Made the switch

[bocsa]

Cheshire Chris
Explore all 5 rows as suggested ... the fingering possibilities are seemingly endless It's great when it all comes together!
(I'm also a Melodeon player)

Hi Sally, hope you find the right box for you ... I'm guessing you have the house sorted now, internal stairs instead of external ladder (chuckle)
Acquired any smallpipes yet?

Les Flos are lovely, I enjoyed a very warm welcome when I made a casual visit a few years back. Their book is just the beginning of the DiouFlo experience, it's easy to follow (Google translate is useful if you need it), I really ought to re-visit the book, it's all too easy to skip to experimenting rather than disciplined learning

 

[TomBR]

Cheshire Chris
Explore all 5 rows as suggested ... the fingering possibilities are seemingly endless It's great when it all comes together!

Five rows are wonderful and yes the fingering possibilities are seemingly endless, but at this stage I don't think you need endless possibilities!

My opinion is that it's best to stick to three rows to start with.
-You'll get a quicker and more secure sense of "where you are" without looking down.
-Just three patterns will cover all the key signatures.
-Each note is in just one place so learning to read from music is easier.
-You only get the "transpose by starting in a different place" benefit of CBA by sticking to three rows.
-You have the option of playing a three row instrument if you want to.

I don't for one moment undervalue the benefits of a four or five row instrument, but I think it's best to get solid on three rows first.
Cheers
Tom

 

[bocsa]

Five rows are wonderful and yes the fingering possibilities are seemingly endless, but at this stage I don't think you need endless possibilities!

My opinion is that it's best to stick to three rows to start with.

Yes, that goes without saying as most of the Tutor books I've seen cover only the three rows!

Nowt wrong with exploring
The original suggestion that I referred to was "Don't confine yourself to 3 row playing though" and is to be recommended if one wants to enjoy the instrument to the full

Keyword: Enjoy

 

[Pipemajor]

I have a 3 row Maugein and a 4 row Paolo Soprani, both French bought instruments and I find that some chords on the 3 row can contort your hand into an awkward shape whereas on the 4 row it is much easier. I mainly use 3 rows but will automatically use the 4th row if it is easier.

 

[Corsaire]

Hi Chris - no, I've no idea, but I hope to be able to try some out in our local accordion shop. I have a 2 1/2 row G/C melodeon (that's what is played in Brittany) and yes, it's lightness is a joy.
I'm a pianist too which is what made me take up the PA originally. But having found buttons so much easier to play, it's logical to change to CBA. "Just a question" of learning the right hand !

Bocsa - the house is coming along ... slowly.
I'll see what the Flos recommend, and the guys who run our local accordion shop are brilliant. They get a good turnover of second hand instruments and have made me some really good sales (PAs aren't always easy to shift).
3 or 4 rows sounds ideal ...

 

[dunlustin]

............some chords on the 3 row can contort your hand.........
Oh so true.
Before the 5-row was promoted (unhelpfully) as a transposing machine, the 4-row was a response to the 3-row's shortcomings.
I have not come across modern teaching that ignores the 4th row. (The 5th I believe is a bit of a bonus.)
I suspect this goes back to the stars of the 3-row era and the books they endorsed.
We can blame the French for the proverb 'One must suffer in order to be beautiful.' and a whole bunch of other stuff around learning.
40 years ago pupils were told the 3+3 LH was just a way to seduce the young and gullible down the broad path to mediocrity. In fact it was a lot easier than trying to hit a minor third with your little finger.
Comparison: Diatonic players in the UK for many years treated the 2-row Melodeon as mouthorgans stuck together with no connection between them. I think it was exposure to French music that opened up playing across the rows.
You may like to look at a RH CBA chart and explore alternatives for runs/chords by adding in the 4th row.

 

[Cheshire Chris]

I have a 3 row Maugein and a 4 row Paolo Soprani, both French bought instruments and I find that some chords on the 3 row can contort your hand into an awkward shape whereas on the 4 row it is much easier. I mainly use 3 rows but will automatically use the 4th row if it is easier.

I agree completely. When playing major chords with a root on row 3, such as F Maj (F-A-C), I think it's much easier to press F on row 3 and A-C on row 4, than it is to go down to A-C on row 1. That also means you play all 12 of the major chords with the same fingering.

Chris

 

[Corsaire]

Diatonic players in the UK for many years treated the 2-row Melodeon as mouthorgans stuck together with no connection between them. I think it was exposure to French music that opened up playing across the rows.

There seem to be 2 schools of thought in France : some, often 2 row players, feel that the beauty of the melodeon is the push pull that you hear so often in Morris music. Others, myself included, prefer to play across the rows (if you have them). Perhaps a question of personal taste or style.
It sounds as if 4 rows (CBA) is more flexible, and more comfortable !

 

[losthobos]

Keep your minds open.... Sometimes there's no logic as to which scale pattern/chord fingerings are best for the tune your playing... Sometimes it feels easier to play the F chord on rows 1 and 3 and another time feels better or rows 3 and 4...just depends where you've come from and where your heading i guess..
I know the french try and avoid 'forked" fingers where possible... And think this means having the outer fingers playing on row 3 and the centre fingers playing row 1..i don't like this feeling myself..
And as a side note the 3 x 3 system suits me best even if it does have me stumbling slowly down the road to mediocracy...

 

[oldbayan]

More notes that are easily accessible in less space, wider range, instant transposition. Also looks cooler than ivory teeth ?

 

[Corsaire]

Done it at last - made the switch after man years of hesitating. I hired a 4 row CBA for a month while waiting for the arrival of a Saltarelle Chaville - the hire box was heavy (weight and notes), with some sticky buttons and some that didn't function properly. Had I not already played the PA, I could have been put off completely.
My Chaville arrived yesterday and what a difference ..... The "mushroom" bass buttons are much easier to play and at a tad under 6kg, beautifully light. The 4 row, 60 bass/48 treble suits me perfectly and being more compact doesn't feel as if it's wearing me. I feel as if I progressed more yesterday afternoon than in the month of hiring.
I'm following the Diou Flo méthode (I know them well) and have found it enables a good progression, using the whole keyboard and across the rows. The music has been written with a treble note stave and in a French tablature style seen in French diatonic music, and the chords are named. There are accompanying recordings on their site so you can hear what you're supposed to be playing, at slow and normal speeds.
http://diouflo.com/francais/chroma.html
The site is in French though some of it is in English.