5 free bass songs

[breezybellows]

This is the current state of things with my free bass accordion. After messing around with free bass on and off, I started taking lessons from Joe Natoli last year. It's keeping me engaged and I look forward to exploring classical music. The goal is to have a performing repertoire to match my current stradella repertoire (around 2 hours).

 

[dak]

Well, the usual warning applies: don't expect your audience to be as impressed as you are. A good arrangement for standard bass has someone else do half the work for you, and instruments may be optimised for making good use of it.

That being said, I just now found myself somewhat irritated by finding that a standard bass accordion with pretty similar registration and build as my main accordion (which has standard bass and free bass) sounds less cutting on the bass side while masking the melody side more. I have no clue how that works. So for whatever reason, my free bass capable instrument is better suited for more classical bass styles than its standard bass cousin even when only using its standard bass.

That's one impressive converter instrument you have there, by the way. Good for making practice addictive.

 

[dunlustin]

BB,
I am really enjoying how your curiosity grows and with it, your commitment.
You seem to be fascinated by the possibilities of your instrument - as if your part is a sort of happy accident.
And you don't feel the need to talk about yourself or be critical of others.
Inspirational!

 

[Tom]

This is the current state of things with my free bass accordion. After messing around with free bass on and off, I started taking lessons from Joe Natoli last year. It's keeping me engaged and I look forward to exploring classical music. The goal is to have a performing repertoire to match my current stradella repertoire (around 2 hours).

Congrats Breezy! Say, how many tunes do you feel are adequate for your 2 hour repertoire? And could you share some of the tunes that you plan to include and/or which tunes resonate well with your audience? Thanks!!!!

 

[breezybellows]

Well, the usual warning applies: don't expect your audience to be as impressed as you are. A good arrangement for standard bass has someone else do half the work for you, and instruments may be optimised for making good use of it.

That being said, I just now found myself somewhat irritated by finding that a standard bass accordion with pretty similar registration and build as my main accordion (which has standard bass and free bass) sounds less cutting on the bass side while masking the melody side more. I have no clue how that works. So for whatever reason, my free bass capable instrument is better suited for more classical bass styles than its standard bass cousin even when only using its standard bass.

That's one impressive converter instrument you have there, by the way. Good for making practice addictive.

That isn't a converter though. It is a free bass only instrument.

 

[breezybellows]

Well, the usual warning applies: don't expect your audience to be as impressed as you are. A good arrangement for standard bass has someone else do half the work for you, and instruments may be optimised for making good use of it.

That is what I thought as well. Stradella is a brilliant design that allows bass lines and chords that have a very wide tonal range. When I first started playing free bass, I assume that there is no way I'm going to make it sound as rich as a stradella arrangement. To my surprise, well arranged music sounds really pleasing. Some of the songs are just piano arrangements that I learned to play on the free bass. And the audience has been very appreciative. Especially for the Bach pieces and primavera. When I perform out I use my digital accordion with orchestra free bass.

 

[breezybellows]

Congrats Breezy! Say, how many tunes do you feel are adequate for your 2 hour repertoire? And could you share some of the tunes that you plan to include and/or which tunes resonate well with your audience? Thanks!!!!

I guess I'll need around 20-25.
These are the tunes that I have in my backlog. I've already printed some of these in my binder.
Disclaimer: I have a tendency to not more than I can chew. So this is more like a wish list with no feasibility constraint.

1) the theme from Beverly hills cop
2) swan lake
3) toccata and fugue in d minor
4) the winds of winter from have of thrones
5) Hedwig's theme from Harry Potter (John Williams)
6) Caprice variations by Paganini
7) Bach's 2 part inventions from the book

 

[dak]

That is what I thought as well. Stradella is a brilliant design that allows bass lines and chords that have a very wide tonal range. When I first started playing free bass, I assume that there is no way I'm going to make it sound as rich as a stradella arrangement. To my surprise, well arranged music sounds really pleasing. Some of the songs are just piano arrangements that I learned to play on the free bass. And the audience has been very appreciative. Especially for the Bach pieces and primavera. When I perform out I use my digital accordion with orchestra free bass.

