Mel, your information looks right to me. And I agree that the down tuned fiddle FCGD works great with a "C" accordion. To make a long story long.....optimum at a Jam is to have some of the fiddlers tuned standard, some of them down tuned. Crazy isn't it?!!

The fiddler that is down tuned will take the lead when the "C" accordion player plays in the keys of "C"(primary) or "F"(backside)because it's easier on the down tuned fiddle to highlight "C" or "F" songs. The other fiddlers that chose to be tuned standard GDAE will assume the position of 2nd fiddle(secondaire). The secondaire plays the basic chords of the song. The effect is twin fiddles! Formidable! Both tunings harmonize throughout the jam session! **Note**The standard tuned GDAE fiddler does not do that well with songs done in the key of "F" on the backside of that "C" accordion, but do-able.

When the "C" accordion player plays songs in the key of "G"(on the pull), the standard tuned fiddle GDAE takes the lead because it's easier for him to highlight these "G" songs. The down tuned FCGD fiddle will follow along by picking and playing single string notes for the most part. Not as fun as droning two strings at once, but do-able.

So what's going on here is that the fiddlers are harmonizing and also alternating on who takes lead, plays chords, or picks out single notes during the fiddlers ride. They're getting practice and staying versatile right?. When the accordion player plays nothing but "G" songs (on the pull), well, the down tuned fiddle sort of gets screwed. And the other way around if the accordion player only plays "C" songs on the push, the standard tuned guy gets screwed. Ever have a fiddle player pack up his fiddle and leave when it came your turn to play on accordion? I've watched it happen and couldn't believe the audacity. But now I know why.....they're not happy with the novice and uneducated accordion player who has no sense of the other musicians, order of the songs, or the correct tempos and plays only to show himself before he is ready, worthy, and skilled. Young Peacock Syndrome. Young Bull, Old Bull confrontation.

Conclusion...the accordion player that is preferred by the fiddlers at a Jam is the guy who plays a near equal amount of songs in "C" or "G" with an occasional "F" song thrown in there. A good accordion player should fire up the fiddlers, guitar players, percussion, spectators, etc. by his choice of songs, the key of the songs, and whether they are a waltz or two step. A good accordion player will alternate tempo for both waltzes and two steps. Sometimes he'll play "wit some pepp(hammer down)" and other times, "normal", and sometimes "slower". The old go to order at the dances was (2)waltzes to (1)two step with slightly different tempos for each of the two. Yes, a waltz can be played in more than one tempo on an accordion and so can a two step.

If I have given incorrect information above, I'll come back and make the required corrections in due time for posterity's sake. Don't want to mislead the peeps of future generations.

Wait'll y'all hear about the ole Cajun method of learning and playing the Cajun fiddle as compared to today's music theory style of learning and playing the fiddle played by both outsiders and insiders and those that would make money for teaching Cajun fiddle. Life changing!

The accordion players followed suit and changed the old method to the new over time! There was and still is both an old and new method of learning and playing the accordion and most accordion players are only aware of the latter which leads to some of them not performing as well as those who are "in the know" of the old method. Oh, it is a great and very intriguing story...the likes of which you've never heard before!!

If the strings of a fiddle are too loose, you can use your fiddle as a bow to shoot arrows
:blush:

When I play with a bflat I just use my tuned down fiddle (c accordion tuning) Our band usually doesn't play a lot using a bflat.
When I first started playing Cajun music years ago I didn't know about tuning down so I learned on a standard tuned fiddle. Plus It's a hassle to tune down for a couple of songs during a gig to play in bflat.

Fat
Cats
Go
Dancing

:-)

I suppose it depends on your skill level. As a beginner, I would simply tune down one note. Noting wrong with simple.