Does anyone else besides me keep seeking the magic of bygone Cajun accordion musicians and the culture and times they lived in. Does it not seem like and unaccomplishable task? Is all this a moot point? Will we ever bring back the true magic with the past being gone forever? I'm starting to second guess my efforts. I've spent thousands of dollars on accordions, fiddles, etc. So much time an effort just to learn the basics only to find that if I don't learn how to play my music from my heart and/or soul, I mind as well hang it up and walk away. Hope I didn't burst anybody's bubble. I am a Cajun that lives in the Kaplan, La area, and it does seem like we lost it. It has become too commercial. I've been trying to recreate the old days, but it's pretty close to impossible in my humble opinion. It's expensive as heck too. The accordion makers have sold out to the almighty dollar and forgot about the poor coonass. Anybody out there have any thoughts on this? Or is my post a too depressing reality?

And then, there's this endless search for the perfect sounding, perfect feeling, perfectly resonating, perfect looking accordion. What the hell are we really looking for? I for one have not found it.

I prescribe a good strong d'inde farouche and coke and beer. You're hitting the reminiscing doldrums. I too am afflicted with this.

Have things become commercialized, yep, we can't stop that. But it doesn't have to be for you. And you don't learn how to play from the heart, you just do it. As you learn how to play, which for most of us requires a huge commitment, your playing from the heart becomes more legible.

The old days are gone, but the music that it spawned doesn't have to be.

And trust me, very few people would be willing to work as a full time job, at what even the most expensive Cajun accordion builders make on an accordion. It is a craft from the heart as well as the music that is meant to come from them.

I don't think it is lost. I play every day, me and my wife. I do it because I love it. I do it because it is mw. My grandmother taught me to speak french, my music helped me to still speak french. I think that if you want to find the feeling with the music and the culture you have to do jam sessions where ever you live. Make the rules that will give it the flavor you want. I do one every Monday accoustically we have a lot of fun and it inspiring and motivating. Make it what you want and avoid the commericalization of it. I pick and choose who's music I will buy and which dance I will attend.
As far as the accordion builders are concerned they do because they love it and because they need to make a living. Material and labor is expensive but there are deals out there. I never get into a discussion about specific tuning all that stuff. My ear is not that educated but, isn't that the way traditional Cajun music was and will always be for some of us.
Le Piquant

Bien dit, mon neg.

You brought up a lot of stuff here.

First off, I never buy into arguments that hearken back to the good ol' days. That's a bunch of claptrap. They weren't any better than today. Yeah, life was simpler. But I doubt many of us would have taken the beatings Nathan Abshire took just to sneak some playing time on a relative's accordion. Most of us would have probably just given up. Back then, musicians had the reputations of lepers. No father would want a musician as a son-in-law. And let's not forget the ritual humiliation that French-speaking children suffered when they started school. No, the good ol' days weren't good. The music might have been a bit better, but I doubt many of us would have the constitution to put up with the long, hard work hours and then be willing to put up with all the grief that came with playing music on the side.

Second, if you want to complain about today's music, you need to start with how imitative it is. If you listen to 5 different old timers, you get 5 different versions of the same song. Each of them had their unique spin on the song--and they were proud of their versions. How did they get these different versions? Simple. For the most part, all of them were self-taught. They sat down with their boxes and puzzled the songs out by themselves. Nowadays, we don't do that. We buy a DVD or go to a camp and we all learn to play "J'etais au bal" exactly the same way--and that's usually the way today's most popular musician plays it. So, no we don't play from the heart. We play by memory. And God forbid you play a song different, 'cause you'll be told you "don't play it right." So, as far as playing from the heart, that's an easy fix: just turn your back on all the DVDs and camps and learn the song for yourself.

As for the accordions, Bryan's right. It's a labor of love. I haven't met an builder who has sold out to the "almighty dollar." But you are right that the search for the "perfect accordion" is a fool's errand. If you've ever seen Iry's accordion or Nathan's, you realize that it's not the box, it's the musician that counts. But, for a lot of people, it's easier to blame the box and pretend that the perfect box will magically transform them into the next great master.

"We buy a DVD or go to a camp and we all learn to play "J'etais au bal" exactly the same way--and that's usually the way today's most popular musician plays it. So, no we don't play from the heart. We play by memory. And God forbid you play a song different, 'cause you'll be told you "don't play it right." "

I think that hits the proverbial nail on the head, but I don't think any of us should be any concerned over someone else's interpretation or opinion except those that we actually value. This is one reason I don't like Les Flammes D'en Fer, it's so often played the exact same way. And Jude, from what little I've learned from you through the internet, I don't think you'd concern yourself too much what the average Boudreaux thinks. That I respect in anyone.

