Beauty contest - looking for contestants

[craigd]

Another time waster, just an excuse to look at interesting and beautiful instruments. (There are worse things to do on the internet, right?) I can't think of any other instrument that is done up the way many accordions are. I do like the classy, glossy black gentlemen with tasteful touches of chrome, but for this pageant I'm thinking of the colourful, the rhinestoned, bejeweled and ornate. And let's not pretend to be interested in talents, character or accomplishments - just looks. Maybe I'm being to shallow, but I don't think I'm the only one on this forum who has a bit of a wandering eye.

 

[Dingo40]

Here's one:

 

[craigd]

Wow. I didn't expect much from Hohner. Beautiful grill work. What are those curved keyboards like to play?

 

[Dingo40]

"What are those curved keyboards like to play?"
Craig,
I don't know: my contribution was copied off the web.
It does look great, though!?

 

[craigd]

Ha! Googling beauties eh? Well it may not be yours, but it looks like you get the tiara anyways.

 

[Stephen Hawkins]

Hi Craig,

I'm afraid I don't own any beautiful accordions, but that isn't to say that I don't appreciate beauty when I see it.

Some time ago, I wrote a thread under the title of: "Never A Bad Colour", which was intended to explore matters pertaining to individual style. I shouldn't have been so surprised when I discovered that many members erred on the side of traditional and rather conservative colours, but I was.

I would personally prefer something in an Aquamarine or light Teal colour, but Blues and Yellows would also work.

Kind Regards,

Stephen.

 

[embers]

Thanks for a place to just "look at interesting and beautiful instruments," @craigd . I look forward to more entries to your pageant.

Last week Neoscan posted a "wanted" thread looking for a curved piano accordion. There was a question posed on whether or not there were curved CBAs made. He provided a link to a 2017 Forum thread showing a really fine-looking blue curved CBA. I would show off this beauty for this pageant, with its contrasting colors, the RH reeds ornate cover plate, and eye-catching curved shape.



To my eyes, it does have a unique "glow" in its appearance. ~embers

 

[craigd]

Striking! Scandinavian? Both entries, (I guess I was too quick to award the tiara to Dingo40), have that boxy pre-war look, compensated for by the curvy keyboard and ornate grillwork. I've always thought the CBAs had an aesthetic advantage, being less of a hybrid than the piano accordion.

 

[embers]

Striking! Scandinavian? Both entries, (I guess I was too quick to award the tiara to Dingo40), have that boxy pre-war look, compensated for by the curvy keyboard and ornate grillwork. I've always thought the CBAs had an aesthetic advantage, being less of a hybrid than the piano accordion.

In the 2017 post there was this comment of possible origin of this model: "Kebrdle accordions from Czechoslovakia." There were some very old catalogues with marketing pictures showing Kebrdle models; however, for some reason it looks the word "Czechoslovakia" was blackened out. Anyway, I think the CBA I posted would be a fine collectible, and might provide a great addition displayed in someone's music room.

 

[craigd]

Hi Craig,

I'm afraid I don't own any beautiful accordions, but that isn't to say that I don't appreciate beauty when I see it.

Some time ago, I wrote a thread under the title of: "Never A Bad Colour", which was intended to explore matters pertaining to individual style. I shouldn't have been so surprised when I discovered that many members erred on the side of traditional and rather conservative colours, but I was.

I would personally prefer something in an Aquamarine or light Teal colour, but Blues and Yellows would also work.

Kind Regards,

Stephen.

How about this one Stephen?

 

[AccordionTop126]

De

In the 2017 post there was this comment of possible origin of this model: "Kebrdle accordions from Czechoslovakia." There were some very old catalogues with marketing pictures showing Kebrdle models; however, for some reason it looks the word "Czechoslovakia" was blackened out. Anyway, I think the CBA I posted would be a fine collectible, and might provide a great addition displayed in someone's music room.

Definitely Czech. Horovice is the city in Czech Republic to the Delicia accordion factory, formerly Kebrdle.

 

[Stephen Hawkins]

Hi Craig,

Yes, that accordion is along the lines of what I aspire to.

I have always quite liked Parrots, though I understand that this statement may cause some confusion on an accordion forum. The Parrots to which I refer for the purpose of this thread are the feathered variety, often to be found flying around in jungles.

My favourite sub species of Parrot are the South American Macaws, which sport beautifully rich and vivid plumage. I would like to see a range of accordions with similar colouring, but without the feathers.

