Palmer/Hughes/Sedlon

[KLR]

Do people still learn the accordion from these books? Sounds that way, there's a big thread about accordion lessons but I couldn't quite suss out what goes on there - I'm entirely self-taught, spent all my money on musical instruments! :lol: But people mentioned learning from Sedlon books at some point. Most of the discussion seemed to be about the value of tutelage in the first place.

There's sort of a genre of accordion music - Clarinet Polka et al - I always thought that those tunes became widespread via tutors like those mentioned. If you're just starting I suppose tunes like those are a good way to acquire basic handiness with getting around the keyboards. It also might explain the public's association of the accordion with polkas.

I took a gander at those tomes on Google Books and they're hilariously out of date in ways - one has the Marine Hymn with a little cartoon of an F4 fighter jet, which I think went out of service in 1958. If it ain't broke don't fix it.

 

[fjsys]

Well as someone who finished book 9 of the palmer-hughes series last year, I can tell you that people still do learn from these books.

I agree that the clip art is stupid and wrong in the series. The funniest one that comes to me is the "Entry of the Gladiators" clip art that shows a roman garb with lions and such. Since I didn't know the name of the song before I started with it, I found it extremely funny when I recognized the melody and realized that the person picking the clip art had no idea what the song was either. (Circus clowns would have been a better choice)

Overall I think the Palmer-Hughes series is good, I just hate the emphasis on Marches and Strauss waltzes that is in the book. But this could just be because my teacher had it in his head the way that he thought that they should be played and I was not allowed to deviate timing or expression to make them my own. (I still have this problem with him)

The other thing that I understand but don't like is spending $10 on each book, but then they would never make any money if they did it in an Anzaghi method. ($40 for 1 vs $100 for 10) It still beats buying the sheets for what is in there for approx $5 a peace and then the scales and runs for another $20.

Ben

 

[KLR]

I notice you can view a lot of the Palmer-Hughes books on scribd.com.

 

[lasvegascolonel]

The Palmer-Hughes series has been successful because they work for most people. They're self-guided and things are explained very well. After a year I'm still working on Book Four. It obviously helps if you've had some personal instruction, but many people learn on their own. Today, you can view techniques online too. The illustrations do reflect a more innocent time, for sure, but I've found the series provides quite a variety in terms of polkas, marches, waltzes, anthems, country, etc. Since accordions haven't traditionally been associated with much rock music, you won't find that in the Palmer-Hughes series. If you have to listen to that kind of music on the accordion, I would think you can find it online, though. Good Luck in your playing endeavors.

 

[Soulsaver]

PH has been mentioned as popular here. Both PH & Sedlon had these cartoons in the basic books as they would be used for teaching young children as well as older students. If they had a tutor they may have skipped 'Three Blind Mice' with the mature student. Sedlon editions don't have the cartoons now, even in Book 1a... PH still has.
I don't think there is one ideal method, all have their short comings.
I'm an advocate of Sedlon - it has a wide range of sheet music, it's structured and has lots of useful exercises & etudes, often missing from the few modern books that exist - which tend to be not much more than collections of sheet music.
Negatives for Sedlon - tradfitional tunes (some would say a strength), multiple reprints of the early books lack crispness in the print which is niggling but easily corrected (2b onwards is fine), no accompanying CD (but lots of covers on utub), doesn't show full bass chord notation, 3a onwards is now 'out of print', but they come up on ebay, amazon etc.

I don't think they were designed as self teachers, although cover near enough to pass as such, but aimed for use with a tutor. And a good teacher will move you on and skip stuff that doesn't test you or add benefit - so you can get through the books quicker.

