Its hard Learning the melodeon,

[kenthorseman]

As one of those mad border morris dancers, i finally put down the beer momantarilly and thought, i want to play one of those squeezy things, cant be that hard! oops having shelled out several pints for an erica,  well, its turning out harder than i thought, my good mate pip ives, now in those dark hills up north, has been a great help, but my morris side less so, the main players just dont have the time, what with work etc,  i thought that i would get some lessons, oooooopppppppssssss IN Kent, melodeon lessons what no chance. Well i want to learn, im going to learn with or without help, sadlly i dont read music, and yes i ve got the books, but im one of those people who has to see it done , PLEASE CAN ANYONE HELP, it seems i live in a melodeon desert here, im not far from the dartford bridge ,in fact i can see the bugger generally jammed up, as i drive my horse the opposite way, any help , ideas, PPPPPllllllllEEEEEEAAAASSSSEEEEE

[ron1]

Hi there,

Join a fellow sufferer, when you say your want to play the squeeze box. I too have recently started to learn and it is a challenge.

I live near Eltham SE9 and Dartford is not that far away...Your not so alone after all.

I will be happy to exchange experiences with you, althought not sure I can advise.

I have no tutor books and rely on this site for my tuition and answers to my daft questions. 

I wish you luck and look forward to hearing from you soon.

Ron1

[Bill the Farmer]

I learnt from John Kirkpatrick's videos, now on DVD. If you want to learn english style melodeon, beg, borrow, or buy it, if you can't find a tutor. There's also George Garside's tutor. There are other melodeon tutor books available, but they are more reliant on music notation.

[No Strings Attached]

Sorry to hear you are in a melodeon desert, although I'm sure there are quite a few other instruments who will applaud this.  Not reading music can be a great advantage.  Tony Hall once demonstrated how the melodeon was held on the leg by it's straps.  This he worked out for himself never having seen a melodeon played until that time.  He was probably joking but being on your own to learn will allow you to develop your own style.

Have you ever played a mouth organ.  This can give you a helpful start, with limitations.

Starters advice - begin with a tune you know well and can sing or hum etc.  As a morris man you will know Shepherds hey.  It is a four finger tune.  Start with your middle finger on the third button from your chin on the row nearest the bellows, never move your fingers away from the buttons they are covering and play the tune.  It will become obvious quite quickly.  If you can incorporate the basses at the same time even better.  Do you play guitar as this can help with chord progressions.  If not look at he keyboard layouts on this site and try to play the correct chord for the notes you are playing.  In this particular tune you don't have to move your right hand away from covering just the four buttons.

Best of luck - go to sessions - learn which bad habits you don't want to pick up - watch the players in your side - enjoy it and above all else, strive for good rhythm and play quietly.  This will allow expression later on.

[Alison Scott]

Well i want to learn, im going to learn with or without help, sadlly i dont read music, and yes i ve got the books, but im one of those people who has to see it done , PLEASE CAN ANYONE HELP, it seems i live in a melodeon desert here, im not far from the dartford bridge ,in fact i can see the bugger generally jammed up, as i drive my horse the opposite way, any help , ideas, PPPPPllllllllEEEEEEAAAASSSSEEEEE

Well, I'm in Walthamstow in NE London and have been similarly unable to find a tutor; I just play and play and play (see my other thread about being depressed about it all! I'm not really, I just have moments) instead.

The starter tuition I particularly liked was a series of two radio programmes (really the first one) by Paul Scourfield -- Melodeon for Absolute Beginners. It takes you in an hour from being an absolute beginner to playing Winster Gallop with basses. I mean, an hour of programme -- significantly more than an hour for you! You have to keep pausing to practice. It's free to access now but they want donations to keep the site going. I do also recommend Maggie Moore's book; my husband is playing a couple of tunes pretty creditably now and didn't read any music to start with. I know that people start with the John Kirkpatrick DVDs; I love them to bits now but I was very discouraged by them when I first started.

You might want to seek out sessions aimed at beginners and improvers; Towersey and Shrewsbury both do this, plus there are regular sessions of this kind at Lewes (the fabulous Lewes favourites come from here).

