Charlie,

Here are some ideas to get started, some of which you may already know.

First, if you know how to play the single row, then you know a lot about how to play the triple row. Just think of it as 3 single row accordions in one. Just find the home position for each of the three rows, and off you go.

But the real fun starts when you begin to go across the rows. I suggest adding a few little notes and licks and keep adding to it.

The most important note to add is the flat third. If the only thing you do is to add the flat third, it is worth the price of admission. Let's say you are playing on the pull on the middle row (key of F on a F-Bb-Eb box, or G on a G-C-F box). If you find the root F note on the middle row push, the flat third is on the inner row, on a pull, on one of the diagonally adjacent buttons to the root F button. This is an all-essential blue note.

When I started, I wrote out a little chart of which notes were on which buttons, and color coded them to show some of the relationships of the notes (root, 4th, 5th, flat 7th, flat 3rd).

The next step was to find songs that I simply *had* to play, and then start finding the notes.

Like Karlos said in an earlier post, the triple row is a deep instrument. It probably as deep as a guitar, and with as many quirks. But, you can also go a long way staying on the simple side of things, just as with the guitar.

Have fun!


-David

Thanks David. I'm going to enjoy every second of the process.
Charlie

. . . great insights David.. I think that decontextualized music methods like scales and chords are genre neutral... but that any method should reflect the styles and choices of the genre.. time tested and certainly unseperable from the musical genre itself. So anyone using materials should expect and want it to reflect the genre studied..


G

Charlie,

What key is your triple row in? I've heard from Joel Guzmán that a lot (not all) of the Country, Americana, and Blues work he does with artists is in the key of A or E. Also, the chord book you bought, what keys does it show you to play in and on what accordion? I know you mentioned it shows mostly on the pull but does it include thirds, sixths, inversions, etc.?

Thanks!

Karlos

Karlos,
My triple row is I in GCF which I borrowed for the purposes of learning. Ultimately I'll be choosing an instrument to suit my vocal range which is usually in D. The book illustrates scales in A,A#,B,E,C,C#,D,D#,F,F#,G, andG#. Also included are progressions in thirds and sixths and all the chord shapes. A good place to start I think.
Charlie