exact same thing with his instruction video. You shall know them by their works.

Re: Cleoma Falcon Created a got dam Maelstrom

Just thought to rap it up with a documentary of the Falco'ns.



Jamey Hall's most excellent Cajun Accordion Music Theory

Brett's all new Cajun Accordion Music Theory for all keys!

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