[flipper]

I do sympathise as I had to teach myself as there were no other muscians in my side at the time. I also had to learn fast as I had to play out for the side in 4 months. We danced to all the basic tunes as I learnt a tune and then we put a dance to it. I developed an unusual style all of my own, which some call enthusiastic and some are not so nice. All I can suggest is to keep on practicing, especially try to pick out some of the tunes that your side dance to and then try playing quietly in the background while they are playing until you have the tunes right. If you can get a look at what their left hand is doing and can follow their basses this may help you to get the basses in. Always check that you are playing on the same row as them and use your ears, listen to how the tune sounds and get it in your head then you have some chance of it coming out again. Hope this helps

sue 

[Bill the Farmer]

You might want to seek out sessions aimed at beginners and improvers; Towersey and Shrewsbury both do this, plus there are regular sessions of this kind at Lewes (the fabulous Lewes favourites come from here).

I can recommend the Lewes sessions, upstairs in the Lewes Arms if you can get there. Very friendly to newcomers. There's one this evening. We (me and her still flying a desk) like to go when we can, although we're not beginners any more.

[brianleach]

I don't know of any teachers near me in Winchester either unless someone knows different but I suppose I'm lucky (although a lot of you disagree) in that I can read music and I have a number of tutors.

Consequently I can knock out tunes in the right hand pretty well with a fair amount of regular practice I have to say. Consequently when I practice I concentrate on that because it sounds passable.

However what I think I need is someone to demonstrate the basses as I'm finding this side of playing pretty tricky. Having said that I'm not a great fan of the umcha bass (probably because I can't do it) and tend to concentrate on long chords in the left hand which I understand. However this opens another can of worms because sods law says that the chord you want is almost always in the opposite direction to the note you want to play. Therefore you end up having to refinger the tune in the right hand to get the right note with the right chord. I'm still working on this.

Having said all of that just have fun playing what you can and enjoy the challenge of the instrument. After all isn't that what its about?

Brian

[No Strings Attached]

Hi Brian

My favorite hobby horse.  Always decide on your chord structure before you learn the right hand.  The direction of the bellows will dictate your right hand fingering and you will surprised as to how easy most of the runs are.  You will have to cross row.

[Bill the Farmer]

Learning the bass is hard for blokes, women seem to find it easier. I spent nearly a whole day a few months ago getting the hang of the bass for 3/2 hornpipes. The other half got it in an hour. There's nothing magic about it, it's just oomcha, but against an odd rhythm on the right hand. After six years of playing for morris I still haven't really cracked waltz time bass because I never play any, except in sessions, because our lot don't do Sweet Jenny Jones. If they ever do, I'll have to bite the bullet. There's an upside to it, though, because I worked out a lovely way to play Metal Man with no bass, because at the time I learnt it, I couldn't play any. We still play it like that.

[kenthorseman]

Thanks all, Im more determined than ever to beat this beast, i will play the bugger come hell or no beer. I have taken your advice on board and will act accordingly, any one going to faversham folk festival, I will be drumming with the gongscourers morris side, you cant miss us, all chains studs and very goth, wasnt meant to be that way but its the way we turned out. come say hello or throw beer at us, oh and ive now got a barcarole melodeon as well, sounds great but no one seems to have heard of it.  thanks again, krazy ken

[Peter Brook]

There are loads of melodeon players in Kent. If you can make it, come to the Tenterden Folk Festival October 4th. Loads of Morris (with Melodeon accompaniment) and an excellent all day session. Not sure that you will meet a tutor but you will meet loads of people who can give you advice and encouragement.

[Ancient Muse]

Yes! It's very hard isn't it! I only started six weeks ago and I can't honestly say I pick it up every day but I have a wonderfully patient husband who can actually sleep watch television with me squeezing away! (That is a sentence that doesn't bear a second read ... move on swiftly ... )

I got John Kirkpatrick's DVD and made the mistake of watching it all the way through before I started following his lessons. Oh, he's lovely - all twinkly and makes it look so easy (!?) - but I felt a little discouraged (and immensely entertained - I mean he was performing just for me, wasn't he ... )

I have also got George Garside's book which I like - I'm up to the Black Velvet Band now with a fair bit of confidence (and have spotted a couple of little misprints!) - it takes the dip in and out, now go make a cuppa approach that I like. After all it should be fun!

What I'd really like is to find a tutor in South Wales! (Cardiff - Vale of Glamorgan - Bridgend area. Know of anyone?)

[Bill the Farmer]

There are loads of melodeon players in Kent. If you can make it, come to the Tenterden Folk Festival October 4th. Loads of Morris (with Melodeon accompaniment) and an excellent all day session. Not sure that you will meet a tutor but you will meet loads of people who can give you advice and encouragement.

There's also the Faversham Hop Festival. Lots of morris sides and pub music sessions. We probably won't be there, as we're suffering from soggy camper syndrome after Bideford, but our morris side will be.