Hi from Derbyshire

[Phil]

Hi.

My name is Phil , I'm 57yrs old and live in Derby. I no longer work due to health issues so have decided to learn to play the Accordion to pass the time. I will be teaching myself and will no doubt fill this forum with loads of silly questions. First question...... any one live near Derby???

Phil

 

[Stephen Hawkins]

Hello Phil,

Glad to have you on board. Don't worry about asking silly questions ...... everyone on here has probably asked the same questions at some time in their lives. (but some of them forget)

I know (from another thread) that you have a 48 Bass instrument, but have no idea what it is. Please give us more information on the make/model of your prized possession.

Best Wishes From Sunny Lancashire,

Stephen.

 

[Soulsaver]

Hi Phil Youd usually get a quicker welcome but work on the forum has been unavoidable. Good youve took up the instrument. See our beginners resources for some useful advice.
Are you using a method book to self teach?
There is a great free resource - 94 free downloadable spoken lessons with demonstration so you can hear the piece and the sheet music, amongst other interesting accordion stuff. http://duaneschnur.com/accordion/lessons.htm

 

[Phil]

Hi.
Thanks for the welcome.
I have 2 accordions and one on its way to me in the post.
Abbordion 1 is a little 12 bass with 13 white keys and 9 black keys.Its red and a sticker says made in German Dempcratic republic. It also has the word mini printed on the front. It has a horrible tinny sound but its only for me to learn the fingering on so does the job.
Accordion 2 is the 48 bass that I hope to play if I can sort out the problems. No idea of maker. Here are some pics, perhaps someone will know who made it and let me know.
https://ibb.co/m7ftxk
https://ibb.co/bSBNq5
https://ibb.co/ioSqck
https://ibb.co/noQyV5
https://ibb.co/kX2dV5
https://ibb.co/jW4E3Q
https://ibb.co/g537OQ
https://ibb.co/dmzgiQ
https://ibb.co/kiQyV5
https://ibb.co/d4o7OQ
https://ibb.co/dxrSOQ
https://ibb.co/fmeE3Q

Accordion 3 is in the post so dont have any details except that it is a manbiw razho accordion with 14 white keys and I think 16 bass buttons, it is green and in bits. Once I get it working it will replace accordion 1.

I am also on the lookout for an 80 or 120 base with 3 or more registers that needs a lot of work. I can only spend £40 to buy it so you can imagine the state it will be in when I find one.
Phil

 

[colinm]

Well phil you are good at taking and posting photos, do you have repair skills also ?
Accordions are a challenge to repair and to play so you will keep busy,
Keep posting.
Cm

 

[Stephen Hawkins]

Hello Phil,

I'm afraid that I have no knowledge of your instrument, but feel sure that someone on here will soon solve the mystery.

15 flats (white keys) and 10 sharps (black keys) should be enough for now, after which your 48 Bass will provide sufficient range for further advancement.

Before you buy a 120 Bass instrument, you may like to assess your musical needs. Depending on the type of music you wish to play, you may find that a 72 Bass is all you will ever need.

Anyway, this is a matter for yourself, but playing most Folk, Popular and Jazz music can easily be accomplished using a 72/34 instrument.

Regards,

Stephen.

 

[Phil]

Well phil you are good at taking and posting photos, do you have repair skills also ?

I was a motor mechanic by trade so give me a hammer, screwdriver and a bit of string and I can fix anything, lol,


Before you buy a 120 Bass instrument, you may like to assess your musical needs. Depending on the type of music you wish to play, you may find that a 72 Bass is all you will ever need.

I've always found that what you need and what you want are two ends of a scale and most people settle for something in between the two. I am almost as interested in fixing them as I am in playing them so I plan to learn both skills together. Whatever I get will probably be sold once/if I get it fixed to finance my next project. I don't pretend to know enough about accordions yet to decide what I want exept the colour. For some reason my legs go weak when I see a white one .


Are you using a method book to self teach?
ERRRR, sort of. I found a book called Piano Accordion First Step by T>W> Thurban in the local oxfam shop .I started to read it but got confused so put it in the book case. Ny grandson gave me The Complete Keyboard Player book 1 and 2 by Kenneth Baker and although for electronic keyboards I find them alot easyier to understand. I have also watched some videos from the accordion cafe which I found usefull. I will definately check out the links you provided.

 

[Happy girl]

Well Phil. A 72 bass may not be all you need, as my guess is that you like to ‘tinker’ & the ultimate challenge would be the biggest box available. Nothing wrong with that, I admire your tenacity.

I bought a beautiful 72 bass from a reputable dealer with information that ‘This is all you will ever need’; but I chose to go down the learning path of Palmer Hughes tutor books, which very quickly requires a full sized instrument, so, I if I wanted to continue I had no choice but to change.

Regarding your tutor Piano Accordion First Step by T W Thurban, I have it also, but it soon progresses at a cracking pace which is impossible to follow from a complete beginners prospective, so a good place for it is in the bookcase, or even better, on EBay……. Look it up, this tutorial is commanding silly prices!

Good luck with your accordion journey wherever it may take you. & have fun.

 

[Stephen Hawkins]

Hello Phil,

Regarding my most recent post on this thread, my suggestion that you assess your musical needs was in no way intended to limit you. It all depends on your musical tastes and aspirations, and the genre of music you intend to play.

I play in Folk Clubs and at a number of Senior Citizens events, including a Dementia Sufferers & Carers group. The tunes I play are often popular songs from the 40's 50's & 60's, together with some traditional folk music for good measure. I own two accordions, but the one I use most is a 72 Bass Chanson. The Chanson has never been confounded by any tune I have attempted to play, and I seriously doubt that it will be stumped by anything I choose to play in the future.

It is not my intention to play extremely complicated musical pieces, so I don't see the point of buying an accordion any bigger than my needs dictate. I don't need a Ferrari to drive to the shops, and I don't need a 120 Bass to play the music I like.

You may aspire to more than this, in which case you should buy a 120 Bass. However, for the purpose of learning, you may advance quicker if you master a smaller instrument before you tackle a big one.

Whatever you decide to do, please keep us informed of your progress. I will be interested to know how you get on with all your repairs.

Kind Regards,

Stephen.