Thanks, Bryan. That's one of the nicer ways I've heard someone describe me.

Man, I sure wasn't expecting replies so fast. And everybody's going pretty deep with their point of view. All contain wise philosophy.

I guess I'm just angry with the prices of La built accordions. It seems so much to have to pay on something that's not guaranteed or a sure thing.

I wish some makers would build like at least 5 accordions of each a "C" and a "D" accordions. Just C and D to keep it easy on the maker. All with different variations of what the maker has to offer in his accordions feel and sound. When you go visit, there you go. Sit down and play on all of them until you find one that calls to you. Then you can tell the maker, here, I want one that sounds just like this one! No guess work, no bickering, no investigating your life away on a fools errand. If none of the accordions call to you, no problem, just leave without ordering one or buying one. At least it would cut down on the search for the sound and feel.

One other thing, I've been watching people who are not Cajuns learn how to play the accordion. YouTube is full of them. They may not realize it, but many of them have surpassed some of the accordion players of old that they look up to as masters. Some of these newcomers skills are high level and look difficult, but it still seems plastic, or counterfit.

That's what I meant by playing with your heart. Maybe not be so eager to show the world what you can do before you're actually ready.

Thanks guys. Sorry for the racy post. I know it stirs up the doo doo to comment the way I have. But hey, it was on my mind.

I think you've hit on something for sure, but I don't think it is a point to be critical. I think learning to play any music comes in at least 2 parts, there's developing the basic mechanics of the instrument and associated muscles and reflexes along with developing the ear to get the little nuances that need to be parlayed to the fingers. Much of this can be taught to a degree. Then, to me, being able to parlay feeling and emotion is a bit of an art, some have and some don't, and some are better than others. I don't think this can be taught, but experience in the right setting sure helps.

The BETTER players of old strike many of our heart strings, and they're the ones we remember, but there were a slew of others that wouldn't. Todays technology brings everyone to notice.

And from a beginning builder's perspective. Costs of materials for an accordion is somewhere between $600 and $700, I don't know how long it takes someone like Marc Savoy to build one, but I know how long it takes me, and at present prices I'm building them for much less than minimum wage. And most builders build accordions in their spare time because they can't make a living building accordions. And most have their hands full filling orders without trying to build an actual inventory. For most builders, I would think they simply don't want to lay out that much money. To do that only the big production companies like Hohner and such can do it.

I would say the price of an accordion is a stretch and a luxury for the average person. But most who want them find a way, usually starting with either a cheap one or used one, which can be had pretty reasonably. But to expect builders to make a new accordion of good materials in your price range may be a bit unreasonable. I for one would not make one out of lesser materials to lower cost and put my name on it, and I darn sure am not gonna do for charity, even if it is a labor of love, and I would think I speak for most builders in that regard.

It is also impractical to point to a particular accordion and ask a builder to make one that sounds just like "that". Action maybe, but sound is an elusive thing and there are quite a few variables, including at least one we have no control over, handmade reeds.

You don't need an expensive instrument to play from the heart. Many of the "Old Masters" couldn't afford them, but still did a pretty good job!
I thought handmade LA made instruments with Italian reeds etc. were actually a quite modern development.
I was told that the Cajun accordion had a much harder time in the thirties and early forties, when everybody wanted to be as American as could be, and Cajuns played swing instead of waltzes and twosteps and forgot about their language.
I'm just an outsider from Cloggieland (EU), but from my point of view times seem not that hard at all over there, at least not as far as Cajun music is concerned. Ever heard Cameron Dupuy play? New generations are taking over!
What more do you want?

Lets take the cost of an accordion and march it back, taking into account 5% inflation per year, just for an example. And this is considering hand made, not the factory built jobs you'd get from Sears and Roebuck:

2500 2010
1535 2000
942 1990
578 1980
355 1970
218 1960
133 1950
82 1940
50 1930
30 1920
19 1910

And I bet at any point, these prices would have been high.

And here's for an H114C, starting at $800

800 2010
491 2000
301 1990
185 1980
113 1970
69 1960
42 1950
26 1940
16 1930
9 1920
6 1910

There are cheaper accordions to play these days. You just have to be willing to struggle with them.

