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21 tunes in 21 weeks......Week #17(all contributors)

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1. It's possible and instructive to build repertoire by adding one tune a week and concentrating my practicing and playing to these tunes.
Yes, indeed. I went camping with some friends last weekend and brought my accordion. Thanks to this challenge, I had enough material to play!

Here's one I played that you haven't heard yet. A belated Week 15 I suppose.

2. It's not possible (for me) to keep all the songs fresh in my mind at the level of adding one a week.
4. It's not possible to learn a new tune each week and make a suitable (to me) recording. The acceptable recordings come from a tune baked into mind and muscle memory. The recordings that result from "50 takes to get one" just don't cut it.
It's possible for me to do one, but not both. I was able to post one acceptable or almost-acceptable video a week for 11 weeks, but I haven't been keeping songs from previous weeks fresh. And it's not really my goal to post 21 videos, it's to build repertoire, so a broken streak was a good excuse to hop off the treadmill and work on a set for playing around the campfire.

So, this offers the next challenge. 21 weeks of learning to sight read at speed. We'll see how that goes after these 21 weeks. Oh, and yeah, gotta play those Christmas songs soon. Could be a good venue for the sight reading.

Whadda ya think?
Good idea, but not one I'll participate in. I prefer to play by ear on the accordion. I have another instrument I can use if sight reading is called for.
 
Very cool Dan, thanks!
 
Hi all - I know I'm coming very late to this party but I hope you'll let me in. Having followed this thread since it started I've enjoyed all your contributions so have decided it's about time I posted one myself. Here's Scott Joplin's The Entertainer. By no means perfect but about as good as it gets at present.

Not too sure how to post it so you might get it twice, or not at all!

 
Welcome David, great!
 
David,
Well played!??
Nice accordion ?
How many treble reeds, model number?
I too have a Giuletti (black, 41/140, 3 reed, model F74). I love it!?
 
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Thanks Tom, Dingo and the others who liked it. It took me a bit more than a week to learn but I'm pleased with the progress.

Dingo, it's a Classic 37 model, LMM, Zero-Sette made for Bell Music USA. I love mine too - had it for about 5 years. Sometimes think I'd like to replace it but I don't want to lose it! Would love to hear / see yours!
 
Thanks for responding, David, a great make.
I'm not as IT savvy as you, and recording /posting clips (not simply redirecting clips from YouTube) is somewhat beyond me, but nice of you to suggest it.?
 
Welcome to week 16, winding down. I'm adding La Vie en Rose this week.

So, we've suffered through this long enough for me to have learned a few things about my own adventure. Your results may vary. For me:

1. It's possible and instructive to build repertoire by adding one tune a week and concentrating my practicing and playing to these tunes.

2. It's not possible (for me) to keep all the songs fresh in my mind at the level of adding one a week.

3. It will be necessary after the 21 weeks to stop, reflect and "perfect" the repertoire for a while before adding new tunes.

4. It's not possible to learn a new tune each week and make a suitable (to me) recording. The acceptable recordings come from a tune baked into mind and muscle memory. The recordings that result from "50 takes to get one" just don't cut it.


Ah, but you say, there is a solution! Learn to sight read at playing speed. Or at least learn to sight read at speed songs you know or have played a few times. (Alternatively learn to play by ear those songs you know).

So, this offers the next challenge. 21 weeks of learning to sight read at speed. We'll see how that goes after these 21 weeks. Oh, and yeah, gotta play those Christmas songs soon. Could be a good venue for the sight reading.

Whadda ya think?
Tom,

I agree with all your points, but am not sure about the 21 weeks of learning to sight read at speed. I'm not exactly sure what it even means. The only gigs I have are in my living room so I don't have to worry about a repertoire. The accordion is a hobby for me and I try to play every day for 1/2 an hour or more. I probably have about 50 songs I can play from memory, however I think a repertoire would include songs that I play on a regular basis from memory or sight reading the sheet music. So, I tend to play songs that I like and are comfortable to play.
 
Tom,

I agree with all your points, but am not sure about the 21 weeks of learning to sight read at speed. I'm not exactly sure what it even means. The only gigs I have are in my living room so I don't have to worry about a repertoire. The accordion is a hobby for me and I try to play every day for 1/2 an hour or more. I probably have about 50 songs I can play from memory, however I think a repertoire would include songs that I play on a regular basis from memory or sight reading the sheet music. So, I tend to play songs that I like and are comfortable to play.
Hi George,

Thanks for your message, your playing has been an inspiration.

By "sight reading at speed" I mean playing music (that you may or may not be familiar with) at its natural playing speed from sheet music, without having to practice it beforehand. Generally, this would refer to music that you do not have memorized.

Basically, I see 4 areas where this skill could be helpful:

1. In recurring gigs where you don't want to repeat from the same limited repertoire. Not a problem for people who have 300 or 400 tunes in memory. But for some of us who may have 30 or 50 tunes memorized, it would be convenient to be able to play new music from sheet music books or collections, or to even download requested tunes on the fly.

2. When playing casually with friends, sight reading allows you to play their tunes, and to play new tunes together.

3. When playing alone, it allows you to experience new tunes in a manner wholly different from "working your way through" them. Either tunes you are familiar with, or new tunes. For example, you may (for some strange reason) have a book of several hundred tunes from the 1800s from the Lombardia region in Italy which you are not likely to find on youtube.

4. Developing a new skill, such as sight reading could give us something to aspire to, to achieve a sense of accomplishment, to keep the mind active and to avoid the temptation to endlessly read the (depressing) news or (perhaps equally depressing) facebook.

