I hope I'll be forgiven for posting a link to a video I made relating CBA keyboard to piano keyboard.
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Learning a CBA
- Thread starter Elizabeth
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A very valid point. I have seen some reach the point where they could indeed play in a performing band (but not at the highest level), but I have also seen some reach the point where they could play well on their own, and it sounded fantastic as long as you did not try to make sense of the rhythm they were playing...
For B-griff we just need to re-orient the axis of the stickers 90 degrees clockwise 
Elizabeth
Active member
The 3 outer rows of a CBA keyboard are simply the same as a piano keyboard sliced in groups of 3 notes placed diagonally! Very simple. I prefer the B-system because I think going left to right is more intuitive that the opposite, but this system is more popular in Eastern Europe and the Slavic world. I have two C-system accordions, and 3 that are B-system including 2 Bayans with 3 rows. I could never get used to a piano keyboard on an accordion
Thank you! This is great! I think i can learn this! I just have to make room in my house by getting rid of some ofthe accordions i already have.
Elizabeth, there are a couple of apps for the i-pad/tablet which I have found very useful for becoming aquainted with, and practicing for, the CBA.
My old body finds the physical processes of handling the accordion rather demanding (osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia) but the apps allow me to memorise the scales and tunes which I wish to play.
One is the "Hohner CBA" app, another the "B Tutor" and a third the "CBA Chords".
I have recently bought an accordina which also addds to the memorising processes.
My old body finds the physical processes of handling the accordion rather demanding (osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia) but the apps allow me to memorise the scales and tunes which I wish to play.
One is the "Hohner CBA" app, another the "B Tutor" and a third the "CBA Chords".
I have recently bought an accordina which also addds to the memorising processes.
Elizabeth
Active member
Those sounds very useful! Idid not know about those. Thank you so much!
Elizabeth
Active member
For what its worth...i would like to be good enough to play for others and they enjoy it!
Someone once told me a piece we had played was good enough.
We promptly had a big chuckle and named the band Good Enough!
96Bass
Well-known member
If you were to play C scale on PA the fingering would be 1-2-3-1-2-3-4-5
What would the fingering be on the CBA-C system?
Different teachers and books will mention different fingerings, but I play 1-2-3-2-3-4-3-4.
You cannot feasible do 1-2-3-1-2-3-4-5 on CBA-C because F is on the 3rd row so that 3-1 move from E to F would be very uncomfortable.
Piano: 1231 because F falls under the thumb.
Buttons falling easily under the thumb for C system: C Eb F# A ie row 1)
D is on the same row as F so that's a 2 which makes 1 2 3 2 3 4 2 1 but there are other choices.
(Edit to add the missing 2 = B as Pipemajor points out below.)
Buttons falling easily under the thumb for C system: C Eb F# A ie row 1)
D is on the same row as F so that's a 2 which makes 1 2 3 2 3 4 2 1 but there are other choices.
(Edit to add the missing 2 = B as Pipemajor points out below.)
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You missed a note out (the B).
Probably should be 1 2 3 2 3 4 2 1, but there are many variations, but it's a whole different ball game coming down the scale
It seems here we are confusing technicality with musicality.
If you want a highly technical piece to be played exactly as written, get a computer to play it. It will make a far better job than any human.
If you want a piece to be played with expression and feeling then you need a musically gifted human. Technical skill isn't the main criteria.
We've all heard the classically trained opera singers absolutely murder a popular old standard song and also the technical whizz kids on various musical instruments, who's fingers are just a blur, but the sounds are just that. No musicality whatsoever.
What's wrong with just appreciating a well played simple tune for what it is without having to analyse every element.
