Tuning when playing with an accordion

[Sasquatchian]

Originally Posted by catt

Just had to weigh in on accordions..

Taj Mahal said that, upon hearing cajun deployment of the free-reeds, it was the first time he heard an accordion playing music that was interesting to him.

I had to find music that was interesting to play - in order to persevere with accordions. The standard repertoire from the heyday of accordions (pop, swing, light 'jazz'..) wasn't it. For me, it was blues, New Orleans, Professor Longhair to get with piano accordion - and sevdah, klezmer, balkan music. Then I found forro and that's ALL I need. (...and this chair, and...)

I love to play button accordions - truth be told I started pressing saxophone key buttons before even guitar strings...buttons are just fun.

I hear you. For me it was hearing Flaco play with Ry and Peter Rowan back in the 70's. I've been exposed to so much living with a true master (mistress) of the instrument who not only plays classical, jazz (she studied with Frank Marocco), Klezmer (currently with Mostly Kosher in L.A.) Bulgarian, two different zydeco bands in L.A., German bands and she's one of just two or three in L.A. who can play Brazilian Forro music. The ultimate compliment is when the Brazilians in the audience come up to her after the shows and speak to her in Portuguese. Great music.

[catt]

Accordions are superb rhythm machines - i love vamping, skanking, grooving, boogie-ing, and improvising in all of those ways. A traditional instrument in so many cultures. I found the duple meter dance idioms on the instrument are irresistible - even on a little diatonic box is so easy to render a dance and people move. There are so many elements of syncopation in forro and the solo accordion can execute each one perfectly. It's a killer machine - it's got everything I'm a former drummer and love to move when i play - I like complex rhythm and the box gives a lot to exploit.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by Brent Hahn

Did a session yesterday, playing both Tele and acoustic, where the Peterson said I was good, but the accordion indicated otherwise. So I earball-tuned to the accordion (in which each note has two slightly detuned reeds, so it's a subjective thing). Anyway... oh my. What a difference. So much better. Suggest you try it.

Hi Brent…
My first lessons (12 years of them) and instrument was accordion.

Back in my day as a teen, you always tuned to non-tunable (or limited adjustment) instruments in the mix rather than to a tuner. This list for me includes accordions, church pianos, saxophones, trumpets, organs, flutes/penny whistles etc.

Oh yeah - and harmonicas. I have a friend with a bag-o-harmonicas and some are better in tune with A=440 than others.

We relied on common sense and our ears a lot back then. Still do. If I'm playing with someone who is playing his guitar out-o-tune, I'll tweak on the fly to match them.

[Silly Moustache]

Originally Posted by Brent Hahn

Did a session yesterday, playing both Tele and acoustic, where the Peterson said I was good, but the accordion indicated otherwise. So I earball-tuned to the accordion (in which each note has two slightly detuned reeds, so it's a subjective thing). Anyway... oh my. What a difference. So much better. Suggest you try it.

We have an elderly accordiainst come to my club, and he explained how he could "retune" one of his instruments to create a tremolo sound for the music of different countries - such as French "musette" style - like this :



Apparently different countries use different degrees for their traditional styles.

[Steve DeRosa]

The question is why...?

[Sasquatchian]

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

We have an elderly accordiainst come to my club, and he explained how he could "retune" one of his instruments to create a tremolo sound for the music of different countries - such as French "musette" style - like this :



Apparently different countries use different degrees for their traditional styles.

Often specific brands and models of accordion are preferred for different types of music. For instance, the Brazilians love the sound of Giulietti's and play them more than others. Clifton played Hohner and Petosa mostly and a lot of the eastern Europe music they often like Dallapé from Italy or Weltmeister from Germany. A Dallapé Super Maestro is one of the nicest sounding instruments I've ever heard but ever so rare these days.