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[Colombia20102018]

Hello,
I have been trying to find a book that focus on the left hand of the
three row diatonic accordion for a while. Most of the books I have
seen briefly mention the chords and the distribution of the buttons
(I, IV, V).

I want to find a book that explains in detail how to accompany with
the left hand the melody I am playing with the right hand to make it
sound its best. Although most of the sheet music I have does not tell
me what chord to use to accompany the melody, some of the sheet music
I have shows the chord above each compass but does not tell how that
chord should be played. I do not know if I should hold the chord the
whole compass or play it by beat or any other way.

For example, if I am playing a 4/4 and the notes in the compass for
the melody are  first beat c, second beat c, third beat e, and fourth
beat g, the sheet music problably would have a C above the compass to
indicate that I should play the C with the left hand. Since the left
side of the diatonic accordion will have a pair of C buttons, one with
the bass note and one with the chord, is there a way to know which one
I should use or how to combine them? Is there any logic on this?
Something that would tell me if you use the bass note for the first
beat and the chord note for the second beat your song will sound
better?

Also, lets say I am playing the same compass and I decide to accompany
each beat with its respective bass or chord note. Is this wrong or it
does not matter?

I have been trying to figure this out for months, reading theory,
harmony, and searching for books that would clarify my questions but
so far no luck.

Could you please clarify my questions or recommend a book that would
explain this in detail?

Thanks

[Cooper]

The quick and difficult answer: any way you like.

But i would suggest starting with a bass on each first count of a measure. If it is 3/4 : Bass-chord-chord is a standard way to play it. For a 4/4 i would suggest starting with B-c-B-c or B-.-c-.

W

[Chris Brimley]

The box is a compromise instrument, and was originally intended for people with little knowledge of music to play mainly by ear.  However modern boxes, particularly three-row, offer more scope for structuring your playing.  My technique is to settle first what LH chords I want to play, with reference to the source music, and try to fit the RH note direction (push, pull, whichever row), around that.  This is often not possible, so you have to do the best you can, but it's worth trying to use the full range of opportunities.  You do not say what tuning your box has, or how many basses, but this is important in deciding how to play.

[Colombia20102018]

Cooper,
Thanks for your input. I will practice that way.

Chris,
I have two Hohner Corona III, one in the GCF tone and the other on BbEbAs. Both with 12 bass. Your suggestion of starting with the LH chords is interesting but I am not at that level yet. Somebody told about a software that will show me what buttons to press on each row of the accordion if I wanted to play the same song on each of the three rows. I could not find it but I guess that could help me to determine which left hand buttons to press before playing the song.

[Anahata]

I do not know if I should hold the chord the
whole compass

Not usually, but almost anything might be effective sometimes.

Something that would tell me if you use the bass note for the first
beat and the chord note for the second beat your song will sound
better?

That usually works well, but let your ears be the judge, and fee free to experiment.

I don't think you can do this by book learning. Playing basses well on the melodeon is a real art, partly because they are so limited, but also because actually they do have great expressive possibilities. All the time it's about doing what fits the music at that moment. Listen to the sort of music you like to play, and then try to get the same rhythmic feel in the basses when you are playing, by listening to what you play and trying different patterns.

One good approach is to think of the basses as your personal drum kit or rhythm section - often it not important what you play (bass note or chord) but how you play it. Holding some notes for the full length of the beat, cutting others short so they are followed by a silence, can create a rhythmic pattern that really enhances and lifts the music. Leaving basses out altogether for a beat or two create extra impact when you bring them in again.

Another approach which I especially enjoy is going from one bass note to another without playing chords in between. On a D/G melodeon you have all three notes of a G and C chord, and you have two notes from the D and A chord, for example, and sometimes you can make a short fragment of melody going from one beat to another (even if it's just three notes in  a row) and if you do it in a way that interacts well with the treble melody it's very effective.

[playandteach]

French tabs usually have fairly clear advice for the left hand - that has also been really useful for me - but they do exist more for G/C boxes.

