Rick..thanks for the great explanation..which makes perfect sense in every way.

Zydeco is less virtuoso perhaps..but requires as much or more feeling to make it work..

Thanks.. this demystifies alot for me..

G.

Rick, I would agree with you about Horace Trahan.
Now, if only Wilson Savoy would make an instructional video of H.T. teaching us how to play zydeco on both the single and triple row.
And Wilson should do likewise for Jeffrey Broussard! I think those two videos would fill a great need and be important documents.

Boy, no kiddin'! A Jeffrey Broussard vid would really rock! (Not to mention, even one by Lil' Guyland!) That kid could teach this ol' dawg a riff or two!

All of Wilson's videos are absolute genius and a great education for any fan of Louisiana music. While Horaces' video doesn't cover technique, it's an interesting biography nonetheless.

R!CK

I've enjoyed watching every video Wilson's put out so far, and hope for more. I really like Rick's comparison of C/Z accordion styles, and his appreciative list of players that have learned both styles. I play accordion in two bands, one zydeco (bass, drums, rhythm guitar, frottoir, accordion) and one traditional Cajun (fiddle, guitar, triangle, accordion). I find that techniques and rhythm patterns I learn for Cajun two-steps add intensity to zydeco music, but it doesn't work in the other direction. If I play a zydeco lick in a Cajun song, even something as "innocent" as syncopating a phrase's last two notes, by anticipating the final note instead of playing it square, the flow is disrupted. For me, both styles thrive when a deeply felt rhythm pattern extends from the first note to last, linking the notes in a phrase, phrases in a song, and ultimately one song to another. When I practice, I strive to focus more on rhythm and less on notes. Once I'm with bandmates, the songs come alive when we focus on supporting the same rhythm patterns in our respective parts. There's nothing like hearing myself recorded to teach me what works and what to toss out.

I've seen some rough footage of some great players on U Tube. Anybody ever wonder if the cringe when they hear they are up there?
Checked under Planet Zydeco, Hot Tamale and Rose Sinclair but couldnt find it.
Can you check it and post a link...please.

Here it is in link #2. Enjoy. I do this in Dm on a C box. She is doing it in the G pull position I think. Both work. This was a terrific band. Too bad they broke up. And Rose, thanks again for that Gold Castiglione triple note.

Jim:

Someone further down this thread mentioned 'wish Wilson Savoy would..." regarding zydeco instructional video.

Check out the second link above--it's not Jeffrey Broussard or Horace Trahan, but it is a solid and respected triple row player on disc from Wilson.

I haven't sampled the video--so I can't vouch for the teaching methods, but the trailer for the video at the site looks like it has information shared in a helpful manner.

Peace,
Griff