In a musical measure one long note is a whole note
2 notes that take the same amount of time are half notes
4 would be quarter notes in the same space
8 would be eight notes..
16 would be sixteenth notes.
My god guys. Talk about getting into some detail. If you'd a mentioned 1/8th notes and such to someone like my grandpa, who played piano, fiddle, and accordion, he'd a slapped you acrosst the face!
It all boils down to the music you're exposed to. In the old days, the guy with the biggest selection of records to listen to learned the best. That or the guy who would hall himself to the dances and pay to listen to as many musicians as possible. Or in the case of my great uncle, he would drive to the dances, park outside, and go and sit on the outside of the building or lean on the wall nearest the bandstand and just listen.
Many a modern day Cajun and non Cajun musician have become successful by finding and re-recording versions of old Cajun songs that no body was listening to or had no access to.
All done by ear and putting hands to meat so to speak. I don't think they worried too too much about 1/8th notes if at all.
The advantage of such information isn't going to help you much. You got to find those songs that are out there now available all over youtube and use them to your advantage and to give your ear some variety. Hurry up now, because it won't be long before every old song has been re-recorded and put on some undeserving jack ass's new cd.
Ha cat, we might just be better off doing just that! That accordion is the Devil I tell you! The Devil!
But how long before our family members commit us for walking around naked all the time?
Everyone, just keep in mind that the different pressures and length of time you press those buttons on that keyboard and work those bellows make a difference in the way your playing sounds. If you don't believe that, listen to a beginner's song that hasn't gotten the feel for the accordion due to lack of years experience and guidance and then listen to an old master put the magic touch of years of playing on that accordion.
Unfortunately, there is a sweet spot in your years of accordion playing. Most masters lose that special touch as their lives come to an end due to the breakdown of the accordion, body, brain, and soul connection. Some new players are able to play in the sweet spot in the beginning and lose it due to more complicated button combinations, more difficult songs, and the frustration of trying to become a master. They lose their direction because they get baffled by bull **** from another accordion player.
Yes, when I first started, I heard an accordion master take my brand new tight accordion and make it sound like it was an old monarch just by his touch and guarded knowledge of the accordion. I took back the accordion and just turned it over and over looking at it and then at him. He just smiled and offered no information what so ever. Except for these words. "There's nothing wrong with that accordion, but I like mine better." Only after a lot of money spent and time passing, I'm just getting what he meant. And then, I still question exactly what he meant by that.
I know very little about music theory, but what I do know is that the people who know it and are musically literate can go anywhere in the world and look at musical notation and play.
Many of my my favorite box players are musically literate..mostly Europeans and Quebecers.
Never hursts to know stuff, can hurt if you don't.
But aural traditions such as Cajun apparently have no need of it.. not a part of the culture. The music is great without dwelling on it.
I have learned many pieces on the one row by transcribing from written musical notation such as music by Ed Reavey (sp)
I know some musical theory. If you really did want to apply this to Cajun music it does not take a big effort. As musical theory goes Cajun music is very straightforward - three octaves, four kinds of notes and a melody that works with the bass buttons and the occasional syncopation. It may come as no surprise that this is indeed all the 'old masters' played. Every player though adds there own emphasis on this cold hard collection of musical notes and I personally like to break down the 'old masters' playing because I'm interested in learning their technique. Aural or written is not a big deal - depends on the kind of journey you want but the destination is the same.
Mr Guy, I have been looking for someone to explain the word "syncopation". How can that word be explained so as to make easy sense to the "straight forward" accordion player's ears and mind?
I heard it said for the first time by Wilson Savoy on video. I just figured it to be baffling bull S*** at first, but I know differently now. Can you take a crack at explaining such a noun as syncopation.
This is the Wikipedia definition, but I find it dry and short on explanation as how it applies to a Cajun accordion player.
