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CAJUN ACCORDION DISCUSSION GROUP

 

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Re: Reed Bank Knobs - Why?

If I were designing my dream accordion, I would include the following.
- Gold plate or polished nickle silver for corners, clappers and buttons.
- The knobs would push down to open the reed banks.
- A selection of contrasting colors in the bellows.

Please keep in mind that I have been accused of being tastefully gaudy and I probably could not afford what I really like.

Good luck

Re: Re: Reed Bank Knobs - Why?

If they can put a Crawfish, a diamond, or the Mexican Flag on a set of bellows, anything is possible. How about the Mardi Gras colors, gold, green and purple, alternating on the pleats? Be one of a kind, for a while, at least.
JB

Re: Reed Bank Knobs - Why?

I kinda like the knobs on the top, gives them that character that makes them unique. What I don't get is why the knobs are up in the on position. An intuitive button push is in for on, and if they were all down when playing they wouldn't stick out quite so much. Don't laugh, but my first beginner box was an Ariette and that has the knobs down when in play position. Seems more intuitive to me. But it's those knobs that scream out diatonic accordion that sets this kind of box apart from all others. I live WAY up river, and Cajun accordions are very rare here. There was an article in the Sunday paper a couple of weeks ago about an area small town with a community jam session of local musicians. My wife saw the article first, and there was a picture of a lady sitting there playing a Cajun diatonic. My wife yelled out "Look ! It's a Cajun accordion ! You can see the four knobs on the top ! "

'nuff said

Hal

Re: Reed Bank Knobs - Why?

John Roger never did use the groves on the outer frames because many times he was bookmatching the fine wood across the accordion frames all the way around the accordion and did not want to distract from that. Just one preference!

Why? It's how we always did it....

Thx. to each... I guess what I am attempting to point out here is: "Think outside the box braves"
Dare to establish yourself as an identity with your accordions and your music... it's cool.

So much of what we do (this includes many crafts), we do because that is the way it has always been done. Or, that is the way my mentor said it must be done. Not right and not wrong perhaps...just the way it is.

Kudos to the originality thinkers (you know who you are)... it's cool and I'm proud of ya.

Try this one on for size.
Once asked: What do you want to do with your music?
Ans: I want to learn to play just like you !
Well...I am me and nobody plays quite the way I play, that what makes me...ME. Play like you, because it is all good.. be who you are with your music.

Stylistic identity in building ... why not?
Stylistic identity in playing .. Hummmm it's a concept


Nonc Dave Mason

Re: Why? It's how we always did it....

"Stylistic identity in playing .. Hummmm it's a concept".

Not a new one though. What we think of as traditional tunes are actually the stylistic identity of some folks older than us. Iry didnt play em the exactly the way he heard em, heck them old guys even mixed songs. Like you said, its all good.

Re: Reed Bank Knobs - Why?

Excellent questions Nonc D. When I start my journey in to the construction of these things, I asked myself the same. I am sure some of it is done for the sake of "because its the way its done". Other details appear to be done for the ease of construction like the age old discussion of butt joints versus mitres. I can clearly attest that it takes more time and effort to mitre corners and stop the grooves short of the corner guards. The 2 boxes I have going now both have the grooves that stop short of the corner guards but the next boxes will have some inlay detail versus the grooves. I have also done one box with knobs up and the other knobs down just to see what difference if any it would make to me.

Re: Reed Bank Knobs - Why?

The knobs in the down position to bring in the reed bank seems the more logical to me for a couple of reason:

1) the majority of boxes the stops stay in place due to friction, the more times you pull them up and push them down the more the parts wear and the friction decreases. If they are in the down position then they don't need to be closed to be put back in their box and you only need to pull them up to shut off a reed block.

2) For effect it's nicer to go from a thiner sound to a fuller sound and it's a **** sight easier to bring a bank of reeds in by pushing down rather than by pulling up whilst playing.

Personnally, I love the sound of just the 16' and 4' reeds - almost sounds like you're playing two instruments at once

Re: Reed Bank Knobs - Why?

My guess is that the knobs are pull for on and push for off is that Organs with stops work the same way. My mother-in-law has one of those antique reed organs that you pump with your feet, kinda like the way the old sewing machines worked. It has reeds and stops and is really kinda like a great big accordion. And, if you wanted certain reeds turned on, you pull out the stop.

This motif even shows up as the standard metaphor: "Pull out all the stops". It is not "Push in all the stops".

Which isn't to say that it can't be the other way, and there are some accordions that are built the other way. So the choice seems to be arbitrary. I'm just saying that is maybe where the convention may have come from.

-David



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