Just a thought folks...If I were to ever start making Cajun accordions, I think I would want to go with the trade mark name brand of "CHAMPION". Champion has 8 letters like Sterling has. Both or words of nobility and stature. I would use the exact scroll design on either side of the word CHAMPION that STERLING used. And all of my accordions would be made in black with either silver or gold trim take it or leave it. Is it my imagination? Has anyone ever heard of CHAMPION name brand 10 button diatonic accordions? The name calls to me as if it were part of my destiny.

On a different note, I recently made a discovery that I would like to share with you guys. The discovery is this: When you play "Chere Tout Tout" at two step tempo or speed, you get "Les Flammes D'enfers". When you slow down "Les Flammes D'enfers" to a waltz tempo, you get.......are you ready for this......."Chere Tout Tout". Just some little chestnuts for you to chew on throughout the rest of winter. To keep in the back of your mind until needed. LOL Bon Chance! RIP Ervin Lejeune, you were a good man. With you gone, a link in the chain has broken.:disappointed:

Seems that accordions were first built in Germany in 1852 by this Weltmeister company.

http://www.weltmeister-akkordeon.de/shop/akkordeons-harmonikas/weltmeister-deutsche-harmonika-das-cajunakkordeon/

Above link is a good set of pictures of a Deutsche Weltmeister Harmonica-Cajun. One of the pics gets you really close in so you can see the non-paint job they're putting on these Welties. It is a celluloid skin that is stretched over and glued to the wood. That explains all the little bumps. It doesn't look like they take time to scrape the skin and buff it. I'm very leary of this stuff and how it reacts to time and human skin oil and contact heat.

Weltmeisters Cajun models are attractive upon first glance, but with this celluloid? I'm not so sure. Don't like the sharp corners and curves on the finger board either. Don't like the strap quality. Don't like the silver corner covers in that they look like they're Chinese in design.

You'd think an accordion company that's been around since the beginning would take a little more care and concern when building their "Cajun" model. Because of this, I'm moving on and not going to consider buying a Weltmeister anymore. I'll stick with the Gabenelli Cajun King if I want to spend my money on a dam good Cajun knockoff.

I'm rapidly coming to the conclusion that only about seven different tunes played at different speeds, or on different key accordions, or in a different position on those Cajun accordions make up the whole of the repertoire of Cajun and Zydeco music. And that my friends is got dam disheartening! No wonder when the old masters would get to a certain age, they didn't want to play for anyone anymore, or they had trouble staying on the same song when they would play. Some of them would jump from one song to another and back all in the same song. Their minds were finally catching up to all that experience earned in complete and total ignorance! Got DAMMIT! How much time have I freakin wasted trying to emulate those ignorant masters to play better than them or just like them?!! Jesus Crist I need a stiff drink and a loaded pistol.

Never give up
What 7 songs?

Well Nightshade...I would definitely say that the 1st song that has been converted into so many others was "Allons A Lafayette" Remember, the song that released the maelstrom?

Well looks like I have a new one to learn

Nightshade, I just recently discovered how to correctly play "Allons a Lafayette". So many people play it wrong! Just try to remember the following, little intro of "g", then to "C", then to "G", then to "D", back to "G". This all done on the big keys (top half of keyboard). The second part drops to the little keys (bottom half) and follows the same note order g,C,G,D,G. This is the technical way. You have to adlib the stucatto and your own style. This was the way I think Steve Riley was taught. He was taught the got dam key board and every musical note coming from each button for both on the push and the pull. He also learned that the keyboard is divided into 3 sections. top, middle, bottom and that you can play most songs using all of these sections if you're good enough, and if you've been made aware of them.

Thank you for the advise I'll start on in Saturday morning after I plant

Planting a garden? That's good. I been meaning to get back to gardening myself. Just been so much pestilence the last few years! Dam stink bugs! Big fat green worms with horns, and these little smelly orange and black bugs. They show up like I planted the garden for them. I always think....now I'm doing a good thing planting a garden, and god wants to not only create pestilence like these, but also send them to a good man's garden! Makes me wonder about what this world really is.

Or, are you a farmer planting a crop?

Put some mint about halfway down a couple of rows that should take care of your orange bugs the green worms take a solution from home depot can't remember the name white spray bottle will a purple label with red and green writing it is organic
And no not a farmer I've been lucky enough that the last time I worked the fields was my 12th year just a small batch of planter boxes to see if the boy is interested
As far as what the world is I have some interesting people that come by every other Saturday to try to explain it to me they conduct themselves like ladies and gentlemen so I haven't seen a reason to run them off my place should I send them over your way?

Tuning stand up blocks is no big deal, not sure why anyone wouldn't want to tune them unless they have limited time and are selective about what they do.

I've heard a fiddler once say there's only 4 songs to the Cajun accordion, 2 waltzes and 2 two steps. It's a joke but it's a good point. There are songs with just very slight changes and wallah, new name. I love listening to the Varise Connor cd, in it he very tactfully says, "have you ever noticed that with the accordion, after you hear a few songs, they all sound the same. A cajun takes a part of one tune, and another part of another tune, and calls it another song." Paraphrasing.

That comment made me smile and reminded me why tbe Lawrence Walker medley worked so well

Weltmeister may have begun in 1852, but the accordeon, specifically the 10 button diatonic accordeon, was invented in Austria by Armenian immigrant Cyril Damien in 1829.

No one can build a "CAJUN" accordeon except a CAJUN. All other 10 treble button, 2 bass, bellows driven, diatonic, bisonoric, aerophones, are accordeons.

CAJUNS copied the Saxon/German/Austrian instruments. And those copies would be CAJUN accordeons.

Persons, or companies, who are not Cajun, making CAJUN accordeons are comical. They are making copies of Cyril Damien's invention, or copies of copies of Sterlings and Monarchs. Badging or labeling or calling the 10 button 2 bass etc accordion "CAJUN" is nothing more than a cheap marketing ploy and ripping off the CAJUNS.

The PIANO accordeon (abomination) was invented in the 1850s.


And calling the 10 Button Accordeon "CAJUN" dismisses Cyril Damiens invention and contribution to the world of free reeds and also dismisses all the Germans, Austrians, Saxons and Bohemians who built accordeons for decades before they were made by CAJUNS.


However, if it were not for CAJUNS making copies of these earlier accordeons, most folks in the US, and a bit around the world, would not have enjoyed listening to a unique, colloquial style of music or enjoy playing accordeon.

Isn't interesting when you post facts, it gets very quiet around here. ?

Now you know how I feel sometimes Jeff.

The Gabb "CAJUN KING"

is ok not made by GABB
has strange stacked stand up reed blocks and not made anything like a Cajun Accordeon other than 10 buttons and 2 button bass with bellows.

I have a Gabb "Cajun King" lacquered black "D" and it sure does play like a Cajun accordion. Actually plays the same or a lot better than some of the Cajun accordions I've played on in the past. I study Nathan Abshire and Amedee Ardoin with it often, and the sound and playability of that "King" is good enough to accomplish this. The stacked stand up reed blocks pi** off the local Cajun box builders, but I think they'll come around to eventually compromising and offer to tune or fix them. I only know of Mouton accordions north of Crowley, La that will work on the stand up reed blocks, probably because Greg Mouton will order Cajun Kings for his customers. Stands to reason that he'll adjust or repair them too. I am forever grateful to him for hooking me up with that Cajun King accordion. He outfitted it with Cajun style leather strapping and before hand had Gabbinelli put in some dam good sounding reeds too which Greg retuned "perfectly Cajun". No doubt, life changing!