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CAJUN ACCORDION DISCUSSION GROUP

 

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Re: Re: Re: Re: Huh??

Hallo Herr Knaus!

Most people just take what they're given, but it's nice to see somebody blazing their own path. Do you have any other recordings of the accordion?

Thanks!

Ehren

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Huh??

I'm with Jim -- I'd like 7 minutes to mess around with it in a dark closet. It's really kinda cool and I like that tuning... in a supernatural way, of course.

Muuhuhuhahahaha!

R!CK

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Huh??

It seems just great for Transsylvanian Folk Music (to be played after midnight until dawn)

But.. no kiddin'.. I didn't see the whole clip when I sent my first reaction..
And I just found out that there's a lot more there than just minor notes!
If you look at this Swiss genius' website, you'll soon find out that it's an ingenious system! (as far as I can understand it)
On the other hand, if I want all these notes, I just pick up my PAcc!

open D

Discussed ages ago. different tunings, like Doric etc.

I have my accordion tuned in open D and I like it
Only the pickin'is rather different...
Gus

Re: open D

Interesting spin. Sounds Russian/Caucasian!

Re: open D

Hi Gus,

Can you explain what you mean by open D? I am having a hard time guessing what that would mean on an accordion. On a guitar, no problem.

Thanks,
David

Re: Re: open D

David, on the guitar, in open D tuning you can strum all strings without chord fingering, and you get the D chord. So, on the D accordion you can push (on the Push) all buttons together, and it sounds good. (D- chord I guess) so you can compare it with the open tuned guitar.

or was I wrong?

Gus

Re: Re: Re: Huh??

It could be for Klezmer music or some minor themed Gypsy music. Actually, it is interesting to know that you can do that.

Re: Re: Huh??

Ask Claude if those miters are done correctly

Re: Re: Re: Huh??

Randy or whatever your real name is.
Claude has "NEVER" asked anyone to do his dirty work for himself.
And Claude has " never" hid his face behind an alias and harass someone like you do with me,but I can't stoop that low. not that I'm beyond reproach, far from it.
But you hiding behind a pseunodysm does not speak highly of your character or lack of.
Claude.


Claude.

Explanation of the tuning (a try at least)

Hi all

Thanks for all your remarks. It's interesting to read. Some might just think this special tuning is useless and make a kind of fun out of it, others might find it even interesting. But I mean that's ok this way and is fair enough!

I was just talking with my father on the phone (Kniri, the one that invented the tuning) and he asked me if I could maybe give some more explanations since his English is even worse than mine. So I will give it a try. But it is not easy to translate all this musical terms into English:

Kniri's main idea was to find a tuning that is easier for him to play than the original tuning. What might be important to know is that he does not play actual cajun music with it but more uses it for blues.

The tuning is similar to a circle of fifths, meaning that the notes do always have the same steps. It is always 1 whole note, 1 whole note and then a half note (pull/push):
1 , 1 , ½ , 1 , 1 , ½ , 1 , 1 , ½ and so on...

Now the nice thing about this is if you press any three buttons right next to each other then it will always result in a chord (triad in root position), major or minor depending where you are. This makes it very easy if you want to use the instrument to accompaniment something. Now the next interesting thing is that if you take the next button (next to the first three buttons in a row) you will always have the seventh, which is nice for the blues. It is always the main note, third, quint and seventh.

As an example if you pull from the the C (4 buttons in a row) then the notes would be C,E,G,Bb. Easy as that. And like this you jump from one chord to the next. This is why Kniri calls it Chord-Turn-Around System. I don't know if this is the right term in English though :-)

By pull/push from G the notes would be
G,A,H,C,D,E,F,G,A,Bb,C,D,Eb,F,G,Ab,Bb,C,Db,Eb


This sacle allows you to play 5 major keys and 4 minor keys.
I hope this was some kind of understandable. Again as mentioned earlier a more detailed scale explanation can be found at www.kniri.ch/bluesoergeli.aspx

As Ehren points it out: Most people just take what they're given but Kniri just wanted a System which suits him more and he is quite happy with what he has now. But everyone has his favourite scale I guess and that's ok. But then again Kniri has always been a very experimental musician. They used to have a quite famous band in the seventies where they played music with all kind of rubish like trash bags and tea pot's and so on. Check out this video:
'Pfuri, Gorps & Kniri live at Montreux Jazz Festival 1977' (He is the one on the right side) There are lots of other videos out there if you like them.



Well then have a good time and good luck on what ever you are up to!

Re: Explanation of the tuning (a try at least)

Now that it has been explained, it is VERY cool. Perhaps you could post a video of Kniri playing a Blues song using this tuning.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Huh??

Cluade it seems that you have no sense of humor so I will not mention your name or the miter thing again ok sorry to have offended such a fine upstanding gentleman as yourself

miters

I can't see the corners clearly enough in the video to see whether the corners are mitered or not.
Frankly, I'm sick of Claude taking the brunt of jokes about mitered corners. From now on, direct the jokes at me. The fact is that anyone who has any speck of background in fine cabinetmaking will cringe at the sight of the butt joints on many Cajun accordions. A mitered joint is the least effort the builder should make toward taking pride in the construction of the box. They covered the darn things with inlays as if that is important, but they might as well be inlayed sparkly reflective strips for all the tackiness of the butt joint.
I also cringe at the low quality finishes, probably purchased at Home Despot, that are often also poorly applied to the poor accordions.
If durability is the only thing that is important to these builders (and the metal cornered joints are apparently durable enough, butt joints or not), then why do they bother with all the other attempts at beauty: inlays, fancy figured woods, etc. I'd rather have a plain cherry box with a simple rubbed oil and wax finish (or French polish) with no freaking inlays but joinery that looks like the builder cared for his work. The buttons could be made of wood and the bellows could be as simple as possible without tacky crawfish tape etc.
Oh yeah, and how about some care taken for the wood of the soundboards instead of cheap ply from the Despot.
-Andy

Re: miters

To be honest i am not deep enough into cajun accordions to understand that miters thing ecatly (or is it my English) ;-)
What ever, the accordion shown in the video is made by Marc Savoy,Eunice Louisiana - http://www.savoymusiccenter.com/

Re: Re: miters

Hi Kniri,

A lot of people on this board like a little joke every now and then, or try to be funny (including myself sometimes) but, as I already said, after visiting your father's website I found out that he's not a fool at all!! (but more like a genius). Impressive musical career as well! Thanks for sharing this interesting subject.
That miters thing has nothing to do with this topic. So ignore that! Just too stupid.

Re: Re: Re: miters

Sorry bro, and no more Draconian jokes from my end. By the way; a miter is almost mijter in Dutchspeak, the thing the Holy Pope wears when on Duty Call, so how can we be serious you tell me .... Nout

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Replying to:

Hi Kniri,

A lot of people on this board like a little joke every now and then, or try to be funny (including myself sometimes) but, as I already said, after visiting your father's website I found out that he's not a fool at all!! (but more like a genius). Impressive musical career as well! Thanks for sharing this interesting subject.
That miters thing has nothing to do with this topic. So ignore that! Just too stupid.



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