I am reminded of an old saying "good ol days, there wern't any good ol days they were just days." I think your request for accordion buiders to do what you suggest is way off. They don't have $3000 to $4000 to have sitting on a self. When I was in the Marine Corp all I had to play my music on was a little tan colored plastic record player, mono. All the want to hippy Marines had all this "high tech" component systems to play their amplified guitar music. It just dawned on me there they were at Woodstock proclaiming to get back to a simpler way and they had all this amplification and no clothers but I reqress.
Take your accordion and get a few guitar players and maybe a couple of fiddle players no microphone except for the vocals and have a good time.
More important to me than the sound coming out of an accordion is the lyrics coming out of their mouths. I know in th good ol days they sang the songs the way they remembered them, but somebody recorded it first and popularized it. Those are the lyrics I sing. I have no desire to play my accordion in the new style I like the old stuff so I try to learn it that way. The new stuff is for dancing the old stuff is for living. I am not out to impress anyone with my playing and for the most part I don't.
Le Piquant

"I am not out to impress anyone with my playing and for the most part I don't."

I resemble that remark! Music, like language, is best when used to express rather than to impress. (Interesting how playing with the intent of impressing usually has the opposite effect.)

I impress a lot of people with my playing. The comment I usually hear is "Man, you're either brave or deaf", to which I respond "I'm sorry, can you repeat that."

Well I guess there's another way for an accordion maker to see what sound the prospective accordion buyer would like. Song recordings? Both old and new in the shop to listen to. I don't know. I do know that communication with an accordion builder is hard to do when it comes to telling them what you want an accordion to sound like especially if you are a beginner. At least it's always been tough for me and I've been playing for a while. It doesn't work when you tell them "make my accordion sound like my granpa's accordion used to make me feel. LOL.

One last thing. I have come across a couple of accordions in my time that actually inspired me to play better. Their sound and feel activated my spirit I guess you could say. One of those accordions was a $350.00 no name brand that was purchased for a 5 year old girl by her father. The thing was alive. I believe it had Hohner reeds and the way the reed block was constructed (synthetic hard plastic) to fit them and make them sound and vibrate made it one of the most memorable accordions I ever picked up. It was cheaply constructed, but sounded and played so well. This is coming from a guy whose owned Teche, Acadian, Martin, Hohner and King. That's another reason why I feel the La builders could do a better job with these expensive accordions. Why should a 350 dollar special out perform a $2500.00 masterpiece? In 19 years of playing accordion, I have yet to understand this phenomenon. I think a factory made "synthetic" reed block might be a good way for La accordion builders to get consistency. They are cheap and made to last. It would save the builder many hours of his precious time if he could just order 25,50, or 100 identical reed blocks that make almost any reed "sound off like they got a pair". Have any of you guys ever noticed these synthetic reed blocks and the vibrant sound they produce? If they are any good, and I think they would be, every La builder could do the same thing and still sell their accordions for the same high price. It would take a bunch of them though, to convince a factory to mass produce the perfect reed block. At least the reed block X Factor would be taken out of the picture if everyone used the same thing. I believe the plastic could be heated to the point that you could press the reeds into them then waxed or screwed down afterwards. That's how the one's I've seen were done.

A) No honest accordion player can tell you that the finished product is going to sound a certain way. They can tell you that, in general, this type of reeds is going to sound like x compared to another type of reeds, but it's relative.

B) Those plastic reedblocks were probably standing, removable reedblocks, and La. boxes aren't built like that.

C) You want a factory-built homogenized sound with no variables (I suspect if you had two of those boxes with plastic reed blocks, there might be some difference though), you need to go buy a factory built box, pay less for it, and go from there. What you still don't know is how that cheap box, or its reeds, will hold up over the long haul. Why don't you go buy one. It seems to fit your requirements.

D) You could start learning how to build accordions yourself. Then you could control all the variables and get it just the way you like. Or, you would get an education.

You started out with a good discussion, then it quickly turned to crap.
Le Piquant

My solution has been to only learn happy songs. No sad songs for me. And easy songs too. No difficult songs that have a lot of fancy stuff in them. So far my attitude about music has been very good.

That's funny and I don't care who I am.

I meant to put Hebert's name in the last post concerning the direction of this thread.
Le Piquant

Maybe I'm just going over your head with my thoughts. Sorry if I confused you. Just ignore them and go back to the part of the discussion you were able to understand and relate to. No body is twisting your arm, hot stuff.

Today is tomorrow's good old days...Today, we are quite a bit better off, it's just a large portion of the population that sucks.

I like Toby's retort! That's bumper-sticker goodness! And Bryan always serves up some of the most sage advice ever written in this forum.

I personally don't get too melancholy over old vs. new. When it comes to old music, I've gotta be in the mood; and those moods do hit me occasionally. I think new artists that deliberately go way out of their way to sound like they were "lost tapes" sound fake. They still end up digital in the end. So unless there are some artists that are only using period hardware and instruments (that still work and are reliable) and, release their art only on 78s and 45s, they are going to sound fabricated.