"In music, syncopation involves a variety of rhythms which are in some way unexpected which make part or all of a tune or piece of music off-beat. More simply, syncopation is a general term for "a disturbance or interruption of the regular flow of rhythm": a "placement of rhythmic stresses or accents where they wouldn't normally occur." The correlation of at least two sets of time intervals. Also known as an "Uneven movement from bar to bar".
And what the hell brought Wilson to become familiar with such a word and actually use it in his presentation of speech? Did he do some mushrooms while living in a tent in India or something?
Rubato means "stolen time" or "free in tempo" and maybe that fits better for Cajun music but an unlimited use of rubato ends in a chaos
This or syncopation is one of the most difficult things to pick up with attemps to play Cajun music and I was growng up in a Hum-Pa-pa culture
Great subject and I'm very obliged with all contributions and that's were this forum is ment for
Mr Greezy, I hope this explanation seems straight forward. A whole note has a length of time equal to four beats in a four/four time signature. So each beat is then a quarter of a whole note. In Cajun two steps your bass buttons are playing the quarter notes, keeping the beat. The melody buttons are usually playing eighth notes, so that's two notes per quarter note or two notes per one bass chord. When you play on-the-beat the bass chords and a melody note are in step - that is they occur simultaneously and so playing four quarter note bass chords the melody eighth notes coincide with the chord for 1,3,5 and 7. You can also play off-the-beat, say the last bar of an A-part, by playing the same four quarter note bass chords with five melody notes such as, in order, an eighth note, a quarter note, a three quarter note and two eighth melody notes for the repeat pick-up. In this case the bass chords are the same as before at the 1,3,5 and 7 places but the melody notes are now played at the 1,2,4 and 7 places i.e. off-beat. This is syncopation.
If you can count to eight you will have cracked this and verified by using four fingers of the left hand and five of the right on a flat surface. You will also have eclipsed Prof. Nedro's complete knowledge of musical theory.
Mr Guy. Whew! We sure don't hear that kind of talk at a local jam session or when we visit the old masters to hear them play a few songs and maybe join them for cush cush, loss bread, and some coffee milk if asked.
I'm gonna study that definition. I want to find a recording that gives an obvious example of this rubato or syncopation. Or maybe you or Meloderon know of one.
As for Prof Nedro. I was just messing with him. He's a good man. I know what he's talking about with them 1/8th notes, but it makes me laugh and then almost cry to know that many an ole timer Cajun accordion player had not even one inkling of what an 1/8th note, rubato, or syncopation was. Hell, there weren't even French words for such things. That's why someone like my Grandpa would have slapped another across the face if mention was made of these words. He'd a thought he was being cussed in some unknown language or his person and his music was being insulted with that music theory talk going over his head. It's so hilarious to me that it's almost sad for us poor ignorant Cajuns that could sure play the living hell out of Cajun music without so much as one class or one word on music theory possessed within our collective memories. You gotta wonder how that happened.
Mr Greezy your down-home philosophy could be right in step with Orwell's 'Ministry of Truth' - check out their slogans. Mr Jeff - believe it or not the fractional musical notes are not used in the UK e.g. eighth = quaver; quarter = crotchet; three quarter = dotted crotchet etc. so I was translating. Once again we are separated by a common language.
I really don't know any record with examples of rubato or syncopation.
I know that syncopation has to do with playing beside the beat, but what Mr. Guy is writing look a bit mathematical to me just like everything what has to do with music-theory in which I'm not an expert.
I know how to find the ABCDEFG flat or sharp in a music-notation and that's it.
Until yesterday I never know about rubato
The effect we all want to get with playing Cajun is a matter of feeling and listen a lot to Cajun music is the most important thing to get it.
And dancing is a good friend for it, but not on wooden shoes
A great example! Chris is THA Man.
This version sounds quite "Creole", and I think there's a lot of Africa in it.
Syncopation of the most exciting aspects of Cajun/Creole music. I love it!
FLASHBACK: During rehearsal, Amede thumbs back a page and says, "Mais, Denus, let's take it again from the coda, and this time give me a little more fortissimo..."