Maximising coupler use

[wirralaccordion]

At a guess I would think that most of us use a small number of the same couplers most of the time on our PAs.
I was listening to Olive Blossoms on a CD today and the accordionist uses the lowest bass sounds possible and to me it sounds like the longest pipes on a church pipe organ - superb!
Another song on the same disc uses a very high piccolo in the treble ( Stars and Stripes ) - it's also on disc 1 of the 5 disc set recommended on this forum by Jeff Jetton.
Makes me think that on my PA with 11 trebles and 7 bass there is much unchartered territory!
Can you think of any extreme uses of registrations?

 

[Geronimo]

Well, you probably got the videos from the Silent Night thread. One showing [/URL] which is rather bad since I was dared to play the melody voices on the free bass and had no time for practising (Xmas was drawing near): basically it just shows what MMM outside of sane ranges sounds like but this is not actually playing but fumbling along in the vicinity of the notes. But one can hear what stuff could sound like if done right.

And there is the video[/URL] which uses a thin bass registration (1 chord reed, 1 bass reed) in the first half and a fat bass registration (about 7 chord reeds and 2 bass reeds) in the second half. Thats a pretty bad air guzzler, and it does show how a leaky registration like that can actually behave reasonably under crescendo (it starts loud and gets ever more louder).

With regard to bass registration, I do like registering thin and low on the standard bass. Its what I do on my [/URL] particularly in the first minute or so and at the end: its sort-of pointless to listen on this on a laptop or phone without headphones: this actually wants a reasonable bass reproduction like on a stereo. It doesnt even work well on a PC soundbar starting at 100Hz or so. Because much of the bass substance is rather low. The content is mostly there in the overtones, but its not the same without the base.

Im currently working on some version of Adios Nonino with some really low (standard) bass passages as well that are just eerie.

The main advantage of a low bass is that it keeps the result transparent: the low range stays out of the hairs of both the chords as well as the melody. For an instrument like accordion where everything is free reeds, that makes orchestral/combo arrangements have well distinguishable parts. We are handicapped enough as it is by running everything through the same instrument, so I like the opportunity of keeping the bass line independent from the rest. A low bass helps to achieve that.

 

[Sebastian Bravo]

As i only have 5 registers on my keyboard and 2 registers on my bass side, I try to use them all.
Most of the arrangements i do on the songs i play, i try to use at least 3-4 different registers (My bassoon is weak, so i dont use it as much as other registers), to make a distinction in each part of the song. I really want an LMMH tuning as it gives you more combinations...

Im currently working on some version of Adios Nonino with some really low (standard) bass passages as well that are just eerie.

Im looking forward to it! Heres my arangement, there are some errors because i was nervous...

 

[jozz]

Im looking forward to it! Heres my arangement, there are some errors because i was nervous...

nicely done on a smaller instrument, inspires me to learn it too {}

I never was allowed to use anything more than single 8 or 8/16 (clarinet or tango) when it came to ensemble playing. On my Concerto I also struggled with the single 16 by the way. That all is gone now I have a better instrument which gives nice sound in all registers no matter how soft or hard you play.

 

[Sebastian Bravo]

nicely done on a smaller instrument, inspires me to learn it too {}

Thanks Jozz! had to modify the left hand a little...
its funny because at 1:16 theres a smartphone ringing, but the melody feels nice in that silence!

 

[Geronimo]

I never was allowed to use anything more than single 8 or 8/16 (clarinet or tango) when it came to ensemble playing. On my Concerto I also struggled with the single 16 by the way. That all is gone now I have a better instrument which gives nice sound in all registers no matter how soft or hard you play.

I have what can be called a reasonably good instrument and its the exception rather than the rule that I end up using anything other than L, M, or LM. Of course, one feature of a good instrument is that even single reed registrations have a pliable sound quality.

 

[george garside]

just a thought in the opposite direction so to speak. Just because you have a vast number of couplers doesn't mean you have to use all or even most of them !

There is also the question as to how many changes , if any, should be/need to be made in the same tune or piece of music.
Does a change really enhance what is being played - does it aadd to or detract from other (non accordion) instruments you may be playing along with - does shoving the box in bottom gear overpower quieter instruments in a band or ensemble etc etc.

Is it a good idea or not to use couplers to make an accordion sound like a different instrument or do the punters expect an accordion to sound like an accordion

For what its worth as a trad/folk/ dance band player I usually go for mmm for reels, jigs, etc and chuck in the low set to thicken things up a bit for waltzes. I do not try to imitate a fiddle when there is a genuine one sat next to me!

I can't speak for how to couple or not for the 'classical 'stuff where the coupler settings may be written in tablets of stone as part of a highly prescriptive and detailed score.

george

 

[Geronimo]

I cant speak for how to couple or not for the classical stuff where the coupler settings may be written in tablets of stone as part of a highly prescriptive and detailed score.

I go pfffft on those anyway since my main instrument is LMMM. Prescriptive scores tend to use H in combinations quite a bit and dont usually distinguish between MM and MMM. Also I dont have combination registers but separate levers for L, M, and MM. So some register changes are just clamoring to get done differently or in steps. In accordion ensemble, Ive even reverted to not even changing registers between MMM and LM in some passages but instead switching between right and left hand (the latter on free bass) instead.

And dont get me started with the bass... Its actually relevant that I can register in a manner where I can let bass notes and chords drone on without plastering over a single-reed registration in the right hand. That makes detailed scores a lot less highly prescriptive for me than with more standard instruments and often leads to me making less robust choices than the original arrangement.

Given the wide variability of accordions, working with highly prescriptive scores often entails making adjustments even on less quirky instruments. Most scores refrain from even suggesting anything with regard to bass registrations, those being a whole lot less standardized than the treble registers.