My first accordion lesson!

[Rosie C]

I had my first accordion lesson today, 30 minutes over Zoom. This is "Day 9" of accordion playing for me, I thought I should get professional help so I don't learn bad habits early on. It was all very positive, things for me to work on:

• a more claw-shaped hand shape
• play the bass buttons more staccato
• let the bellows open downwards with gravity
• fit the bellows movement to the phrasing of the melody
• focus on accuracy rather than speed (I have been focussed on speed for Morris dancing)
• lead with my third finger on bass, not the fourth

All good, but I'm thinking it's just as well I took a lesson early!

 

[JerryPH]

All awesome. I see they are using the 3-2 method on the bass instead of the 4-3. I never was comfortable with the 4-3 as it forces you to use the 5th finger (the weakest finger) more often. That is just personal preference. There are many EXCELLENT accordionists that use the 4-3 method.

Also, super important...
- Keep the elbow of the right hand raised even with the height of the keyboard. The straighter the wrist, the looser the tendons, the faster you play and you avoid getting pains that eventually can lead to tendonitis.
- Back straight at all times, no slouching the shoulders
- make sure that the accordion straps are properly set. Right shoulder will always be longer than left shoulder to place the accordion more on the left leg. Using a backstrap is never a bad idea.

This will all feel very uncomfortable at the start as you are strengthening muscles that are not normally used, and my teacher had me exaggerate the positions for the first 2 months so that by then good posture was automatic and never had to be corrected (well, initially I was hard to convince about the elbow, but a dozen of so whacks with a baton reminded me real quick... LOL).

 

[petch]

I've not been playing very long but going 3-2 on bass seems baffling to me now! I use 3-2 at times but surely it's easier to default to 4 on the bass note so you can do 4-3-2-3 for alternating bass with a major chord and 4-2-3-2 for alternating bass with minor or 7th chords?

 

[Alan Sharkis]

Keeping both basses and chords staccato is an older idea. You need a slight accent on the first beat of a measure in 3/4 time and the first and (perhaps a little weaker) on the third beat of a measure in 4/4 time. The way to accomplish that is to give the bass it’s full (usually a quarter note) time value and the chord staccato. Think of the rhythm section od a big band; the bass rings in 1 and 3 and the guitar “chinks its chords”on 2 and 4. See if your teacher agrees with that before you do it. If not, it’s something you can develop later.

 

[Alan Sharkis]

I've not been playing very long but going 3-2 on bass seems baffling to me now! I use 3-2 at times but surely it's easier to default to 4 on the bass note so you can do 4-3-2-3 for alternating bass with a major chord and 4-2-3-2 for alternating bass with minor or 7th chords?

The 4-3 vs. 3-2 can and has been argued until the cows come home. Doesn’t it make sense for absolute beginners to do what their teacher tells them to do as a rule and pick up on the exceptions to that rule as they occur down the road? As for the weak fifth finger, why not make it stronger when it comes up later in the music, as it might when alternating bass in a minor key or in scales in the bass?

 

[Rosie C]

Also, super important...
- Keep the elbow of the right hand raised even with the height of the keyboard. The straighter the wrist, the looser the tendons, the faster you play and you avoid getting pains that eventually can lead to tendonitis.
- Back straight at all times, no slouching the shoulders
- make sure that the accordion straps are properly set. Right shoulder will always be longer than left shoulder to place the accordion more on the left leg. Using a backstrap is never a bad idea.

Thanks for the advice!

I have a backstrap on order - my little accordion is fine for what I paid, but the straps are pretty poor quality, so I have a leather set with backstrap on order.

 

[Rosie C]

Keeping both basses and chords staccato is an older idea. You need a slight accent on the first beat of a measure in 3/4 time and the first and (perhaps a little weaker) on the third beat of a measure in 4/4 time. The way to accomplish that is to give the bass it’s full (usually a quarter note) time value and the chord staccato. Think of the rhythm section od a big band; the bass rings in 1 and 3 and the guitar “chinks its chords”on 2 and 4.

I think the idea of the staccato was to break me of an already established habit of playing the bass very legato!

