Do you think this tune could sound as good on a CBA?

[craigd]

I'm working on learning this tune by ear. I'm quite sure it's played on a diatonic accordion, I'm learning it on a CBA. I am not a very good accordion player, I'd actually like to see how this would sound played by a good CBA or piano accordion player who might even deepen the harmonies that are already so interesting to me.

I'm thinking about someone like Saunders or Walker or dak who have a deep understanding of the organ repertoire. In fact I'd love to see it arranged and performed by one of you/them. To my mind, this has echoes of early music played on pipes or organ, at least harmonically, but I fear I might be told by people more knowledgeable that this is really just a fiddle tune and of no interest to organ players. Here it is:

 

[saundersbp]

I'm thinking about someone like Saunders or Walker or dak who have a deep understanding of the organ repertoire.

Thanks for the kind mention, it's a lovely tune. I think the fast waltz tempo has a harmonic rate that is a little too fast for an organ in a reasonable sized building, the building after all is the resonating chamber for the organ, which is why some organs sound good and some don't, especially those monsters often found in the States with a guzzilion stops but no quality in the acoustic or voicing.

If you wanted to play it on an accordion I'd suggest a free bass one would preserve the character. Personally I wouldn't thicken out the harmonies as it would capture something but with fatal distortion and lose the character of the lovely bare harmonies.

Super find, I like it!

 

[JerryPH]

I'm working on learning this tune by ear. I'm quite sure it's played on a diatonic accordion, I'm learning it on a CBA. I am not a very good accordion player, I'd actually like to see how this would sound played by a good CBA or piano accordion player who might even deepen the harmonies that are already so interesting to me.

On organ, this would not sound as pretty, as Ben mentioned. On accordion, it could be made to sound identical, and even remove those tiny gaps that a diatonic needs in a bellows direction change. A free bass accordion could work well, but is not mandatory. Any stradella box with a middle (clarinet) reed and a bass register that is less deep/powerful could be made to sound just fine, there is nothing happening on the left hand that precludes the use of Stradela bass.

 

[dak]

Any stradella box with a middle (clarinet) reed and a bass register that is less deep/powerful could be made to sound just fine, there is nothing happening on the left hand that precludes the use of Stradela bass.

The Stradella bass makes it hard to consistently take the fifth without droning out the treble. With that kind of 1-5 drone (it is in the name already) you'd want a register without bass reeds and maybe just a single chord reed at comparatively low pitch. Now that is something I can ask of my instrument in particular, but that's not generally a thing. So you'd usually want a free bass: not because of the accompaniment being too complex for Stradella but because you usually will be lacking the register(s) to make it match the role and sound quality in that clip.

I'd actually like to see how this would sound played by a good CBA or piano accordion player who might even deepen the harmonies that are already so interesting to me.

Are we even talking about the same clip? The point with those "harmonies" is that they aren't "deep" but flat to non-existent. Essentially third-less chords. Or in organ-speak, 8' + 5⅔' on "chords" consisting of a single note each (preferably played on a secondary manual rather than the pedal ranks). That would sound slightly better than playing a fifth by fingering it, because 8' + 5⅔' uses a pure fifth.

I'd actually like to see how this would sound played by a good CBA or piano accordion player [...]

I'm thinking about someone like [...] dak

It's either one or the other. Actually, the first victim floating through my mind would have been @debra : actually an excellent player, very good with arranging stuff in style, and a collection of more standard instruments than my peculiar thing.

 

[Walker]

I'm working on learning this tune by ear. I'm quite sure it's played on a diatonic accordion, I'm learning it on a CBA.

Hi Craig, cool project!

Well, I think new insight into a piece of music can be gained from playing it on a different musical instrument. Like today I was playing a short harpsichord piece called 'Aire' written by John Blow (1649 to 1708) on both piano accordion (using free bass) and on piano. Now, each version had exactly the same notes but the overall effect was quite different, and neither would have been as the composer expected, given that he wasn't writing for these instruments. To me, when playing a piece on accordion or on piano I'm not looking to create a carbon copy of the performance of the original instrument, whether that is a harpsichord version or anything else, I'm really just looking to enhance and respect the tune in ways appropriate to the character of the musical instrument I'm playing.