I say, if that's what someone digs, then they should look no further... and seek only [that].

As far as accordions go, the best players can play any brand, any key, make, or model, and express themselves in a way that interprets a song to their own standard. That takes having some education about music in general, some gumption to listen and absorb before ever touching an instrument -- and great deal of talent in the form of cadence.

The bottomline is; if someone doesn't do their homework and doesn't possess the art to keep time, performing ANY type of music is harder than Chinese algebra. This applies to all genres of music -- new and old. When someone develops this, they play from their heart because their creation leaves the head and becomes part of their spirit. And that's what one hears emanating from the fingers of their musical heroes.

R!CK

Chinese algebra is not hard. You take-a one from column A, and one from-a column B.

Renting accordions? Perhaps renting used accordions. With either damage deposit, or full-price held in escrow, to be returned upon successful undamaged return.

R. Reid> "When someone develops this, they play from their heart because their creation leaves the head and becomes part of their spirit. And that's what one hears emanating from the fingers of their musical heroes."

Now that's well spoken words! That should be the first words every accordion players hears. He may not understand them at that moment, but at least they would be on his mind until he does become fully aware of what they mean.

I wonder if Nathan Abshire or Lodias Fontenot ever put this much thought into it? LOL, probably just reached for another beer instead.

I watched a youtube video where Nathan Abshire said. I'm "" years old. I can't write my own name.

I thought this was absolutely brilliant. The man was off the "grid" by his own choice.

Way ahead of his time! Way ahead of his time!!!

I doubt that he couldn't read or write due to a conscious decision to go that route.

I like this guy Hebert he knows JLM like a book,dont worry Hebert, JLM's book contains few pages.

Dennis have you completed all the chores that mommy gave you before you start playing those happy songs???

Yes. Yes, thank you varry mush. Love ma momma.

Here's an idea. Accordion Rental. Take it for 2 weeks at 50.00 per week. And to be able to rent the accordion you have to leave a valid credit card number so if you haven't returned the accordion on the deadline you get charged for the full price of the accordion. An accordion builder can build up his stock room and rent out to a good many accordionist. It's a win win situation. The builder makes money and the renter gets to try out all kinds of different accordions.

Might as well go all out commercial. We've come this far.

1) "Will we ever bring back the true magic with the past being gone forever?" My thoughts: In the last 26 months I have found, witnessed and experienced many magical moments concerning Cajun music....all within 75 miles of Kaplan.

2) "I'm starting to second guess my efforts." My thoughts: Only you can make your musical dreams come true! Don't give up...double up on your efforts!

3) "I've spent thousands of dollars on accordions, fiddles, etc." My thoughts: I know what you mean and there is a difference, but one does get "used" to a particular instrument if you stick with it. Besides, those instruments can last Decades, so the cost is more than justified.

4) "So much time an effort just to learn the basics only to find that if I don't learn how to play my music from my heart and/or soul, I mind as well hang it up and walk away." My thoughts: After learning the Basics, comes the pay-off. Review #2!

5) "Hope I didn't burst anybody's bubble." My thoughts..Review #1 thru #4.

How old are you, Hebert? How long have you been pursuing the music and who have you had lessons with? Inquiring minds want to know.

I feel your pain, man.
Lache pas! and Arrette pas la musique!! Prende courage'.

cb

Ok, now that I've said all I'm going to about accordion builders, to the other topic.

1) Hebert, are you playing with other people yet?
2) How long have you been playing?
3) How often are you playing?
4) How long have you been a musician (of any instrument)?
5) What other instruments do you play?

I've been playing for 10 years. Played rubboard before that. No real music background besides that, though I tried and tried other instruments.

I started playing accordion when I was 47. I first needed to develop my ear. I also needed to develop dexterity.

Then I needed peer pressure, and not from that guy in Holland! I also needed peer support, so I organized my own beginner jams, even before I could play anything. Then I needed to be playing under even more stress than jams, and that meant playing for dancers. There was an org out here that supported that, until it folded.

I just kept a truckin', though I'm sure I'm not THAT good yet.

From my experience, I need to be playing often, with other people. My biggest jump in capability seems to have happened just recently when a friend and I started busking. We are playing weekly a lot, and playing for 2-3 hours at a stretch, with an audience.

This has done a couple of things for me:

Developed my muscle tone, so I don't start mumbling the buttons later in the song.

Built a higher base level to my playing, such that I can throw in more embellishments when my mind is ready. In effect, I'm not having to come up to speed again each time I play, but am able to build on my ability much faster.

