Nonc - I imagine you could adapt the kind of pitch bending circuit operated by a joystick on some electronic keyboards to a foot pedal. However, for that application you would want to use a midi accordion without reeds: you wouldn't want to be standing next to the on-pitch sound of reeds vibrating in your accordion while the bent pitch sound was coming out of speakers in the room!
Guitars have had note bending the variable tension levers for decades. Many contemporary player love them, many traditional players never use them.
Bluegrass is a good example traditional vs. modern. Many players want to sound exactly like the classic 1940 accostic recordings, other prefer to push the musical limits.
It is a free market and we buy what sounds best to our ears.
It's hard to say if this thing will ever go into production in a serious way. But if it did, and I got one, I would use it sparingly. I think I would be more interested in using it on a triple row, because it is on the triple row that I tend to play bluesy single note lines which lend themselves to bending. As it is now, since bending is not possible, I spend a lot of time looking for the right combination of buttons to simulate a bend by doing a slur instead. This has been an interesting challenge, and opens up the use of the keyboard in unexpected ways.
i;ve considered, am considering
a CBA, chromatic button accordion
there, it;s just like a guitar
the half steps are just adjacent buttons
totally logical
but if i were going to do that i may as
well go whole hog with the roland
slicer-dicer-weedeater do-everything
model
the VERY annoying thing about it is, so
far, there is no diatonic-simulating
key configuration available
there it sits, with 5 rows of buttons,
completely computerized and programmable [by the
designers, not the users] -
yet totally unplayable by a
regular button accordionist..
talk about your instant transpositions,
slurs, other instruments, wireless, ethernet, midi,
built in speakers, effects, programmability
of every aspect of the accordion [even down
to 'how much do you want it to go out of tune
when you play it hard?]
I have heard others make the same complaint about the lack of programability with the Roland. If it was a $200 cheepie, you could understand, but at $3000 it seems pretty boneheaded.
I gotta say that I am not terribly impressed with any of the reedless/midi/whatever type accordions out there. They all seem too gadgety and too expensive.
allegedly it works well and sounds pretty good
i wrote to them volunteering to either
consult with them on what to put into
the diatonic version,
or write the code myself. :)
think of it
5 row diatonic - or chromatic - in any
button layout you want
irish B/C
club
regular 3 row
5 individual 1 rows - not necessarily in 5ths/4ths
i would have C, D, B flat and A as my one rows
my 5 row would be
G/C/F/Bflat/Eflat
with half step transposability for all 5 rows at once
my chromatic would be C system
or no - janko whole tone
more like a piano
C# D# F G A
C D E F# G# A# C
C# D# F G A
C D E F# G# A# C
C# D# F G A
Do you think you could pull that off? I like the ideas you mention.
Any idea of the sound quality? I guess I am just old fashioned, but if I am playing an accordion, I still want it to sound like an accordion. I wonder if they could build in decent sounds for Cajun accordions with different degrees of wet/dry, and for typical sounds of triple row or piano accordions with different reed setups like Mussette and so on.
But even if they had all that, and the point of entry is still $3K or more, well, I guess if I didn't already have a bunch of accordions that would be one thing, but given that I do, I wonder what the compelling reason to upgrade would be. Like you say, there are all those different configurations available at the touch of a switch, which is pretty cool.
I wonder if over time, the price will come down enough for it to make more sense than it does now. Do you think they have a gigantic markup on those as they stand today, or are they so expensive because they are just recouping their R&D costs? With such a high price, it is going to limit the number of people who adopt that approach.
Do you think you could pull that off? I like the ideas you mention.
--me? not without working there and having
access to their stuff
Any idea of the sound quality? I guess I am just old fashioned, but if I am playing an accordion, I still want it to sound like an accordion. I wonder if they could build in decent sounds for Cajun accordions with different degrees of wet/dry, and for typical sounds of triple row or piano accordions with different reed setups like Mussette and so on.
--the piano and chromatic players seem to like them
they do have a cajun sound but i have not heard it
currently they don;t seem to have that many
accordion sounds
and you can;t just put them in yourself
neither can you define your own keyboard layout
But even if they had all that, and the point of entry is still $3K or more, well, I guess if I didn't already have a bunch of accordions that would be one thing, but given that I do, I wonder what the compelling reason to upgrade would be. Like you say, there are all those different configurations available at the touch of a switch, which is pretty cool.
----well, of course, if it could *replace* a boatload
of accordions, which would have to include
satisfactory sound, then 3k isn;t looking so
bad
--the 3k model is entry level
the fancy one is 5k
I wonder if over time, the price will come down enough for it to make more sense than it does now. Do you think they have a gigantic markup on those as they stand today, or are they so expensive because they are just recouping their R&D costs? With such a high price, it is going to limit the number of people who adopt that approach.
--can;t tell really
if it was 1k i would suspect they were
doing loss leader marketing
if it was 10k i would say no one would be interested
i suspect they set it right where they want it
a good piano accordion is 2-3k anyway
or a good chromatic
The ultimate set-up would cost around $40K, but look what you'd get:
Every good key on a Louisiana handmade.
Pick up the Bon Cajun and do a couple of tunes.
Pick up the Acadian and do a couple of tunes.
Pick up the Falcon and do a couple of tunes.
Pick up the Martin and do a couple of tunes.
Pick up the Bon Temps and do a couple of tunes.
Pick up the Le Capitaine and do a couple of tunes.
Pick up the Mouton and do a couple of tunes.
Pick up the Master and do a couple of tunes.
Pick up the Pointe Noir and do a couple of tunes.
Pick up the Acadiana and do a couple of tunes.
Pick up the Magnolia and do a couple of tunes.
Pick up the Cajun and do a couple of tunes.
Pick up the Crown and do a couple of tunes.
Pick up the Evangeline and do a couple of tunes.
Every box would have its own unique character and temperment. Strapping on each one would be an honor and a treat to those witnessing this unique set of music. Of course, in the second set, you'd have the opportunity to play them all again.