Thanks Jim, I'm with you all the way on wanting to see news and other information. And I'm happy about the "resurgence." I just wish they didn't feel the need to say "The accordion! It's not just some cheesy polka machine from your father's closet! These hot young people are making bellows squeezing hip again!" Or pick your variation....I understand your feelings on the current news of the popularity of the accordion as a musical instrument in many countries on
this globe. But myself starting learning to play one at 7 years old, living thru the few last years of the "Golden Age Of The
Accordion", playing it professionally, teaching it and repairing it. Well, I still like any news of the current use and popularity of
the accordion at 75 years old. The saying "History Repeats Itself" has been proven over the ages and the introduction of digital
and new quality acoustic models has spurred it's resurgence in popularity and I can only hope this continues in the future.
"It's just not accordion alone. It's music in general. All the groups, all it is are guitars and drums. How about a good trumpet player, or a good sax player, a young kid? Where's he gonna get a job?"
They Might be Giants? Although an old band, still pretty popular among the youts in the US. Probably not top ten, though, I don't know. All your points are well taken.And as I've often said (probably here, more than once), most people want to be able to play the sort of music they listen to. When's the last time an accordion showed up in a Spotify Top Ten song?
So if the accordion is to have a real "comeback", in the States, at least, it would require three things IMO:
Unfortunately, each of these sort of depends on the other. You're not going to get cheap instruments until enough demand allows for economies of scale. And you won't get demand unless a lot of people are inspired by popular music to play accordion. And there won't be accordion in popular music until there are more people playing accordion, which won't happen until there are cheap instruments...
- Availability of decent, low-cost instruments, probably digital.
- A wider range of modern/popular sheet music for people to play (this has actually been getting a bit better over the past few years).
- A new style of music, or retro revival (remember the '90s swing dance craze?), that becomes somewhat popular and that has accordion as a major part of its "sound". Or at the very least, a couple of big hits that feature accordion--that do for the accordion what "Hey, Soul Sister" and "Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World" did for the ukulele.
On the positive side, it's probably easier for someone to learn accordion that it's been in the past 40-50 years, thanks to YouTube and Zoom, etc.
And as I've often said (probably here, more than once), most people want to be able to play the sort of music they listen to. When's the last time an accordion showed up in a Spotify Top Ten song?
So if the accordion is to have a real "comeback", in the States, at least, it would require three things IMO:
Unfortunately, each of these sort of depends on the other. You're not going to get cheap instruments until enough demand allows for economies of scale. And you won't get demand unless a lot of people are inspired by popular music to play accordion. And there won't be accordion in popular music until there are more people playing accordion, which won't happen until there are cheap instruments...
- Availability of decent, low-cost instruments, probably digital.
- A wider range of modern/popular sheet music for people to play (this has actually been getting a bit better over the past few years).
- A new style of music, or retro revival (remember the '90s swing dance craze?), that becomes somewhat popular and that has accordion as a major part of its "sound". Or at the very least, a couple of big hits that feature accordion--that do for the accordion what "Hey, Soul Sister" and "Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World" did for the ukulele.
On the positive side, it's probably easier for someone to learn accordion that it's been in the past 40-50 years, thanks to YouTube and Zoom, etc.
Actually, there has been recent trend in this regard. There are several current and recent groups that have featured accordion - Decemberists, The Gourds, Gogol Bordello; popular movies like Amelie, and Everything is Illuminated have featured accordion music. New music by Pauline Oliveros, Guy Klucevsek.. All have contributed to reviving the accordion sound in popular culture and reimagining the instrument in new forms.
Again, gotta go to Brazil, Italy, Texas or Louisiana where no resurgence needed as far as I can make out.All are lovely developments, certainly, but still somewhat "fringe". Note that your average young music consumer has likely never heard of any of those artists and was born after Amelie (and maybe even Everything is Illuminated) came out!
All are lovely developments, certainly, but still somewhat "fringe". Note that your average young music consumer has likely never heard of any of those artists and was born after Amelie (and maybe even Everything is Illuminated) came out!
Most of the genuine musical talent has always been on the 'fringe' where commercial interests are involved. Popularity is rarely an indication of quality, though it does occasionally happen.All are lovely developments, certainly, but still somewhat "fringe". Note that your average young music consumer has likely never heard of any of those artists and was born after Amelie (and maybe even Everything is Illuminated) came out!
Most of the genuine musical talent has always been on the 'fringe' where commercial interests are involved. Popularity is rarely an indication of quality, though it does occasionally happen.
And being young does not qualify as a determinant of good taste, either; rather of undiscriminating tribalism in many cases.