Flat vs stepped

[Chris Ryall]

Maybe it's because I was always told to pick up my fingers, but wouldn't lots of keysliding tend to lead to a more "muddy" style and imprecision ... ?

That's the theory ...

[edit] .. yes we all cheat. I've seen the thumb brought into use by top technical players on occasion. But I still think practicing 'routine' sliding early on isn't good for you in the longer run.

[LDbosca]

Maybe it's because I was always told to pick up my fingers, but wouldn't lots of keysliding tend to lead to a more "muddy" style and imprecision ... ?

That's the theory ...

Theory being the operative word! In music where one often wants for example the middle finger to be on a note to execute a roll then sliding and short, fast jumps are pretty useful.

[JimJ]

Ok, take this for what it is worth. I am a complete newbie,
and have not touched a box other than my new Pokerwork, but,
on one of the tutorial DVD's I picked up, they guy was demonstrating
3 finger triplets. He said they were easy on the outside row, since there
was nothing off the end of the keyboard to hit, but on the inside row,
you had to be sure not to hit a key on the outside row. Just from
an outsider's veiw it would seem to be easier to do this kind of a
triplet on the inside row of a stepped keyboard.

[Steve Jones]

it would seem to be easier to do this kind of a triplet on the inside row of a stepped keyboard.

It's true that you have to be more precise about executing this kind of figure on the inside row with a flat keyboard, but this isn't a major problem. Certainly not enough of one to outweigh the other benefits of flat keyboards IMO.

[nfldbox]

Is there anyone who plays Irish music on a two row box without sliding?

[Howard Jones]

Othey guy was demonstrating 3 finger triplets. He said they were easy on the outside row, since there
was nothing off the end of the keyboard to hit, but on the inside row,
you had to be sure not to hit a key on the outside row.

Is the John Spiers DVD?  I was at the recording and had this discussion with him during a break.  Personally I find 3 finger triplets easier on the inside row. I play it with fingers 3-2-1 rotating my hand towards the grille - that way you won't hit buttons on the outside row because you're playing away from them.  To play them on the outside row you need to alter your hand position so you're playing away from the inside row towards the edge of the keyboard, which I find less comfortable.

[Steve Jones]

Is there anyone who plays Irish music on a two row box without sliding?

I'm told that some teachers solemnly forbid their students to slide: Patty Furlong, and Billy McComiskey, according to at least one of his students. But someone who ought to know told me that Billy M does in fact use sliding himself, and from trying to see what he's doing on YouTube clips I'm pretty sure that he does, if not often or conspicuously.

[melodeon]

"Is there anyone who plays Irish music on a two row box without sliding? "

Sharon Shannon

[JimJ]

Yes, that was it -- the John Spires DVD

Personally, I am no where near ready to even try this,
but I can't picture moving towards the grill as you suggest,
The movement he showed in the video seemed to me to
be a very natural movement -- I'll have to remember to
try it some day.

[Howard Jones]

As John demonstrates it on the D row, he's playing a "drumming" motion using fingers 3-2-1 with his wrist held fairly high and the fingers moving towards the edge of the keyboard.  However he then demonstrates it on the G row with his hand in the same position and fingers moving in the same direction, with the risk (as he points out) that they catch a button on the D row.

When I play a triplet on the D row, I play it the same way as John.  However, on the G row I use the same drumming motion and finger pattern, but rotate the hand slightly so instead of the fingers moving towards me and the edge of the keyboard the movement is away from me, and more importantly, away from the D row.

It's exactly the same movement, but at a different angle.  Dropping the wrist slightly while keeping the hand in the same place is sufficient to change the angle of attack by approaching 90 degrees.  This way, whether you're playing on the D or G row you're always moving the fingers away from the other row so there's less chance of catching another button by mistake.

Hope this makes sense.

[LDbosca]

The other option with one-button triplets is to move your hand more or less parallel to the rows instead of moving to either side, as long as you practice it slowly and accurately first you shouldn't hit any stray buttons.

[Québécois]

I find it easier to do triplets with only two fingers! Index, middle, than index again.

[Eoin]

In his 'Irish Accordion Tutor' Vol 1, Damien Connolly teaches sliding from the C to the B row, and between adjacent keys on the same row, from the outset.  On the other hand, according to Jim Mackay (father of Graeme of this parish), Jimmy Shand strongly advised against it (and said J. Shand was no mean performer on the BC before he started complicating it! ). 
For what it's worth (coming from a hopeful 'improver'), having worked hard to convert myself from a slider to a mover (hardly ever play the same key with the same finger on successive notes), I now find that my progressions feel more fluid, and the solutions to those knotty challenges of how to find that exta digit are more logical.
As to stepped vs flat, I play a slightly stepped Morgane and a flat Ilary, and don't find the change from one instrument to the other is complicated by the stepping - the spread of the keys and the travel of each key are the things which initially confuse me!

[Chris Brimley]

I have a stepped keyboard, and it seems to me there is one advantage that nobody has mentioned yet, and that is that if you look at the way your hand is positioned, and the way the finger joints move, it would seem to be easier and therefore quicker and more precise to reach the inner rows that way, if the rows are angled towards you.  (This seems to be true with either thumb position, pushing or gripping.)  Moreover a downward slide should be easier, for the same reason.  I do slide sideways and outwards, but admittedly never inwards, so I agree that ought to be an advantage of a flat layout.

It would be interesting to see whether angling the whole keyboard more would give the same effect.

Don't the buttons also tend to be bigger on stepped layouts, so there's more to hit?  I used to have a bit of difficulty with my Hohner because the flat keyboard surrounding the buttons could sometimes get in the way of a clean hit.

[waldoB]

I was fortunate, and benefited from the guidance from Jim ( and Graeme ) as Eoin, and found the result to be similar.  Graeme's U tube postings demonstrate better than can be described in words.