Who am I ? ...

[Jiri]

Hi accordion friends,
I found this forum few days ago and really love it - lot of themes with very detailed explanations and tips and triks!
Let me to write some basic information about me.

I am from Czech Republic, where I also live (approx. 35km Nord-East from Prague/capital). I started with piano accordion as a 8y boy, but when I was 14y, the other hobbies have a higher priority and a pause of 25 years of playing has passed. Seven or eight years ago I went back to playing the accordion. First 5 years very slowly, just for our baby and my pleasure, but I desided to do something more with my playing. I found some information about accordion course organised by one Czech harmonist and I signed up for it. It was February 2015 and this small step realy opened my eyes and kicked me for playing. First year after course I learned myself, but my playing did not satisfied me and I desided to ask one lecturer from the course (Stanislav Samuel Raška http://www.samuelraska.com/) for lessons. He is quite young guy, but with lot of knowledge, virtuosity and a great pedagogical approach. So second year I have every 14 days one hour lesson and I love it. With two small children I am a little bit time limited, but I see some grow and it makes me happy... .

I play the accordion still mainly alone and just for myself, but with one colleague from accordion course we learned two duets, just started with third one, and I really like to play with someone else - it is new dimension of playing . She is playing at a similar level, so it works well and we really enjoy it.

In case you are interested with my level of playing (still very amateurish, but with love (even my face looks sometime different...) ), I posted some videos to YT channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7o4rron3poVz-dJmkbzzWg
I will also very appreciate your feedback (even if critical).

Enjoy your playing and have a nice day !
Jiri

 

[debra]

Welcome Jiri,

I wish you a lot of happiness playing the accordion. You may find that in the end the duets or even a bit larger ensembles can offer a lot of fun, compared to just playing by yourself.

Enjoy!

 

[Jiri]

Welcome Jiri,

I wish you a lot of happiness playing the accordion. You may find that in the end the duets or even a bit larger ensembles can offer a lot of fun, compared to just playing by yourself.

Enjoy!

Thank you, Paul. I think, I found it already , but with limited time is duet maximum for now ... .
But I believe, that after several years I will have more time for accordion playing and I will look for larger ensemble.

 

[TomBR]

Hi Jiri, you are very welcome here. Thank you for telling your story (and for writing it in very good English.)
Your playing is great, it is music, not just notes!
I think JerryPH who is a member here is particularly interested in Czech music.
Hope you enjoy the forum
Tom

 

[Jiri]

Hi Jiri, you are very welcome here. Thank you for telling your story (and for writing it in very good English.)
Your playing is great, it is music, not just notes!
I think JerryPH who is a member here is particularly interested in Czech music.
Hope you enjoy the forum
Tom

Hi Tom, thanks a lot for the kind words ! (also for a little lie about my English ).
I really see this forum as a very good resource for improvement of my playing (every new idea has a weight) and yes, I enjoy it.
Regards,
Jiri

 

[debra]

Since you ask for some (critical) feedback, here are two points:
1) You look down at the keyboard while playing. There should be no need for that. The keys have remained in the same position since you got the accordion, so your "muscle memory" should know where they are. I don't believe you actually need to look at the keyboard, so it is likely just a bad habit.
2) You make a subtle effort to "greet the audience" before you start. I wouldn't do that for a YouTube movie.
Other than that, well played (in several videos I briefly watched).

 

[Jiri]

Thanks Paul for your valuable feedback !

1) You look down at the keyboard while playing.

Yes, I am aware of this bad habit and last weeks Im trying to get rid of it ... . Hope it is a little bit visible on my latest posted video (Etuda Dance it). But to be honest, sometimes for large movements of right hand I still need eye contact with keyboard. Is it really possible to dont need it at all ?

2) You make a subtle effort to greet the audience before you start. I wouldnt do that for a YouTube movie.

May I ask you - is it more your personal feeling or is it some rule valid for YT ?

Other than that, well played (in several videos I briefly watched).

Thank you.

 

[TomBR]

I very rarely disagree with Paul De Bra, but I like the way you "greet the audience." A matter of opinion, I'd suggest.

Ref looking down - when I started converting to chromatic button accordion (CBA) I realised after a couple of weeks that I was looking down too much so I made a cardboard "shield" that fitted under the top bellows strap so I couldn't see down. It did the job and soon I didn't need it. Of course, I was just starting so the habit of looking down was not too strong.
Tom

 

[Jiri]

Ref looking down - when I started converting to chromatic button accordion (CBA) I realised after a couple of weeks that I was looking down too much so I made a cardboard shield that fitted under the top bellows strap so I couldnt see down. It did the job and soon I didnt need it.