Nothing wrong with appreciating a well played simple tune for what it is. I don't try to over-analyse it. But when it's supposedly a well-known simple tune and it is played in a way that throughout the performance I still cannot guess what the time signature could have been on the sheet music... (This happened a few times, and the real time signature was just something simple like 2/4 or 4/4 or 6/8....) There are many people who can reach a usable level with enough practice, no matter at what age they start learning the first basics of music. But there are some that remain rubbish no matter how many hours a day they practice. And for many people playing together with others is a large part of the fun, but if you cannot possible stay more or less synchronized it becomes much less fun. I have seen this too many times to still believe that everyone can learn to play music so that a "well played simple tune" comes out. Some people just cannot do it, not even with hours of practice every single day.
Enough said, and whether it's about PA or CBA or guitar or recorder... it's all the same when it comes to being able to play a simple tune well.
Longshore
A long road travelled - made easier carrying a box
Oh dear. Every session has one - the perfectionist.
I used to run sessions and I had a player that harranged anybody that dared to accompany her, which was odd as it was an accustic jam session.
She was a semi-pro legend (at least in her own mind) and thoroughly unpleasant, constantly sniping about the ability of others.
In the end I asked her politely not to come back.
Personally I would rather have musicians however badly they play, as (to me) it's about participation and supporting a culture of respect and inclusiveness. But then again, I'm sure I'd be slated for less than perfect timing by others. Ask me if I'm bothered....
I used to run sessions and I had a player that harranged anybody that dared to accompany her, which was odd as it was an accustic jam session.
She was a semi-pro legend (at least in her own mind) and thoroughly unpleasant, constantly sniping about the ability of others.
In the end I asked her politely not to come back.
Personally I would rather have musicians however badly they play, as (to me) it's about participation and supporting a culture of respect and inclusiveness. But then again, I'm sure I'd be slated for less than perfect timing by others. Ask me if I'm bothered....
Strange, I have not noticed any perfectionist in this whole thread.
I have made a remark that learning a new instrument (CBA certainly qualifies) can be difficult, but learning a very first instrument after say half a decade of not learning anything about music can be really hard and sometimes hopeless. But that's not at all about being perfect, it is about reaching a bare minimum level of hitting the right notes at the right time at least the majority of the time. I do not expect anyone to be perfect and I certainly am not. However, even with our dutch mentality of being very satisfied with "6 out of 10" there are people who, no matter how much they practice, even reach 6 out of 10 but stay around what I would rate as 3 out of 10. Sadly here, it seems to be offensive to tell anyone that their level does not reach the minimum acceptable level. I simply always try to be honest, and when something is rubbish I will simply say it is rubbish.
Longshore
A long road travelled - made easier carrying a box
Perhaps they enjoy the experience of performing even though they're 3 out of 10 (in your opinion).
But, that's just my opinion and no more valid than yours and certainly not worth falling out over.
Keep up the good technical posts.
Longshore
Elizabeth we found some of the tutors like Galliano pretty off-putting to us (thorough though, it is) and the most appealing to us was the French CBA - C tutor (with English translation available) from <diouflo.com> (Florence Glorion) Yes it uses French trad dance tunes (esp from Brittany) but the teaching style is really excellent, comprehensive, and easy to follow, plus the tunes, even the initial ones, are very appealing, many in a minor key. Do give it a good look it has a lot of interesting stuff on their website anyway.
I have to confess if you look elsewhere on here to see that we (my wife and I) have actually given up on CBA but that is only because we tried to spread our efforts too thinly over Fiddle, Melodeon, English and Anglo Concertinas etc and are still very much driven by the style of gigs and sessions attended by our friends. We are also a long way past ..... er ...middle age, to say the least.
Good luck and best wishes
Artidots (Rob and Marj')
I have to confess if you look elsewhere on here to see that we (my wife and I) have actually given up on CBA but that is only because we tried to spread our efforts too thinly over Fiddle, Melodeon, English and Anglo Concertinas etc and are still very much driven by the style of gigs and sessions attended by our friends. We are also a long way past ..... er ...middle age, to say the least.
Good luck and best wishes
Artidots (Rob and Marj')
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