Playing from the heart? I have a song I "wrote" (actually adapted from a piano accordion song I heard). Slow blues. I feel blues. Song is not that hard to play either. But when I play it, I tend to get positive comments from those around me.

There's some other songs I wrote, and my friend says that when I play those, I play a groove, with feeling.

So, how did I get to that point (not that that point is THAT high):


Practice
Created my own opportunities for playing
Playing with others whom I supported and who supported me.
Playing under stress
Building timing
Playing under MORE stress
Playing frequently, under stress.

It has been a LONG haul. Lengthened by the fact that I'm not down in Louisiana where there are many more opportunities to learn to play, and pressure to get better. I see others who have been playing for a couple of years who play circles around me. I'm jealous, but, I have to keep pushing my own wagon up the road.

The instruments are expensive. And, you have to do what you have to do.

Dwight ..your post should be framed and displayed on every Brave's wall.

It's all very well buying an instrument and learning the basics of playing...that's the easy part...BUT..the thing that makes the difference is putting yourself in situations and having self imposed committments to playing in a performance sense... even if that means the first few steps are in group jam sessions for beginners.

The thing to avoid is becoming a 'Legend in your own Lounge Room.' !!!

Eventually, the music you play will form only part of your music experience. There will be a drive generated within you to seek out opportunities to play whether they be gigs, jam sessions, family gatherings etc.
And then you'll want to write and play your own self inspired compositions.

What was it the late, great James Brown said..something like "...I tell ya man, playin' music is about 10% of the job, the rest is business..."

Oh..I just remembered this..
Somethin' that would perhaps inspire, or destroy you,on that music journey, was the story told by one of his former bass players about how JB would fine any player in his band $100 every time they hit a wrong note or came in late or early in a song..and during a gig he'd turn to the offending player and hold up one, two or more fingers to indicate how many blips the guy made at the rate of $100 a time.

Hmmm.... that sort of pressure would make you a pretty good accordion player !!! LOL
........

I was also going to have a say about people wallowing in the past about former glories of past musicians and times.
There were some great musicians,no denying that fact, but those same wallowers really annoy me...like ageing hippies and old country and western fans. ...they just can't seem to let go and acknowledge the present and the future.

Suffice to say if those same people could put their energies behind the latest generation of players...Briggs, Dupuy, etc. then those same people might find another good reason to live a little longer , because livin' in the past will send you to the grave that much faster !!!
Also, the music and cutural genre will last longer instead of dying out with their early trip to the pearly gates.

OK..there, I've said it.

What was it the comedian and musician Billy Connolly said...paraphrased..
" One way to get old fast is to keep hanging around with your old friends ..that's sure to keep you living in the past and becoming old and grumpy "
......but of course Billy added a few more descriptive words to that philosphy !

Darryl,
I agree that one must take the leap and get out and play in front of people, one develops a sense of timing and rythem and progress comes quicker.
I don't agree with the following quote:
"I was also going to have a say about people wallowing in the past about former glories of past musicians and times.
There were some great musicians,no denying that fact, but those same wallowers really annoy me...like ageing hippies and old country and western fans. ...they just can't seem to let go and acknowledge the present and the future".

I refuse to let the big record companies tell me what the next sound out of Nashville or Hollywood is going to be. I never follow. I don't like the new stuff and I want buy it. You can. Not that the new stuff is bad, it just doen't appeal to me. Personal taste, period. So I will discriminate and buy the music and go to the dances of the musicians that are giving me my moneies worth.
Le Piquant

Yep...we're all wired differently....no probs, Le P.

....it's just one of my pet issues that, in a fit of literary excess, I just had to get off of my chest..certainly no offense intended.

..but thanx again for reading my post and posting your well structured response....good stuff straight from the heart ....!.

What was that philosopher's saying again.?.." I may not agree with what you say but I will defend to the death your right to say it " . Who was that guy?

Darryl.

Evelyn Beatrice Hall, (1868 - 19??), who wrote under the pseudonym S.G. Tallentyre, was an English writer best known for her biography of Voltaire with the title The Friends of Voltaire, which she completed in 1906. Hall wrote the phrase: "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it," (which is often misattributed to Voltaire), as an illustration of Voltaire's beliefs in her biography on him. Hall's quote is often cited to describe the principle of freedom of speech.
No harm taken. Is it just me are does all country songs sound alike and all pop songs sound alike and I'll anwser this one all rap crap sounds alike.
I am enjoying the peace and quite on this board.
Le Piquant

Your comments reminded me of attending LSU in the late 1990's. I asked the LSU student manning the dorm desk where I might hear some Cajun music in Baton Rouge. His response - "I hate that Cajun s**t, it all sounds the same."