It looks as a good tip - thank you Tom!

 

[jozz]

welcome and where is the hat from 2 years ago?

 

[Jiri]

@jozz: Thank you! I recognized, that hat is not the most important thing for accordion playing, practicing is the better way . So hat is somewhere in the cabinet... I see that hat is quite popular theme here ...

 

[debra]

I very rarely disagree with Paul De Bra, but I like the way you greet the audience. A matter of opinion, Id suggest.

Its fine to disagree with that. Its just a personal opinion. Many people who create music videos for YouTube have trouble coming up with a good way to start and to finish, considering there is no audience and you have to control the recording yourself.

Ref looking down - when I started converting to chromatic button accordion (CBA) I realised after a couple of weeks that I was looking down too much so I made a cardboard shield that fitted under the top bellows strap so I couldnt see down. It did the job and soon I didnt need it. Of course, I was just starting so the habit of looking down was not too strong.
Tom

When I was a child I was forced to use the cardboard shield to learn not to look at the keyboard. That was on PA at the time. I can tell you that indeed you can make even the largest jumps without looking, on both PA and CBA. Its a matter of training your muscle memory. You need to learn to just trust yourself in the ability to hit the right note after a jump.

 

[Geronimo]

I very rarely disagree with Paul De Bra, but I like the way you greet the audience. A matter of opinion, Id suggest.

Its fine to disagree with that. Its just a personal opinion. Many people who create music videos for YouTube have trouble coming up with a good way to start and to finish, considering there is no audience and you have to control the recording yourself.

Control the recording is not really of much relevance here: creating a nice recording is so much work that stripping the bits at the start and end where you fiddle with the camera is a tiny task in comparison and you usually can even do this on the camera itself by splitting your video at the right points and deleting the cut-off parts.

Im fine with pretending an audience if you can pull it off. On my own videos these days I tend to show just the instrument and my fingers and cut off my head because I am not able to contort my face into anything helpful to the reception of the video.

Thats less than graceful but where is the point in showing content not supportive of the intended message to broadcast? Others manage this much better.

I dont see that a hard rule can easily be stated.

 

[Jiri]

I can tell you that indeed you can make even the largest jumps without looking, on both PA and CBA. Its a matter of training your muscle memory. You need to learn to just trust yourself in the ability to hit the right note after a jump.

This is really challenging me - I just tested it on the song Im currently learning (Monti Czardasz) and it is not so easy, with glissandos and more than octave jumps ...
But I understand, that this will not to be half an hour work {}

 

[Stephen Hawkins]

Hello Jiri,

A warm welcome to the forum, where I hope to read many contributions from you in the future.

I enjoyed your performance very much, and thought that it was really well played. Coming from a Folk Music background, I tend not to worry too much about the things which exercise other members. I confess that I often look at the keyboard, but am quite relaxed about it.

Kind Regards,

Stephen.

 

[Happy girl]

I really enjoyed your rendition of The Godfather Jirl. Very soulful & easy on the ear.

Yes, & I did like your little bow at the end; it signified you are playing to me, & you have acknowledged my presence.

Well done, more of the same please.

 

[Jiri]

Hello Jiri,
A warm welcome to the forum, where I hope to read many contributions from you in the future.

I enjoyed your performance very much, and thought that it was really well played. Coming from a Folk Music background, I tend not to worry too much about the things which exercise other members. I confess that I often look at the keyboard, but am quite relaxed about it.
Kind Regards,
Stephen.

Hello Stephen,
thank you for welcoming and your warm words- I am glad for them.
Best Regards,
Jiri

 

[Jiri]

I really enjoyed your rendition of The Godfather Jirl. Very soulful & easy on the ear.

Oh, thanks a lot !

Yes, & I did like your little bow at the end; it signified you are playing to me, & you have acknowledged my presence.
Well done, more of the same please.

Maybe Hallelujah is similar style (or Once Upon a Time in the West)?
Have a nice weekend!
KRs,
Jiri

 

[Stephen Hawkins]

Hello Jiri,

Your playing was smooth and assured. Being honest, I hardly noticed that you looked down at the keyboard, and set no great store by frivolous etiquette.

Finishing a tune on closed bellows is another thing I have never quite understood. Personally, I am just over the Moon if I get through a tune without hitting a bum note.

Anyway, that is just me. My aim is fun and enjoyment, not the slavish pursuit of perfection.

Kind Regards,

Stephen.

 

[Jiri]

Hi Stephen,
I agree with you, for me is also the most important to enjoy the playing and have a fan. But, if I can improve something, I am open for it . I like this forum for the numbers of small tips and valuable feedback .
Best Regards,
Jiri