Old Style Accordion Lesson Books

[Chickers]

Check this out.
I recently bought a used "antique" accordion lesson book.
It appears to be from the 1930's
Interestingly, they use all treble cleff notation, with a comment that accordions don't have the ability
to go down to bass cleff notation, so why bother with it.
This was something very new to me.
CHICKERS

 

[JeffJetton]

Cool! Care to post any photos or scans?

 

[Zevy]

Check this out.
I recently bought a used "antique" accordion lesson book.
It appears to be from the 1930's
Interestingly, they use all treble cleff notation, with a comment that accordions don't have the ability
to go down to bass cleff notation, so why bother with it.
This was something very new to me.
CHICKERS

This was one of the issues on the table when the AAA was first formed in 1938. A lot of music was printed using the treble clef for the bass. Even after they agreed to use the bass clef, the was a major disagreement as to exactly how the music should be notated. Some wanted to use single noted for the chords (with symbols IE M,m,7,d). Others wanted full chords written out. The later opinion was attributed to Anthony Galla-Rini. He later broke away and formed the ATG.

 

[Dingo40]

For the unambitious, like me, the treble clef surmounted by chord symbols is quite adequate!??

 

[Pipemajor]

For the unambitious, like me, the treble clef surmounted by chord symbols is quite adequate! ?

Moi aussi

 

[lmschgo]

Cool! Care to post any photos or scans?

Cool! Care to post any photos or scans?

Attached are pages from Pietro Deiro's book, The Jazz Accordionist, published in 1931. The bass in the music for Accordion Memories is written in the treble clef.
It is an instructional book for learning to play "Hot and Blue" styles. I have included the page that briefly describes or defines Hot and Blue playing.
I find the book interesting, particularly seeing what was being taught/learned when the accordion was more popular in the US.

Remarkably, considering the book's age, it is in good condition. I do not know how many hands this book has passed through over time, but it seems well used and valued, with many pages containing hand written notations from jazz loving accordionists from the past.

 

[Chickers]

Here, I thought I found something "unique", and you guys are all acquainted with the "old style"
music notation.
Thanks for sharing your comments, and I really like those pages on the download. Thank you.
Have a great day
CHICKERS

 

[dunlustin]

Those 2 docs are a really intriguing glimpse of the past.

 

[lmschgo]

Here, I thought I found something "unique", and you guys are all acquainted with the "old style"
music notation.
Thanks for sharing your comments, and I really like those pages on the download. Thank you.
Have a great day
CHICKERS

Thanks for viewing (and appreciating) my post. As an accordion novice, I tend to lurk in the background on the forum, but on occasion, I feel I actually have something worthwhile to contribute to the discussions.

Regards

Howard

 

[Glug]

I hadn't seen it before and I've got 3 1930s books:

How to master the piano-accordion in SIX lessons (Feldman's piano-accordion tutor by T.W. Thurban)
Complete Settimio Soprani piano accordion course (new edition !)
The master tutor for the piano-accordion by T.W.Thurban

They all use 'modern' notation.

 

[lmschgo]

Those 2 docs are a really intriguing glimpse of the past.

I have a habit of visiting used book stores. One in particular had a shelf devoted to old music books. Sometimes I would stumble across accordion books, such as The Jazz Accordionist. The proprietor would usually give me the music books for free, saying in so many words, that it was very, very unlikely that another accordionist would walk through the door and buy them. I think he was glad that I was uncluttering his store from items that would never sell. His loss, my gain.

 

[Dingo40]

Over the years, I've acquired three four-drawer chests of drawers full of printed accordion music ranging in age from the thirties to the sixties: enough for several lifetimes.
But, as I anticipated, though once reasonably common in old book and music shops, the availability has dwindled down to almost nothing nowadays.
Printed music for an instrument is like ammunition for a firearm or coal for a furnace: you can't get by without it,?
With my stash, I feel as comfortable as a squirrel with a hoard-full of nuts before winter ?
Of course, nowadays much may be obtained on the web!?

 

[JeffJetton]

So I just now dug out my copy of Guido Deiro's "Royal Method for Piano Accordion" from 1936 and was surprised to find that the first half or more of the book does indeed use treble clef for the left hand! I had never actually worked through any of those exercises/pieces, so never noticed before.

Then, on page 57, there's a whole page explaining the bass clef. From there on out, that's what the book uses exclusively. Crazy!

The mid-'30s must've been the transitional period between old-school "all treble clef" notation and the "grand staff" notation that would wind up being formally adopted by the AAA in 1938.

When I bought this book, it also came with a few handwritten pages of notation that some long-ago student or teacher had tucked between the pages. It's beginner material and, sure enough, is written in all treble clef. I guess the previous owner hadn't gotten to page 57 yet.