 

[lasvegascolonel]

PH has been mentioned as popular here. Both PH & Sedlon had these cartoons in the basic books as they would be used for teaching young children as well as older students. If they had a tutor they may have skipped Three Blind Mice with the mature student. Sedlon editions dont have the cartoons now, even in Book 1a... PH still has.
I dont think there is one ideal method, all have their short comings.
Im an advocate of Sedlon - it has a wide range of sheet music, its structured and has lots of useful exercises & etudes, often missing from the few modern books that exist - which tend to be not much more than collections of sheet music.
Negatives for Sedlon - tradfitional tunes (some would say a strength), multiple reprints of the early books lack crispness in the print which is niggling but easily corrected (2b onwards is fine), no accompanying CD (but lots of covers on utub), doesnt show full bass chord notation, 3a onwards is now out of print, but they come up on ebay, amazon etc.

I dont think they were designed as self teachers, although cover near enough to pass as such, but aimed for use with a tutor. And a good teacher will move you on and skip stuff that doesnt test you or add benefit - so you can get through the books quicker.

Yes. Even the Palmer-Hughes series refers to the teacher, so I think they were intended to have an instructor as well. Of course, those of us who started with instructors in our youth might have a better go of it than those that didnt. Guess Palmer-Hughes felt an audio record wasnt necessary back in the 60s to accompany the course, so no CD now, which makes you read the books more. Like you said, they are a bit different...the cartoons in the Palmer-Hughes series are a bit youthful but I suspect most adults can get past them.

 

[Sarah]

These videos could be useful with Palmer-Hughes books:

• Palmer-Hughes - Accordion Course Book 2 (videos)
• Palmer-Hughes - Accordion Course Book 3 (videos)
• Palmer-Hughes - Accordion Course Book 4 (videos)
• Palmer-Hughes - Accordion Course Book 5 (videos)
• Palmer-Hughes - Accordion Course Book 6 (videos)
• Palmer-Hughes - Accordion Course Book 7 (videos)

 

[Soulsaver]

Brilliant Sarah.. great info...as usual! Nice if he'd do the same for the Sedlon books, he has done a couple of tunes.

 

[lasvegascolonel]

Thank you so much, Sarah! They are an excellent accompaniment to our books. It's like having an instructor with us saying "this is how it should be played". Thanks again.

 

[Alans]

I got stuck on book four of Palmer Hughes but I love the series and the drawings. I do agree there are way too many marches and for a non-American the patriotism is a bit much,but I thought the series developed wonderfully. I stopped taking lessons a year ago and was on the last song in book four so I'm sorry I never made it to the end of the series because it was my dream goal for years. The new teacher I will be studying with is European trained and young and he doesn't like Palmer Hugges. As for the Sedlon, I was able to collect the first three but I tried for years to find the rest of the set online and could never find them. It seems as if everything after book three diapered. Since PH continues to print I guess that is why they are available. The people who grew up studying Sedlon must have chucked them decades ago. Who thought back then that there would ever be a demand for these things? Just think of the boxes of her music that was chucked for decades as people thought the accordion was gone for good.
By the way,Palmer Hughes did come out with a rock. Roll book that you can purchase from Ernest Deffner company. But I'm sure knowing them it was a very square rock n roll book.

 

[JerryPH]

I notice you can view a lot of the Palmer-Hughes books on scribd.com.

Not all that many... unfortunately just #1 (once) and #2 (three times).

https://www.scribd.com/search-documents?query=Palmer-Hughes

They were ok, I cannot say anything wrong about them, even the cartoons and what not. I think the last one I had was #9 or #10, not sure how far up they went.

 

[Alans]

They actually go up to number ten and Palmer.. Says at that point you would be ready for a conservatory education. I just pulled out book four and I can barely play it now. I'm going to have to return to square one with my new teacher.
Jerry I found online a Montreal club. They meet on Jarry street which must be where Jarry Park used to be. It is a French speaking group.

 

[Soulsaver]

As for the Sedlon, I was able to collect the first three but I tried for years to find the rest of the set online and could never find them. It seems as if everything after book three diapered.

I agree theyre thin on the ground but they do come up - in the UK Sedlon went up to books 4a & 4b .. but in the US went up to 5B. I have several duplicates inc. the high numbers US prints if anyone needs them.