Different strokes, I guess. Amazing to me how many Louisiana folks had no clue about Cajun or Creole history and culture. For those keeping it alive and real, thank you!

A lot of cajun music DOES sound alike, unless you start trying to play it, and even then, some does. It is focused on a limited set of instruments, and a limited number of dance steps.

South Louisiana is not a united front regarding Cajun music. One part of the revival of cajun popularity, and not just the music, was the migration of many oil companies out of Louisiana to Texas. This left a gaping maw in Louisiana finances, and they needed a cash cow to fill the coffers. All things cajun became the new tourism cash cow.

I can remember in my home town, you'd never see the word cajun on stores (ok, on radio station was KJIN). Now I go there and I see "Cajun Printers", etc, etc.

And you certainly saw very little if any intersection between the words New Orleans and Cajun before the "revival". Now outsiders equate the two, which is very wrong in my book.

I would think that it's a minority of the population down there that enjoys, or even supports cajun music. Most are probably listening to country or rock.

Cajun and zydeco would not have experienced such a revival if not for the adoption of many of the out-of-state supporters. Otherwise, where would the bands be touring? Only so many gigs in La. Who would be buying the cd's?

"Cajun and zydeco would not have experienced such a revival if not for the adoption of many of the out-of-state supporters"

I agree. It has amazed me not only the interest in Cajun culture and music from outsiders, but their genuine appreciation for the uniqueness of it, something many living in S. La have definitely taken for granted. The young folks I think are getting interested in the music more than my generation did, and I think that is in large part due to newer bands playing a style that appeals to more youth, but that is a whole nuther discussion.

And I also agree that S. La is not a united front on the music, and surely isnt on the culture in general, and in particular the language, and is probably the biggest reason the language will die. The very independent hard headed nature of Cajuns that has served us well in times of hardship is hurting us now.

Bryan, are there any cajun french immersion programs down there? And I'm not talking about falling out of my pirogue either!

And HOW IN THE HELL can I learn to sing with a cajun accent? That will ALWAYS be the downfall of non-native cajun speakers in doing recordings. What you may get away with in a live venue, will not fly on recordings.

Though women seem to get away with it a bit better than men.

I can cry, I can wail, but I can't sing through my nose yet!

You will never learn to sing with a Cajun accent because you think they sing through their nose.
Le Piquant

Did you see the smiley face, Jerry? That's a clue to my real purpose with that comment.

But at least I got you to talk to me directly. Woo hoo.

I've got a couple of good Cajun vocal methods I use. Dwight is correct, using the nasal passage wisely will in fact improve the authenticity of your song. It's not completely singing through the nose, but it's more like ending each word with a decay through the nose. Think about how guitar players use a wah pedal. It's not as dramatic as that but the principle is the same. Good thread...

Another method I discovered while walking down the street, trying to sing J'ai Passe, is to extend the lower jaw forward. This seems to do a couple of things. One is it make the elusive pronunciation of words like "veux" come more naturally and sound more authentic. The other is....I'm not sure what it is...more of a vibration that wasn't there before....not quite nasal, but contributes. And I think I'm able to hit higher notes like this, or at least not choke so much when I hit them.

Maybe this only works for me because my jaw already sets back more than normal.

I've got more reasons to play alone than I do to play on the band stand or at jam sessions. I've tried it, but I don't like it too much. All the noise, the mess ups, the forced performance, the lack of corrections by players to make the songs better. It's too much stress for me.

I'd much rather cook a gumbo or a roast with rice and gravy and a sit down (unplugged) with an accordion, a fiddle or two, one guitar and an (on beat, not too loud) triangle. If they weren't so rare, I'd much rather have someone on the upright base instead of the triangle. Dam triangle if not played correctly gives me a headache.

What I'm getting at is, I want to be able to discuss the "Traditional Cajun Music" about to be played. I want things at a slow pace where you can stop the song and start over if there are too many mess ups or someone is not understanding where the song is going or the idea behind it. I want to be able to try a song in a different/better way than the usual memorized version or most played version on the radio or youtube. In other words, time to master the music as a group without interruption. A group that don't mind never playing on the band stand for money, but just studying,perfecting, and enjoying the music over a few cold beers or even wine straight out of a shared bottle, then presenting it to others that want to hear it or learn it, but only when the time is right.

