Discussions > Teaching and Learning
Wanted: Advice on alternatives to "um pahhing" the basses and chords
Bryson:
I'm really finding this forum very useful. Lots of good practical tips. So yet another request.
I often read comments on the need to get away from the standard "um pahhing" on the basses and chords - often prefixed with "boring". Now obviously a bit of "um pahhing" is necessary at times but I, having autodidactically acquired playing the melodeon, tend to do it most of the time. In fact the only alternative I use is no left hand at all :).
So all you helpful folk out there what I'm looking for is some practical advice on variations on an "umpah". I find I learn best using actual tunes as examples e.g. I'm currently using a couple of slower 3/4 tunes to get into cross rowing and thus am able to use more variety with my left hand. This is coming on well but I would also like to add some variety to my current "bass, chord, chord" style.
All ideas gladly accepted -with the bribe of some decent pils if you ever visit Berlin, Germany.
cheers
Bryson
george garside:
--- Quote from: Bryson on November 29, 2007, 09:44:42 PM ---I'm really finding this forum very useful. Lots of good practical tips. So yet another request.
I often read comments on the need to get away from the standard "um pahhing" on the basses and chords - often prefixed with "boring". Now obviously a bit of "um pahhing" is necessary at times but I, having autodidactically acquired playing the melodeon, tend to do it most of the time. In fact the only alternative I use is no left hand at all :).
So all you helpful folk out there what I'm looking for is some practical advice on variations on an "umpah". I find I learn best using actual tunes as examples e.g. I'm currently using a couple of slower 3/4 tunes to get into cross rowing and thus am able to use more variety with my left hand. This is coming on well but I would also like to add some variety to my current "bass, chord, chord" style.
you are quite right um-pah-ing definately does have its place particularly when there is a need to 'drive ' a strong rhythm. As yu have said it can become monotonous both for the player anad the listener and it can also sometimes bugger up a decent melody.
You haave already discovered a very useful technique of leaving the bass off & carrying on with just the melody for a bar or two. This is particularly effective when playing any fancy bits on the treble end or fast runs with a lot of bellow s movement as it prevents the whole thing sounding mushy and instead emphasises the fancy bits of treble.
Two very easy ways of varying the sound are to occasionaly play both bass & chord together (try to do it crisply) or to just play either the um or the pa which effectively lightens the bass up a bit. Another useful variationof the um ph is to occasionaly stick in um pa pa pa instead of um pa um pa. perhaps at the end of aan A or B part or where you feel intuitively that it is going to add something to the music. practice this separately from playing a tune
A totally different approach is to play bass notes - either both bass note & chord togethr or either - of more or less the same length as the treble notes you are playing - usseful for song accompaniment and for slow airs. keep the bss notes slightly shorter than the treble as this gives a nice crisp feeling to the proceedings. This type of playing depends on harmonising the two ends of the box & is where row crossing on the treble can be used effectively to get suitable bass & treble notes in the same bellows direction. the slower the tune you do this on to begin with the better and a slow air gives loads of scope. You can also furthur enhance thigs by sticking in some extra harmony on the treble end but perhaps its sensible to sort the bass end first!
hope this of some help - doubtless there will be many more useful ideas posted on this subgect.
george
--- End quote ---
Theo:
Bryson,
Have a listen to this its a link to a Youtube clip with some really tasty left hand work. Its a delight to listen to, its not terribly complicated and some of it is just a simple vamp, but with enough little variations to bring it to life. The melody playing is pretty good too.
A very simple thing you can do is to do the up-pah thing and then mark the end of a phrase by doing something different for the last couple of beats. The different thing should be as simple as possible eg playing bass and chord together, playing a long bass note (careful with that one!) or leave one out.
omm-pa omm-pa omm-pa pa-pa
or
omm-pa omm-pa omm-pa pa-aa
or
omm-pa omm-pa omm-pa omm ( )
Clive Williams:
Possibly the first step to practice is to play the melody with no basses at all. It's often harder than it seems for those trying it for the first time, because often playing bass chords implies the treble fingering - and without basses, playing the treble can deteriorate if you're not used to it.
Once you've got the hang of that, try pressing and holding the chord (only) during each bar, and as George says, not playing basses at all during certain bars. You'll have to change your fingering around to make the chords work properly and smoothly without bellows changing direction in the middle of a chord, but you're already doing that!
Sometimes, it's unavoidable to change bellows direction in the middle of a chord, and there's no alternative chord in the other direction (E minor, for example). Oops. Now the trick is to practice playing the chord when you're going in the right direction (pull for E minor), and stop it for however brief a time you're pushing during that chord.
Next, try using less and less chord playing - you don't need to hold the thing down all the time - you can use it as often or sparingly as you like, even if you've got it available to you at a part in the tune. Try to find a balance you like... which will probably vary depending on which box you're playing, and how heavy the basses are relative to the treble.
Again, as George says, you can do all this stuff, rather than just with chords (the "pah"), with the fundamental bass (the "oom") instead, or at the same time.
One final thing to consider, and practicing this on waltzes is a very good starting place - while playing a chord throughout a whole bar, without a break, try 'pulsing' it relative to the beat - i.e. vary the bellows pressure according to the rhythm - 1-2-3 (a slight extra emphasis on '2' for a waltz I believe, but that's a different debate). Some players do this by waggling the bellows downwards as they play, but personally I find it easier just to try and emphasise the beat in the melody line - this then comes across to the bass chord automatically. Players such as Andy Cutting are absolute masters at this, and recommended listening as to what you can do with basses in this style...
Cheers,
Clive
Lester:
Can anyone quote the John Kirkpatrick "Four Um Pah Rule" he taught at Witney some years ago. I can only vaguely remember it
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