Pieces not written for piano accordion

[wirralaccordion]

There are many pieces written specifically for the piano accordion to show it's versatility, e.g. I particularly like Olive Blossoms by Frosini which requires a fair range of skills. ( I can't play it myself )
However, there are many pieces of music that I find, though not actually written for the piano accordion, sound especially good when played on it ( sometimes with a few inevitable chord changes ). Some that I personally like have words ( e.g. Lazybones as sang by Paul Robeson ) and some haven't ( Shostakovich's waltz in D minor ). Which pieces have you transferred to the piano accordion which you think sound good or even better than the original when played on the piano accordion?
Of course there are many that will never sound good or even just correct musically due to the limitations of the piano accordion. I would suggest that The Simpsons theme would fit this category.

 

[Anyanka]

I am currently practicing Lully's Courante in Em on CBA with freebass (I've previously played this on piano). For some strange reason it sounds particularly good on LM in the right hand, kinda church organy.

Also improvising on Gershwin's 'Summer Time' in Gm, because it's that time of year.

 

[JeffJetton]

Love "Olive Blossoms". Was working on it just the other day. Never have gotten it to 100%, but I'm slowly getting closer! "La Mariposita" is a similar one of Frosini's that I've tried to tackle.

Anyhoo, speaking of Shostakovich, I find that his "Waltz 2" (from Suite for Variety Orchestra) sounds good on accordion. Maybe not "better than the original', but still pretty good!

There are some fine arrangements of not-originally-accordion pieces in the later Palmer-Hughes books, such as Waldteufel's "Espana", Bach's Toccata in D minor, some Sousa marches, some Strauss, Jr., etc...

 

[debra]

The most famous piece I know that is written specifically for CBA and much more difficult on PA is Rondo Capriccioso by Soljetarov. Many of the pieces by Victor Novikov also contain specific CBA things. It's a matter of strange runs that are actually a partial-chromatic scale running over 2 rows of the CBA (like C C# Eb E F# G A Bb C).

 

[maugein96]

Phil,

Just change the title to Les Simpsons and its easy. (Well maybe not that easy). Ive asked him if hes ever got right through Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer, as most people say I look like Santa Claus, so I thought Id learn the tune!



P.S. I realise its not a piano accordion (looks like a Jupiter make bayan), but hes the best of the bunch that I could find.

 

[george garside]

As a mainly 'by ear' player it doesn't occur to me to think or worry about whether a tune was originally written specifically for a piano accordion or indeed any other particular instrument.
If I don't tell my box that it is playing eg a fiddle tune it doesn't worry either!

george {}

 

[accordian]

There are many pieces written specifically for the piano accordion to show its versatility, e.g. I particularly like Olive Blossoms by Frosini which requires a fair range of skills. ( I cant play it myself )
However, there are many pieces of music that I find, though not actually written for the piano accordion, sound especially good when played on it ( sometimes with a few inevitable chord changes ). Some that I personally like have words ( e.g. Lazybones as sang by Paul Robeson ) and some havent ( Shostakovichs waltz in D minor ). Which pieces have you transferred to the piano accordion which you think sound good or even better than the original when played on the piano accordion?
Of course there are many that will never sound good or even just correct musically due to the limitations of the piano accordion. I would suggest that The Simpsons theme would fit this category.

mad world sounds pretty good.
for that matter anything that sounds
slow and fairly deep usually sounds
well.

there are also alot of pop music I have
tried to be honest only a few songs completed
but one to note and give a try is wake me up by
avicii.

 

[Anyanka]

Phil,

Just change the title to Les Simpsons and its easy. (Well maybe not that easy). Ive asked him if hes ever got right through Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer, as most people say I look like Santa Claus, so I thought Id learn the tune!



P.S. I realise its not a piano accordion (looks like a Jupiter make bayan), but hes the best of the bunch that I could find.

I rarely watch a YouTube video all the way through... but this ones an exception: the guy makes it sound as if the Simpsons theme had originally been written for accordion!

 

[Krikri]

Yeah, Persiflette is an incredible (professionnal) player!

 

[Stephen Hawkins]

Hi Phil,

It has never entered my head to look for music written specifically for PA.

I select tunes using only the "do I like it?" method. If I do like it, then I find a way to play it.

Kind Regards,

Stephen.

 

[JerryPH]

It has never entered my head to look for music written specifically for PA.
I select tunes using only the do I like it? method. If I do like it, then I find a way to play it.

Ditto, and I will take it on a slightly different direction. As a kid,thanks to the Free Bass, I didnt even much need to distinguish between PA and piano music either. It was just music to me, and like Stephen, if I liked it, I would find a way to play it.

 

[wirralaccordion]

Hi Phil,

It has never entered my head to look for music written specifically for PA.