I used to sit and watch my Grandpa and his old Cajun pod-nahs do this back in the 70's. Their wives sat off in another room next to the kitchen. The music was played by the men in another sitting room while the food was cooking. I'm sure they wouldn't have minded too much if a strange woman or two, or three was there and wanted to and knew how to play an instrument, but it never happened. Everyone playing an instrument except for me and my young cousin was how I remember it. I remember hearing them talk and bicker in coonass French for a while, then stop talking and play a song. After the song, they'd talk about the song, or shoot the bull, or get ready for the next song. Sometimes, when it wasn't going right, they'd stop mid song and make it right. As for me and my cousin, they paid no attention to us except for when they needed us to go get another beer or when my Grandpa would push his accordion toward me to see if I wanted to make a fool out of myself for the first time or not. LOL. Man, it relaxes me just to remember that and then it ties me in knots at the same time. Coulda, shoulda, woulda.

If you get where I'm coming from. The Cajun music I grew up to "later" appreciate wasn't one of forced pressure playing or band stand glory or selling music CD's, or who made the best accordion, or who had the best accordion, or how expensive or cheap instruments where. I guess if I'd have taken that accordion from my Grandpa's hands a few times I might've learned it sooner and better than I know it today. The man might have given me his, or if he were still living, drove us down to Marc Savoy's, Jr. Martins, or Randy Falcon's, or even Greg Mouton's and said "WTF?! You expect us to buy an accordion for $2,500. You must be out of your fu@#ing minds people!"
He might have also said "Come on boy, let's go home! I'll teach you how to play a cheap triangle instead and maybe later, the fiddle, if you show me some promise. For now, catch me an be-aaaarrr".(translation-would you please bring me(1)one beer, I'm thirsty and ****** off) for you non-cajuns.

Oh yeah, it was all from the heart back then. That, and alot of alcohol.

Oh, did I mention that my Grandpa and all his "pod-nahs" farmed rice or had a job that dealt with rice farming? Not a one of them a professor or a doctor or the like. Some pretty independent,poor, and simple coon-asses they were, but they played their Cajun music good enough to have people from other states and other countries reveering them like they were GODs and trying to learn their secrets some 20 years later. Take from my story what you will. I hope the meaning of it is not lost on those who read it.

You're misunderstanding the point about playing under stress. It improves your playing. Not about grandstand glory. It's one way of moving forward, getting past the nerves.

I guess I'm not understanding why you can't have those kind of get togethers, they are still going on. Cook a gravy, fill an ice chest, invite a few friends, and whammo, fun filled low pressure night of music and memories.

Milking a thread?

Hebert, I don't know if you're having trouble playing from the heart, but you're sure not having any trouble writing from the heart.

After all these posts, I understand what you're looking for now: that way you felt as a little boy in your Grandpa's sitting room when him and his buddies were making music. That's pure magic, my friend, that's what you got to shoot for, and don't stop until you get it.

Forget all that other stuff: commercialization, the price of accordions (which ain't any more than in your Grandpa's day), lost opportunities, your shoelace just broke, whatever. You think your Grandpa had it easy? Think anybody does? Cowboy up and make it happen, Captain.

I walked into an empty classroom one time and saw something written on the chalkboard I'll never forget:

"Obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off your goal."

You've got a beautiful dream, and your Grandpa blessed you and showed you how good it could be. That's more than most people have.

So get to work.

Thank you friend.


Another mystery for you that might provoke thought Jamey. It is valuable if you know what to "listen" for. Bon Chance!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5BDgDh0RHk

As for as for you "picquant"(hot stuff). I'm starting to wonder what you're all about. Do you enjoy wearing tight, short, pink hot pants when nobody's looking or what?

I think we have a troll in our midst folks.

Thanks for the video, Hebert, it doesn't get any better than that. There's magic in the old music.

It brings to mind a thought: maybe you ought to have a conversation with Marc Savoy about what's on your mind, if you can. Like a lot of Cajuns I've met, he's a very intelligent man, a very thoughtful man, and he might have some good advice for you. Seems to me he could relate to what it is you want. I'd leave out the part about the high price of accordions though!

As far as listening goes, I do. Constantly. It's the only music I listen to (with a little old-time country thrown in), and has been for a couple of years now. Before that, it was the main music I listened to for 30 years. I've listened to it so much that I'm forgetting the lyrics to country songs I've know for a long time. But it's not enough. It's just not. It's not the same as being there and hearing it. All the CD's, DVD's, YouTubes, instructional videos, and so on will never be a fingernail next to being on the dance floor while Jesse or Marc or Chris or Octa (yeah, I've gotten to dance to Octa and Hector a couple of times, years ago) plays. There's been times when family and work and such have kept me out of Louisiana for years at a time. Then when I got down there and heard that accordion for the first few notes, it hit me so hard I could cry and laugh at the same time. Is there a word for that? It's how I felt the very first time I heard it. As I write this, it occurs to me what the feeling is called: homecoming.