Anyway, good luck with your playing and please continue to share your music with us once in a while!
 
Hi George,

Thanks for your message, your playing has been an inspiration.

By "sight reading at speed" I mean playing music (that you may or may not be familiar with) at its natural playing speed from sheet music, without having to practice it beforehand. Generally, this would refer to music that you do not have memorized.

Basically, I see 4 areas where this skill could be helpful:

1. In recurring gigs where you don't want to repeat from the same limited repertoire. Not a problem for people who have 300 or 400 tunes in memory. But for some of us who may have 30 or 50 tunes memorized, it would be convenient to be able to play new music from sheet music books or collections, or to even download requested tunes on the fly.

2. When playing casually with friends, sight reading allows you to play their tunes, and to play new tunes together.

3. When playing alone, it allows you to experience new tunes in a manner wholly different from "working your way through" them. Either tunes you are familiar with, or new tunes. For example, you may (for some strange reason) have a book of several hundred tunes from the 1800s from the Lombardia region in Italy which you are not likely to find on youtube.

4. Developing a new skill, such as sight reading could give us something to aspire to, to achieve a sense of accomplishment, to keep the mind active and to avoid the temptation to endlessly read the (depressing) news or (perhaps equally depressing) facebook.

Anyway, good luck with your playing and please continue to share your music with us once in a while!
Thanks for the compliment and sight reading clarification. You mentioned La Vie En Rose...I came across the sheet music for it. Don't know if you will find it useful.
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Thanks for the compliment and sight reading clarification. You mentioned La Vie En Rose...I came across the sheet music for it. Don't know if you will find it useful.
h1G5dVK.jpg

BkYvjw8.jpg
Thanks George, Any music written specifically for accordion like this is very helpful.
 
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Another exercise from Haas's Play Accordion for me this week. This is Tango Fever (not a very bad fever, a couple of Asprin and you'll be right as rain).




Tom

all good points on sight reading. I can do it on the mandolin and use it in most of the situations you describe, although for playing in public I would want to run through several times first, there are often a few surprises that can throw the fretting out. In general I am happier playing from the dots than from memory, that said learning by ear does seem to make tunes stick better.

I am a way off doing this on the accordion though, for fiddle tunes I can sight read one hand or the other, although not up to speed, but not both together yet. For something like George's La Vie en Rose above I would need to sit down and go through it chord by chord, even then it seems to be all treble clef, what do you do with the left hand?
 
I am a way off doing this on the accordion though, for fiddle tunes I can sight read one hand or the other, although not up to speed, but not both together yet. For something like George's La Vie en Rose above I would need to sit down and go through it chord by chord, even then it seems to be all treble clef, what do you do with the left hand?
There are chord cues above the staff. Lead sheets like this require you to figure out how you’ll form chords and what accompaniment pattern fits the song. Once you get some patterns on autopilot and learn some music theory they are easier to read than bass clef, IMHO and can be tailored for your skill level.

On this I would simplify LH chords since RH is playing a lot of notes at once, and play leisurely bass, chord, bass, chord on quarter notes. First measure has two chords: FM6, Fm6. I would play F bass button, F major chord button, F bass button, F minor chord button.

A more advanced player might throw in some bass runs (f, f#, g, G7 would work on the D minor cue before the bar line) and combine buttons to make the fancy chords.
 
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Thanks everyone! I've got a simpler version, George, but this is good for comparison and some nice ornaments.
 
Nice tune, Jeremy, well played. You mentioned earlier that you were going to do a course at Halsway Manor https://halswaymanor.org.uk/about/what-is-halsway-manor/
Please let us know how you get on there - I've thought about going but haven't done so.

Thanks George too - always enjoy your pieces.

If sight-reading means being able to make a decent stab at a previously unknown piece at first play-through, then I don't do sight-reading?. But I do find it helpful to have the score in front of me to remind me where I'm going. I can't retain the pieces I have learned in memory, so I suppose I play by a combination of memory and reading. I'll definitely have a go at your next challenge, Tom, but I won't be recording any "first plays" (you really don't want to hear them!)
 
Nice tune, Jeremy, well played. You mentioned earlier that you were going to do a course at Halsway Manor https://halswaymanor.org.uk/about/what-is-halsway-manor/
Please let us know how you get on there - I've thought about going but haven't done so.

Thanks George too - always enjoy your pieces.

If sight-reading means being able to make a decent stab at a previously unknown piece at first play-through, then I don't do sight-reading?. But I do find it helpful to have the score in front of me to remind me where I'm going. I can't retain the pieces I have learned in memory, so I suppose I play by a combination of memory and reading. I'll definitely have a go at your next challenge, Tom, but I won't be recording any "first plays" (you really don't want to hear them!)
Will do David, I went on another course several years ago it's a lovely place. Paul Hutchisnson is the accordion tutor http://www.paulhutchinsonmusic.co.uk/ he's been in touch I think there a bit of a skills gap between me and the others on the course :oops:
 
Welcome to Week 17 everyone! Got a note from an old mandolin playing friend, would like to get together and play our old mando tunes on the accordion. For this reason I'm adding St. Anne's Reel this week, one of my favorite reels.
 
Great tune Tom, the first time I heard it in a session I didn't quite catch the name and thought it was Satan's Reel, you would have to pair it with Devil's Dream then :)

For some reason we play it in a set with the Temperance Reel and Drowsy Maggie ?‍♂️
 
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