Learning without hearing the sound

[Happy girl]

Three months ago I underwent rotator repair surgery. It will take a full year to heal, so, lifting/ playing my 12.4kg beast of accordion is out of the question until everything is nicely knitted together again.

In an endeavour to practice regularly, to avoid forgetting all that I have learned, to improve dexterity & knowledge of the geography of the buttons I have asked my husband to separate the bass side so that I can read music, (Although not hear anything) & practice entirely by touch.

The base side is completely sealed & kept clean with a solid piece of protective acrylic.

I assume this method of keeping in ‘touch’ is quite unorthodox, but it works for me. ‘The Mighty Accordion’ publication has come once again together with an accumulation of bass exercises to the fore & surprisingly, I really enjoy the silence.
The need to concentrate is heightened & I am making good progress by taking advantage of this enforced method of learning.

My husband is asking how I know if I am pressing the right buttons or not; although I can’t explain the phenomenon, I do know…

 

[jozz]

now that is dedication!

I hope you have a speedy recovery

 

[knobby]

now that is dedication!

I'll second that!

@Happy girl how are you holding the bass end? Have you rigged up some kind of strap?

 

[debra]

What dedication!
You can indeed practice silently, easier when you have "textured" keys, typically for C and F.
There is more risk that when you misread the score (for instance you miss a sharp or flat somewhere) you start learning it wrong. With sound it's easier to catch the mistake by ear.

 

[Happy girl]

Thank you for your kind comments Jazz & knobby.

No rigging , no straps, nothing scientific, I just cradle the bass as if I would a child sitting on my knee; it is comfortable without strain on the shoulder.

The only problem I had was to know which way up to hold it ;very confusing. (I blame everything on being left handed) so my long suffering husband taped a great big THIS WAY UP sign to the instrument. Magic, what a star!

 

[Eddy Yates]

You tapped in to a time-honored way to learn! Excellent. My piano teacher taught her students how to memorize pieces by pretending a desk or table was a keyboard.
Concert pianists used to carry a dummy keyboard that had weight resistance but no sound so they could practice on trains and in hotel rooms. They’re still made. https://practisingthepiano.com/silent-practice-the-art-of-inner-listening/
Keep it up! Congratulations.

 

[losthobos]

I think it was Duke Ellington said we are attracted to music because it allows us to fill our basic need to want to count....
Perhaps we don't need to hear after all as long as we still play silently....
Speedy recovery

 

[JeffJetton]

What dedication!
You can indeed practice silently, easier when you have "textured" keys, typically for C and F.
There is more risk that when you misread the score (for instance you miss a sharp or flat somewhere) you start learning it wrong. With sound it's easier to catch the mistake by ear.

That's my worry too. I admire the ingenuity and dedication, but without audio feedback, how do you know you're playing something correctly? And if you practice the wrong thing, it's really difficult to re-wire those neurons later.

Hmmm... I wonder if the OP (or the OP's husband) could figure out some way to attach a vacuum cleaner to a matching hole in the acrylic (making it like one of those old Magnus chord organs). Or maybe rig up some dual foot pumps, like pumps organs use?

 

[knobby]

@Happy girl If you wanted to try something similar with your right arm, you could use one of these M-Audio 32 key midi keyboards. You could hold it vertically in your lap as you do with your "bass end", and even connect it up to a computer/iPad/tablet for some sound. They're very light and the key width is the same as an accordion. I used to use mine to practice at quieter times at work.
You can pick these up on eBay/Facebook Marketplace for £25 - £30

 

[debra]

@Happy girl If you wanted to try something similar with your right arm, you could use one of these M-Audio 32 key midi keyboards. You could hold it vertically in your lap as you do with your "bass end", and even connect it up to a computer/iPad/tablet for some sound. They're very light and the key width is the same as an accordion. I used to use mine to practice at quieter times at work.
You can pick these up on eBay/Facebook Marketplace for £25 - £30

I was under the impression that "pressing the right buttons or not" implied that Happy girl plays CBA. I could be mistaken of course...

 

[knobby]

pressing the right buttons or not

I think that is right as in “correct“

 

[pentaprism]

I think a lightweight V-Accordion (e.g. FR-1Xb) will work here. It can be hooked up to a computer or maybe just a tablet to show the notes being pressed.

Or more lightweight yet, this: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/hohner-chromatic-accordion/id1024782356

On my iPad 12.9-inch screen, the distances between the buttons are the same as those on a "real" CBA.

 

[debra]

I think that is right as in “correct“

What I missed was the "bass exercises" part... so that is what "buttons" refer to, not the righthand side buttons. So it may be piano accordion or button... the post does not appear to contain that information. I thought the "separated" bass part was separated to store it away while practicing the treble side, but apparently it's the other way around.

 

[Happy girl]

Yes, the aim is to practice the bass side of the piano accordion, progressing through my tutorials to gradually learn & remember more about its geography

The process is slow & systematic I am not ready to learn pieces at this stage but hoping that once my accordion is whole again, sight reading will be massively improved.

The treble side is catered for with a keyboard which is audible; sight reading/timing being the main focus. I came to music quite late in life after retiring as a useful tool in keeping the grey cells moving….nothing too fancy or ambitious for me in Music-Land, slow methodical progress is the name of the game right now…..

The vacuum cleaner idea sounds intriguing, will explore that concept, but I am hesitant as silence really is golden………

 

[Stephen Hawkins]

Hi Happy Girl,

I hope that your road to recovery is smooth and relatively painless. Good luck with your unique practice method.

Kind Regards,

Stephen.