But how can this be? I'm not Cajun. I don't even want to be a Cajun. Not that I don't love them and their ways, but because I don't want to give up who I am and where I'm from. I'm an Arkansas redneck/Ozark hillbilly, and I love my people. You'll never meet kinder and more down-home, welcoming people. Now, if I'd married a Cajun girl or gotten a job and moved down there, I expect I would of jumped into the culture with both feet, and they'd have to run me off to be rid of me. But I married a sweet Arkansas girl and I'll never leave the Ozark Hills unless someone makes me.

So why do I feel such a strong connection to the Cajuns' music? I've wondered that for a while. It ain't like we don't have good music here: old-time, honky-tonk, bluegrass, and blues. I grew up with it and I love it. I'm thinking the land has something to do with it. I grew up on a rice farm, hunting in river-bottoms, frog-hunting on bayous and slews, fishing around cypress trees, slapping mosquito's, walking levee's, shooting cottonmouths, getting my pick-up stuck in buckshot mud,the kind that cakes up around the bottom of your waders like snowshoes after just a minute or two of walking out to a duck blind. When I first drove around Ville Platte and Mamou and Eunice, I was surprised to see that the land looked and felt exactly like where I grew up. From all the marketing hype from outside Cajun culture, I thought they all lived in swamps.

So that's gotta be it! Or at least a fundamental part of it. *The land comes through the people, and the people come through the music*. And me and the Cajuns come from the same kind of land. And that's also why you and I don't like the feel of today's music compared to Cajun (or country or blues) compared to 50 years ago: *the people who make it don't have the same connection to the land*. I think an Arkansas garden tomato will always taste better than a hydroponic one, and a farmer will *always* make better music than a computer programmer. It's also why most people these days can't tell the difference, and listen to a lot BS music. Or what my Grandpa called "a bunch of gawddam ya-ya!" (you and me also have that in common: I think the sun rose and set in my Grandpa)

Whew! A short reply turned into an exploration, and pulled some things together in my mind that have been niggling around for years. Thanks for your indulgence. You gotta love this board . . .

And one more thing: If he by God felt like wearing tight, short, pink hotpants, Jerry Moody would not only do it, he's one of the few people I know who could pull it off, all the while looking you square in the eye and daring you to say a GD word about it!

Peace, Jamey Hall

Wow...Good stuff from most everyone, here.

Hebert....you still have not given some clues to who you are. Age and past personal (with your own instruments) experiences. I think that would enable some of us to share some of our own personal hurdles and what we have done or are doing to overcome.

I must say though, I am picking up on some vibes from you that I have picked up from the likes of Bryan L. Jamey H. Pat O. and most strongly from Jerry Moody (he is from just outside of Scott now in Thibodeaux running exactly the kind of Cajun jam session you are searching for). All of us are coming to the Cajun music banquet table later in life with the goal of recapturing some of that old time stuff that you have in your memories.

I have done much to capture those things. Heck all the guys I have mentioned have spent many many hours traveling, listening, purchasing, practicing anguishing over those elusive moments where we can actually make a moment of our own. It is frustrating, expensive and most assuredly time consuming. Heck, it can even get downright lonely!

If you can find some like minded family and or friends you are in great shape. If not, after a few short years of searching, you will find some folks with the same goals as you and then, you will become your Grandfather...only you will be in the position to pass on your experiences on to your offspring.

More thoughts from Tennessee.....(and i just played my accordion for 2 of my grand kids....something I could not do 2 years ago!)

cb

This the kind of thing you thinking of?

Nice old video, Hebert. Back in those days, if you wanted to be in that library, I think you would have to have traveled out of the Kaplan area.....like out of the state too! Chicago?? It is good to know that 3 of the 4 musicians in that video are alive and very close to your neck of the woods.

DL still lives in Erath/Delcambre area....Le Piquant has just recently recorded a few songs with him at his home.

cb

Awesome input everybody.

All in the name of "Elevated Conciousness". I am now aware that there are people out there that actually have a heart!

Se la vi

Thanks,

I hate to change the subject but,Bryan how does Cory do that cool lick at about 222 on your video.Man that is so smooth

Leading off with the ring finger on the 9 pull, then that 7/10 pull blend. You never even have to move your fingers positions. Now some of the other licks he's doing.....

One thing I have learned from watching Cory play is how neat it sounds to be mixing the top and bottom of the keyboard up, I used to only play either at the top or at the bottom, but mix it up sounds cool, at least when he does it.