I used to play double bass in a bluegrass band, so familiar with the "boom-cha" between bass and banjo, but hadn't connected it with the bass buttons!

Re. the bass fingering, I was using 4-3-2-3, as you say, for root-major-fifth-major. My teacher suggested 3-2-3-2 leaving the 4 and 5 free for stretching to other buttons later.

Now, back to practice. I'll try to upload a video before too long!

 

[petch]

Re. the bass fingering, I was using 4-3-2-3, as you say, for root-major-fifth-major. My teacher suggested 3-2-3-2 leaving the 4 and 5 free for stretching to other buttons later.

I would keep swapping between the two as both are useful!

 

[Dingo40]

I think the idea of the staccato was to break me of an already established habit of playing the bass very legato!

As you know, there's at least six ways to get the same thing done on your computer..
More or less the same thing applies to music
For now, follow your teacher!

 

[JKJ]

I have a backstrap on order - my little accordion is fine for what I paid, but the straps are pretty poor quality, so I have a leather set with backstrap on order.

I’m just starting too and found out immediately how bad cheap straps can be. The first thing the the accordion repair guy did (while touching up a few details on my instrument) was get a good set of wide, padded Italian straps with a backstrap - MUCH more comfortable!

 

[debra]

I had my first accordion lesson today, 30 minutes over Zoom. This is "Day 9" of accordion playing for me, I thought I should get professional help so I don't learn bad habits early on. It was all very positive, things for me to work on:

• a more claw-shaped hand shape
• play the bass buttons more staccato
• let the bellows open downwards with gravity
• fit the bellows movement to the phrasing of the melody
• focus on accuracy rather than speed (I have been focussed on speed for Morris dancing)
• lead with my third finger on bass, not the fourth

All good, but I'm thinking it's just as well I took a lesson early!

Alll good things to learn. I'm guessing your teacher is not from Western Europe? There are a number of "schools" in the accordion world. The choice between 4-3 for the bass versus 3-2 is pretty much geographic rather than one being better than the other. The choice between B-system versus C-system (for button accordions) is another such geographic choice.

If I might add two points to learn sooner rather than later, they are:
1) Position the accordion far enough to the left (left strap shorter, right strap longer) that you can play with your right elbow stretched out. Your arm should not be close to your body and the wrist at a steep angle.
2) Play by looking at your sheet music and/or the teacher (on the screen in your case) and never ever look down at the keyboard. Learn to "feel" where you are on the keyboard rather than looking down.

 

[Alan Sharkis]

Alll good things to learn. I'm guessing your teacher is not from Western Europe? There are a number of "schools" in the accordion world. The choice between 4-3 for the bass versus 3-2 is pretty much geographic rather than one being better than the other. The choice between B-system versus C-system (for button accordions) is another such geographic choice.

If I might add two points to learn sooner rather than later, they are:
1) Position the accordion far enough to the left (left strap shorter, right strap longer) that you can play with your right elbow stretched out. Your arm should not be close to your body and the wrist at a steep angle.
2) Play by looking at your sheet music and/or the teacher (on the screen in your case) and never ever look down at the keyboard. Learn to "feel" where you are on the keyboard rather than looking

Those are both pointers I should have mentioned!

 

[saundersbp]

All good, but I'm thinking it's just as well I took a lesson early!

You are very wise, a decent teacher will save you months of wasting time going down uncharted personal rabbit holes, or thinking the solution to getting better is a more expensive accordion!

In addition to the excellent technical suggestions already made I'd add to think always about the sound you are making and would like to make. The basic sound of the accordion is not in my opinion a thing of great beauty (compared to some other instruments) and giving it the right amount of breath through the bellows to speak well is crucial. If you make a nice sound you'll want to play more!

 

[JerryPH]

This is "Day 9" of accordion playing for me...

