Hello from Mersea Island

[Tom]

I have pesonal

Well, my take is that accordion clubs are a reflection of:
1. the owner
2. the participants

So in a well organized club, I can really see traditionalists playing with non-traditionalists and everyone having a good time. I am sure we all went to some kind of show or play or opera and did not enjoy each and every piece and still somehow managed to have a good time!

It's when #1 and #2 are so focused on a tiny segment that they hurt themselves. In that case, time to make your own club that (if you are smart) does not only what you want but what "others" want and brings in all the others.

Worst case scenario, you have two clubs with wildly varied tastes and to each their own.

I have personal experience with this, as I started an accordion club with a friend (I posted about it before) which is still going strong after I moved away a couple years ago. My friend was a traditionalist, as well as "music director," while I was more "social director." (We started in my other friend's bar.) It is important to make everyone welcome and have some say in choosing the music. I do know of at least one person who left because of this.

 

[Valski]

Sadly to say this is why I think accordion clubs are so detrimental to the potential of the instrument...
Too much emphasis on accordion showpiece tunes and not enough open minds to beautiful music..
I like what I know and I know what I like is a stagnant arena...
Don't get caught in the trap of being an accordionist...get caught in the trap of being a musician

I am far from being an accordion virtuoso, however it's by choice. There are many really competent and amazing technicians however I find a lot of them not able to draw in their audience because they can't resist showing how amazing they are. I prefer to play simpler happy songs that draw in my audience so that they join in and participate by singing and dancing. This possibly promotes the accordion as a versatile and valid musical instrument better than boring my listeners.

 

[losthobos]

@saundersbp