Accompanying singers

[Mr T]

Hi everyone

Does anyone have any links to sheet music arrangements of folk songs for voice and accordion? I know that there is lots of stuff out there which is just a melody line and chord boxes but I'm not a very experienced player so having an accompaniment written specifically for the accordion would really help.
Alternatively if anyone has any tips for making up the accompaniment from chord boxes that would be equally welcome. I think I know what I'm doing with the left hand but not sure about the right, other than just duplicating the melody! Which wouldn't really be right I guess?

Any help gratefully received...

MT

 

[george garside]

a few 'general' pointers!

Assuming you are talking in terms of accompanying a small group ,say 2 or 3 singers or an individual singer the style of accompaniment is best arrived at in consultation with the singers. Eg some may prefer a quiet , maybe single voice melody line together with quiet (coupled down if possible) bass accompaniment of chords played with clear gaps here and there i.e. not legato throughout the proceedings.

Other s may prefer something on the lines of just lightish right hand varying from chords to bits of the melody line with little or even no bass.

The phrasing should always be taken from the singer(s) and no attempt should be made to push them along! ~the singers are the 'artists' and the box player is the'' acompanyinst!!". The trick is to lag ever so slightly behind the singers i.e. let them lead. Watch their faces or mouths or if that is not possible the muscles on the side of their necks so as to tell when they are phrasing in order to breath which they must do as they cant sing ''on the suck''!

If amplification is to be used it may be better to amplify the singer(s) but not the box or to keep the box relatively low volume.

As to what bass to play if playing by ear or from melody line only 3 chords (per key) are all that is needed particularly for traditional/folk type of songs. Anything more is a bonus ( or not depending on the players skill, the tune and what the singers prefer)

Keys - always singers choice! so learn to transpose on the hoof (practicing scales and playing in all major keys helps to enable this or at least in EbBbFCGDAE. Just do the same on the bass for all keys but of course start somewhere different!

On the other hand if by accompanying singers you mean a pub full of well oiled gentlemen ( and ladies) more or less anything goes and its simply a question of starting the tune and letting those who can sing and those who can't but will join is as and when they know the words!

george

 

[Mr T]

That's very helpful, George, thank you. It'd just be a small group of singers, 1 or 2 so it sounds like just chords and bits of melody in the right Gand would do the trick. Thanks!

 

[Glenn]

I wonder if there are other places around the Internet that discuss this issue but for pianists?
I imagine there are a lot of parallels...

 

[Sarah]

Nice examples of accordion accompaniment for singing:
<SIZE size=120>Singing Accordionist - Czeslaw Mozil (video)
I. Rasteryaev - Singing Accordionist from Russia (video)
Singing Accordionist: Franz Nicolay (video)
Female Accordion Player / Singer: Raduza (video)