Bach is indeed hard on Stradella because Bach doesn't do the classical melody/harmony/bass line thing but works in part harmonies, and those tend to change a lot faster than accordion chord changes but aren't as nailed down as Stradella does them. But if you want to play something that is completely unworkable on Stradella, get the lyric pieces of Edvard Grieg for piano. No-one will compete with your free bass work on those.

Orchestra free bass is, well, a different beast. The sound diversity of a Roland appeals to the audience. I end up getting too focused on the man behind the curtain, so working on an actual free bass keeps me obsessed more thoroughly on controlling what I am doing rather than the instrument.

 

[dak]

I guess I'll need around 20-25.
These are the tunes that I have in my backlog. I've already printed some of these in my binder.
Disclaimer: I have a tendency to not more than I can chew. So this is more like a wish list with no feasibility constraint.

3) toccata and fugue in d minor

Just a note: the toccata has passages of the "diddlediddlediddlediddlediddlediddlediddlediddlediddle WOOM-PA-WOOM-PA-WOOM-PA-WOOM" kind. If you have an instrument that does it, reverting to Stradella Master for the second part can be very effective for conveying what is a really drastic dynamic change in the original.

That isn't a converter though. It is a free bass only instrument.

It has an impressive number of register switches on the bass side for that. Interesting instrument for sure!

 

[saundersbp]

1) the theme from Beverly hills cop

How funny - Axel F is also one of the tunes I first learnt on freebass accordion!

But if you want to play something that is completely unworkable on Stradella, get the lyric pieces of Edvard Grieg for piano. No-one will compete with your free bass work on those.

Great suggestion!

And if you need a shortcut on LH fingering to speed learning along.......

 

[Tom]

I guess I'll need around 20-25.
These are the tunes that I have in my backlog. I've already printed some of these in my binder.
Disclaimer: I have a tendency to not more than I can chew. So this is more like a wish list with no feasibility constraint.

1) the theme from Beverly hills cop
2) swan lake
3) toccata and fugue in d minor
4) the winds of winter from have of thrones
5) Hedwig's theme from Harry Potter (John Williams)
6) Caprice variations by Paganini
7) Bach's 2 part inventions from the book

Thanks Breezy! This puts it at about 10 - 12 per hour - at 5 - 6 minutes per song (not including breaks, talking, greeting, etc. or 40 - 50 for 4 hours (kind of what I’m planning). Although, by the looks of your selections, some of these may be multi-part and longer than “regular” tunes.

 

[breezybellows]

How funny - Axel F is also one of the tunes I first learnt on freebass accordion!

I love that funky bass line

 

[breezybellows]

And if you need a shortcut on LH fingering to speed learning along.......

I have "in the hall of the mountain King" in my list. Although that will be pretty straight forward to play in stradella.

Thanks for the fingering. It will definitely speed up learning.

 

[dak]

I have "in the hall of the mountain King" in my list. Although that will be pretty straight forward to play in stradella.

Thanks for the fingering. It will definitely speed up learning.

See how far the fingering gets you after "Må jeg skjære ham i fingeren?".

 

[saundersbp]

I love that funky bass line

PM me if you need bomb proof fingering marked.

See how far the fingering gets you after "Må jeg skjære ham i fingeren?".

It's not one I think would sound at its best on the accordion as so much would need changed from the orchestra. The Lyric pieces, well at least quite a few of them, are a great idea though!

 

[Zevy]

Talk about click bait - I thought I would see five free bass songs!

 

[breezybellows]

Talk about click bait - I thought I would see five free bass songs!

Haha. When I play at the airport, I take my binder of sheet music with me. The binder is labeled "free bass lessons"