I select tunes using only the do I like it? method. If I do like it, then I find a way to play it.

Kind Regards,

Stephen.

Surely that depends on the genre. Folk music would sound strange played on a church organ and classical music is always written for a specific instrument or instruments.
Hence the reason for this post - that members may suggest what particular pieces they have transferred across that do sound OK or even better when played on a PA.
The Palmer-Hughes books, as has been mentioned, have used some popular tunes to demonstrate many of the unique features of playing a PA such as the structure of stradell bass.

 

[Pipemajor]

Phil,

Just change the title to Les Simpsons and its easy. (Well maybe not that easy). Ive asked him if hes ever got right through Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer, as most people say I look like Santa Claus, so I thought Id learn the tune!



P.S. I realise its not a piano accordion (looks like a Jupiter make bayan), but hes the best of the bunch that I could find.

Just wondered what is the significance of the doughnut on his music stand.
Perhaps thats the secret we have all been looking for. :ch

 

[Anyanka]

Just wondered what is the significance of the doughnut on his music stand.
Perhaps thats the secret we have all been looking for. :ch

Its a Simpsons reference - there are more doughnuts on the right, and also a can of Duff beer, Homer Simpsons favourite brand.

 

[Pipemajor]

Ah, I totally missed that, probably because I've never watched the Simpsons.
I'm more a Family guy person.

 

[Stephen Hawkins]

Hi Phil,

I do not recommend playing "The Wild Rover" on a Church Organ, though I see no good reason why it shouldn't be played on that instrument.

You appear to be asking for a more structured answer than I can give you, as my only musical goal is enjoyment. I don't only play folk music ..... I play music from many genres. It is just that my selection process does not take into account the type of instrument a tune is written or arranged for.

In the end, all that really matters is that you derive pleasure from any tune you decide to play. You may at first consider this approach to be an over simplification of a serious subject, but think about it for a while.

Best Regards,

Stephen.

 

[Stephen Hawkins]

Hi Again Phil,

Perhaps it may be better if I mention a few of the tunes I have recently added to my repertoire, together with one or two which I intend working on in the very near future.

"World Without Love" Peter & Gordon. "Cushie Butterfield" Various Artists. "Postcards From Paraguay" & "Privateering" both by Mark Knopfler. "The Ballad of Seth Davy" (Whiskey on a Sunday)

"World Without Love" is, in my opinion, a beautiful tune for accordion, which is quite easy to learn and play. None of the above mentioned tunes belong in the same category, but all of them belong in my rather eclectic repertoire.

As previously stated, I make no distinction between musical "types", preferring to select tunes for my play list on the simple basis of whether or not I like them.

Kind Regards,

Stephen.

 

[maugein96]

Phil,

An old music teacher from my school days told me that an accomplished player should be able to transpose the music written for one instrument to another, provided the instrument concerned had the necessary range, and the player had the ear. He told us that because the trumpets we were learning on were Bb, and advised that if we ever found sheet music of popular tunes that werent written specifically for the instrument, the score would not be correct. To that extent he advised us to abandon any such notion of trying to learn non trumpet scores, and just try and get them down by ear, if we were that interested in playing them.

There seems to be a mind set with the accordion, perhaps more than any other instrument Im aware of, that it is only suitable for playing certain types of music. If Im picking you up correctly, your point is that certain tunes that werent specifically written for the accordion, wouldnt sound right if they were played on the accordion.

Would this guy maybe change your mind about that? He is a perfect example of what that music teacher of mine was talking about. I would hazard a guess that he just had to learn to play all the tunes by ear.



P.S. I know that (and had difficulty believing) there are such things these days as harmonica tabs, and even musical notation for the harmonica !!!!???? However, I dont think Buddy Greene (the player in the clip) would have had much use for them.

 

[wirralaccordion]

I do not recommend playing The Wild Rover on a Church Organ, though I see no good reason why it shouldnt be played on that instrument.

Hi Stephen,
As a Blackburn Rovers supporter I hear this ( and Carnaval of Paris ) played regularly at half time and indeed I would be really excited if one day either/or were to be played on a church organ over the tannoy.
Phil

 

[JerryPH]

Surely that depends on the genre. Folk music would sound strange played on a church organ and classical music is always written for a specific instrument or instruments.

Im of the mindset that when I read that line above, the first question was... why? The ONLY reason is taste, and as we all know, taste varies from person to person. Had you told me 25 years ago that Jouneys Dont Stop Believin; could come out of an electronic accordion... and more, that I would have enjoyed it... I would have scoffed and laughed... yet today, I have heard it and *did* enjoy it!

In the world of music or art, the concept that something must be a certain way or one thing depends on another thing... simply doesnt exist... unless you wish to limit yourself to that belief.