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Author Topic: playing chords to accompany singing - with a B/C  (Read 1211 times)

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deltasalmon

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playing chords to accompany singing - with a B/C
« on: December 19, 2012, 02:46:30 AM »

Does anyone do it? I know the easy thing to do would be to get a quint system melodeon and look at the chord charts on this site. Unfortunately I have a B/C and not enough money to get a new one. Does anyone play chords with or while singing on a B/C? What do you do with your right hand? How about the left? Same oom-pah as while playing melody with the right? I'm mostly interested in a folky style. Maybe eventually I'll get a quint system one of these days...
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Sean McGinnis
Bordentown City, NJ, USA

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Jack Humphreys

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Re: playing chords to accompany singing - with a B/C
« Reply #1 on: December 19, 2012, 10:31:59 AM »

Hi Sean

This is for quint boxes, but the points about chord style are relevant.
I like Emmanuel Pariselle's style of singing while  playing. Here's his version of La Derniere Bouteille, just using regular block chords  LH+RH, giving freedom to the sung melody.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lxKgAXnqKc

He has a more complex  style for La Nonchalente, with RH countermelody... maybe not for a semitone box.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KjaiWI8WPI   

Good luck with your singing.

deltasalmon

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Re: playing chords to accompany singing - with a B/C
« Reply #2 on: December 20, 2012, 01:30:36 AM »

Thanks for the response. Great videos! Lots to learn by watching them. I don't listen to much French accordion but the basics to rhythm accompaniment are certainly there. I'll see what I can pick up to help me along. Thanks!
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Sean McGinnis
Bordentown City, NJ, USA

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Chris Ryall

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Re: playing chords to accompany singing - with a B/C
« Reply #3 on: December 20, 2012, 06:38:47 AM »

Couple of very similar posts today! I sing to the box, and if you 'lay out' a pavement of chords against a voice rather than try to play tune, the system doesn't matter so much. The issue is whether the chord voicings are there.

Have a play with http://squeezebox.chrisryall.net/ which is still under development but up to this task. There is a B/C preset - but your basses may differ. Tips

1. Incomplete chords often work. The notes to sacrifice are tonic or 5th.
    The other notes carry much more harmonic 'colour' and the 3/7 clash
    is critical to the effect of a dominant chord
2. Sometimes a 'relative minor' works when the major is incomplete
3. If eg B doesn't work - look at Bb and C or even A and C#. Most people's
    voices will take this degree of nudge and a B/C certainly will.
4. Try different 'voicings' - eg that tonic might sound nice at the top

Above all try things out on your own box - your ear is the best judge of what works and if in a chord run one of them is a 2 notes - the audience probably wont notice as the song will carry it.   Good luck
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