Was just re-reading, and wow, I cannot even remember lesson #9, but I do remember the FIRST lesson ever, then later my first lesson with an accordionist who was really good after we moved to Montreal, but he passed me on to his teacher after spotting my potential, and that man became my 2nd last teacher and lasted the absolute longest. We went through heaven and hell together and he was amazing. I also remember my first... and last lesson at the Royal conservatory. That last day was both a sad and happy day for me. I sincerely wish it was much, much sadder, then perhaps I would not have stopped for as long.

Remember these days, these are some of those precious little moments that become stories in our lives. Enjoy every moment, suck the very juice out of every second and have fun!

 

[JeffJetton]

• a more claw-shaped hand shape
• play the bass buttons more staccato
• let the bellows open downwards with gravity
• fit the bellows movement to the phrasing of the melody
• focus on accuracy rather than speed (I have been focussed on speed for Morris dancing)
• lead with my third finger on bass, not the fourth

All very good points. I like your teacher already, whomever they are.

But yeah, I'm in the 4-3 school myself, for all sorts of reasons, and it's what I teach. That said, I have had a couple of students who originally learned 3-2 by other teachers before coming to me, and if it's fairly well-ingrained I won't make them switch. Both get the job done.

Congrats on your first lesson!

 

[Rosie C]

I'd add to think always about the sound you are making and would like to make. The basic sound of the accordion is not in my opinion a thing of great beauty (compared to some other instruments) and giving it the right amount of breath through the bellows to speak well is crucial.

Great advice, I'm playing mainly for Morris dancing and I'm finding there is a "certain something" in the way I use the bellows and phrase the notes that *sometimes* all comes together and has the right sort of energy.

Remember these days, these are some of those precious little moments that become stories in our lives. Enjoy every moment, suck the very juice out of every second and have fun!

Such good advice. I took piano lessons for several years and my teacher was of the old school and quite tough on me and I didn't get to practice enough, balancing family life and work with music. Then suddenly she died and I still regret the lost opportunity.

All very good points. I like your teacher already, whomever they are.

But yeah, I'm in the 4-3 school myself, for all sorts of reasons, and it's what I teach. That said, I have had a couple of students who originally learned 3-2 by other teachers before coming to me, and if it's fairly well-ingrained I won't make them switch. Both get the job done.

Congrats on your first lesson!

Thanks! I deliberately didn't name the teacher as people would know the name, and I wouldn't want to misunderstand and misrepresent something the teacher said, or take something out of context.

I started myself on 3-2, then I read the Ivor Beynon book and progressed to playing root-major-fifth-major and changed to 4-3, then my teacher suggested using 3-2. I'm learning mainly to play Morris music, and the bass lines are all very similar. Though I'll probably look to learn Octoberfest repertoire to pick up a few gigs in future.

 

[JerryPH]

Thanks! I deliberately didn't name the teacher as people would know the name, and I wouldn't want to misunderstand and misrepresent something the teacher said, or take something out of context.

Oh, now I am curious... but I think that your idea of keeping the teacher's name anonymous, a good idea.

 

[Alans]

congratulations Rosie on starting with a teacher. I’ve always gone the teacher route-some people think it’s unnecessary but I’ve benefited from it enormously. My current teacher is such a task-master for perfection-every single note has to be perfect. He’s a great guy but he doesn’t let one note fly by. Hopefully this will help in the long run. I’ve had to start to use my fifth finger in the basses for an exam piece. At first I thought it was impossible but my teacher has me just playing the key over and over again and then starting with one before it. It’s coming along. Sometimes I feel like banging my head during a lesson against a wall because I know other teachers would let my mistakes fly by-it’s extremely concentrated study-but then I feel happy I get so much attention.

 

[Jamestens]

Taking that step to have your first lesson, especially so early into your journey, shows real dedication. Getting those fundamentals right from the get-go is crucial, and it sounds like your instructor gave you some fantastic pointers.

 

[RTW]

• fit the bellows movement to the phrasing of the melody BY ROSIE

Great advice! As you know, accordion music omits which way to move the bellows. Following the phrasing can lead to different bellow changes depending on the song eg. change every two measures, change every four measures or change in combination within the same song. I would add playing staccato on the bass provides more air to complete a phrase without changing direction

Regards,
RTW