What I'm trying to do is learn the bass side conventionally at first (predictable bass/chord pattern - I realise this seems beyond what you are asking) and then listen to a variety of versions on youtube to try to see why some LH styles appeal to me more than others. I generally find myself being too constant with a pattern - so simple things like having a less busy left hand during busy right hand passages do improve things.

If trying to work out best fits for bellows direction, I usually start with the chords with no choice - only available in one direction - and then see whether the ones with two choices (C, and D for a D/G box - I believe) keep the bellows in the right place (so if I'm forced into playing a long phrase on the pull, then I would prefer to push back in when there's a choice).

I understand there are many better answers out there, but this is my way through as a near beginner melodeon player.

[Chris Brimley]

Ah, maybe I was suggesting something for the future. For starters, try 'boom chink, boom chink' on each of the three outside pairs of buttons on the LHS, and you should find that they fit a lot of the time with the notes you're playing on each of the rows on the RHS.  (What I was referring to was the way to approach it for bits in tunes when they don't fit.)

Have a look at the home pages menus on this forum, if you haven't done so already - there's very useful info on what to do as a beginner, and how the buttons are arranged.

[Colombia20102018]

I went ahead and bought this method "Diatonic accordion tutor. Vol.3 : Accompaniment
by Yann Dour". My search showed ( I searched for hours on this) that this book has comprehensive information on how to take advantage of the left hand.

I will practice all your suggestions in parallel.

Thank you for your help 

[Steve C.]

Colo, I am not sure where you are located, but if you are in the Americas, you may be finding yourself in the land where a lot of they guys remove their bass blocks.

When first in San Antonio, I wondered how some of these Corona guys could play so fast, like the bass end didn't have any weight to it at all.  Well.....

[Colombia20102018]

Hello Steve,
I am living in Florida but I am from Colombia. Usually in Mexico the bass reeds are removed to allow more air inside the bellows and, as you mentioned, make the accordion weigth less. In Norteño music the bass is played with an instrument called, I believe, Bajo Sexto. Then, the accordionist has no need to play the bass side.

In Colombia, we use the bass buttons for every music style. The main music style is called Vallenato. Vallenato uses the bass buttons in four different rythyms (paseo, puya, merengue, and, son). We also use the bass buttons for Cumbia and Porro among others. It is my understanding than in Panama and the Dominican Republic, they also use the bass buttons. If you are interested, just type acordeon vallenato in youtube and you will find thousands of videos showing how we use the bass. My goal is to be able to play all those rythyms one day.

[Cooper]

Hello Steve,
I am living in Florida but I am from Colombia. Usually in Mexico the bass reeds are removed to allow more air inside the bellows and, as you mentioned, make the accordion weigth less. In Norteño music the bass is played with an instrument called, I believe, Bajo Sexto. Then, the accordionist has no need to play the bass side.

In Colombia, we use the bass buttons for every music style. The main music style is called Vallenato. Vallenato uses the bass buttons in four different rythyms (paseo, puya, merengue, and, son). We also use the bass buttons for Cumbia and Porro among others. It is my understanding than in Panama and the Dominican Republic, they also use the bass buttons. If you are interested, just type acordeon vallenato in youtube and you will find thousands of videos showing how we use the bass. My goal is to be able to play all those rythyms one day.

If you were to find some written music where it is clearly mentioned when to hit which bass/chord in Vallenato or Cumbia music (i dont know porro) i am interested to see it as well :-)
W

[Colombia20102018]

Hello Cooper,
Check in amazon a book titled Pura Cumbia (La Serie Pura!) by Hal Leonard Corp. (Jan 1, 2003). I got a copy at Sam Ash. It is for piano and voice but it shows the bass pattern.

Hope it helps 

[Cooper]

Hello Cooper,
Check in amazon a book titled Pura Cumbia (La Serie Pura!) by Hal Leonard Corp. (Jan 1, 2003). I got a copy at Sam Ash. It is for piano and voice but it shows the bass pattern.

Hope it helps 

thx!