Kind Regards,

Stephen.

 

[embers]

Hi Craig,

Yes, that accordion is along the lines of what I aspire to.

I have always quite liked Parrots, though I understand that this statement may cause some confusion on an accordion forum. The Parrots to which I refer for the purpose of this thread are the feathered variety, often to be found flying around in jungles.

My favourite sub species of Parrot are the South American Macaws, which sport beautifully rich and vivid plumage. I would like to see a range of accordions with similar colouring, but without the feathers.

Kind Regards,

Stephen.

I read (mostly view) "Birds & Blooms" magazines, and indeed the South America Macaws have exquisite plumage. I'd think you could paint an accordion using such colours, and create your own design of a "parrot-coloured" accordion. ~embers

 

[Stephen Hawkins]

Hi Embers,

Thank you for your comments and for your imaginative perception.

A fair number of archived threads pose the question "how do we make accordions more popular?" It is my contention and firm belief that we need to shake off the "fuddy-duddy" and deeply conservative image that has grown up around us.

Some of our own members can suffer a kind of apoplexy whenever vibrant colours are related in some way to accordions, giving even more credence to the claim that accordions are "old hat."

My thread entitled: "Never A Bad Colour" may give you a better idea of where I am coming from, but please don't feel obliged to view it if you would rather not.

A well made accordion or a brightly coloured accordion? I don't believe that these things are mutually exclusive, and I just can't figure out why some people think they are.

Kind Regards,

Stephen.

 

[craigd]

Only two entrants in the pageant, but important considerations raised. It was during the accordion's initial rise to popularity that the two beauties entered were made, right? They are attractive and relatively light compared to the big four-voiced, tone chambered machines that are generally held in highest regard by us aficionados. What got me interested and playing again was a lady's sized, colourful accordion that I believe is as well made and nice-sounding as my Excelsior 940 and Titano Cosmopolitan. And I'm playing it because it is nice to pick up and play. It also appeals to non-accordionists who see it. I don't know what it would take for the accordion to regain popularity in North-America. It was a fad, served a musical purpose for a while, but doesn't seem needed anymore in today's popular or classical music. In Europe and elsewhere it has held its own, or is it waning there too?

 

[Dingo40]

Craig,
As members would know, I "surf" the accordion sites on the web a lot. My observations are that the accordion is doing very well in non-English speaking parts of the world with strong musical traditions of their own, largely unaffected by US Afro-American influences , which are heavily pro-guitar. Due I believe, originally, to availability, portability and cost.
In Latin America, for example, the guitar coexists, even "collaborates " quite happily with the accordion . This is interesting, as Spain and Portugal are probably where the guitar originated and the accordion was the interloper.
Then again, Spain and Portugal both had a traditional instrument, the bagpipe, which the accordion appears to have largely displaced.
Just my opinion ?

 

[Tom]

Ok, I'll bite! I rhink this cordeen with its over 100 rhinestones and fancy grill, though maybe not as colorful, has always gotten rave comments!

 

[jozz]

my very own delicately "stoned" Bugari

 

[Stephen Hawkins]

Hi Craig,

I cannot answer your question regarding the lack of popularity of accordions in North America, but a more inclusive and less elitist attitude couldn't hurt.

Your thread may well help others to understand the need for a return to more eye-catching instruments, and the desire of many to rid us of the stifling monochrome image created by "worthy" elitists.

Great Thread ...... Keep it up.

Stephen.

 

[Tom]

Hi Craig,

I cannot answer your question regarding the lack of popularity of accordions in North America, but a more inclusive and less elitist attitude couldn't hurt.....

Stephen.

Good point Stephen. An observation I would like to make is that some of this "elitism" is directly proportional to the propensity of many contemporary accordionists to substitute "number of notes per measure" to emotional content in their playing. Like Dingo and some others on here, I am constantly perusing accordion videos on my phone to kill time (when I should be practicing ?) and I believe that (especially in Italy and France) the "notiness" has increased dramatically in the past 5 years. It's like the "old" traditional players have been replaced by the "young" players who believe that the more notes you play, the better you are, and it is not sufficient to play a simple melody with emotion and feeling. I find this less evident in the other big accordion country, Brazil. No amount of colorful bling is going to attract new players when cred is deserved by number of notes. It's the same rabbit hole the guitar "shredders" fell into.

Ok, just my observation and opinion. What do you think?