The small organetto played above will have some similarities with a chromatic accordion, but they will each have their differences in tone, phrasing, harmonisations... I think when you seek to play a new tune on a different instrument, you should try to nurture the tune and just wait and see what colour the flowers are when it begins to blossom. No doubt it won't be quite the same colour as the original version. And, for what it's worth, if I were to play a piece on a standard bass accordion I would harmonise slightly differently than if I were playing on a free bass accordion.​

To my mind, this has echoes of early music played on pipes or organ, at least harmonically, but I fear I might be told by people more knowledgeable that this is really just a fiddle tune and of no interest to organ players.

I think when it comes to composition, inspiration can come from many places. Early music and folk music work very well together and share some similarities at times - who doesn't like a good old 'drone' from time to time or playing in the ancient modes! Also, a lot of British baroque composers wrote marches, hornpipes, jigs, airs, 'Scotch tunes' and minuets for keyboard and they often had lovely 'haunting' melodies, and were inspired by, and also inspired, folk dance music. So I think there is an exchange of ideas in music going really quite far back... this is one reason why I think it is a pity free bass accordion isn't widely experimented with in folk music, because it's not a new idea - when it comes to other keyboard instruments, having marvellous baroque left hand harmonisations that are beautifully subtle and balanced is the norm - not the endless raking mechanics of a stradella 'oom-pah-pah'.

Oh well, I'm going out to cut the grass now, the lawn's not going to strim itself...​

 

[Tom]

Hi Craig, cool project!

Well, I think new insight into a piece of music can be gained from playing it on a different musical instrument. Like today I was playing a short harpsichord piece called 'Aire' written by John Blow (1649 to 1708) on both piano accordion (using free bass) and on piano. Now, each version had exactly the same notes but the overall effect was quite different, and neither would have been as the composer expected, given that he wasn't writing for these instruments. To me, when playing a piece on accordion or on piano I'm not looking to create a carbon copy of the performance of the original instrument, whether that is a harpsichord version or anything else, I'm really just looking to enhance and respect the tune in ways appropriate to the character of the musical instrument I'm playing.

The small organetto played above will have some similarities with a chromatic accordion, but they will each have their differences in tone, phrasing, harmonisations... I think when you seek to play a new tune on a different instrument, you should try to nurture the tune and just wait and see what colour the flowers are when it begins to blossom. No doubt it won't be quite the same colour as the original version. And, for what it's worth, if I were to play a piece on a standard bass accordion I would harmonise slightly differently than if I were playing on a free bass accordion.



I think when it comes to composition, inspiration can come from many places. Early music and folk music work very well together and share some similarities at times - who doesn't like a good old 'drone' from time to time or playing in the ancient modes! Also, a lot of British baroque composers wrote marches, hornpipes, jigs, airs, 'Scotch tunes' and minuets for keyboard and they often had lovely 'haunting' melodies, and were inspired by, and also inspired, folk dance music. So I think there is an exchange of ideas in music going really quite far back... this is one reason why I think it is a pity free bass accordion isn't widely experimented with in folk music, because it's not a new idea - when it comes to other keyboard instruments, having marvellous baroque left hand harmonisations that are beautifully subtle and balanced is the norm - not the endless raking mechanics of a stradella 'oom-pah-pah'.

Oh well, I'm going out to cut the grass now, the lawn's not going to strim itself...​

Good luck with the strimmin’ Walker! Interesting. Speaking of “Scotch Tunes.” Here, in the “Old Time” tradition we have “schottisches” spelled in a few different ways, of course. I played quite a few with my friend Gary who loves them. This year I have to play Paul Paa Haugen which, as you can see is a “Norwegian Schottische”, for the lady who gave me that accordion last year. Then we have the “Xote” in Brazil from which I want to play “Xote di Alegria” when I get the time. Your music gets around!!!!