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Author Topic: Melodeon fact sheet - sharing  (Read 1453 times)

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pikey

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Melodeon fact sheet - sharing
« on: October 31, 2013, 05:25:54 PM »

I threw the following stuff together for a recent melodeon night in York.

DON'T tell me I've missed somethng out, or got something wrong  ie just take it as it is, use it yourself if you think its useful, or else bin it!   ;)

Cheers

Pikey

Melodeon fact sheet
-   Usually called a ‘box’
-   Comes with 1, 2, or 3 rows.  2/3 rows are 4th apart or semitone apart
-   Keys depend on which country you’re in:
              UK:  D/G  with some single rows in C
              Germany: C/F  and Bb/Eb
              France: G/C
              Ireland:  B/C, C/C#, C#/D
              Scotland B/C/C#
              USA:  Just about every key!
-   Many different playing styles
              ‘Irish’
              ‘English’
              Cajun
              Tex-mex
              Trikitixa
Tips and techniques
-   Position
              Find a comfortable posit
              You WILL ache until your muscles adapt
              Make sure the melodeon is well braced –  against your leg, or with double straps
              Your right hand should be in line with your right forearm – not with a bent wris
              Try and use all five fingers on the right hand , and all four on the left
-   Learning tunes:
              To learn a tune, practice it slowly, learning one small bit at a time
              Start with simple tunes
              Listen to them so they are fixed in your head
-   Using the bellows
              The bellows are the most important part of the box
              Practice using just enough air to get the reeds sound
              Keep the left  end of the bellows at the same height as the right hand end
              Try to keep bellows extension between 1 and 6 inches
              If you’re running out of air, use the air button when you move the bellows in the opposite direction.  Practice this a lot.
-   Practice
              Practice, practice, practice
              Experiment to find different ways of playing (up and down rows, cross rows)
              Scales
              Arpeggios
              Fast runs
              Play along to tunes (Ipod, tape, LP, etc)
              Try to get along to sessions and join in
Local Sessions
•   Maltings, Lendal Bridge: Every Tuesday. Mixed session
•   Volunteer Arms, Watson Street, Holgate:  Last Thursday in the month. Mixed session
•   Victoria Vaults, Nunnery Lane:  Every Friday. Mostly Irish.
•   Golden Ball, Bishophill: Every Sunday. Mostly old time American
•   Stillington Sports & Social Club:  Last Friday in the month. 7-9 tuition,easy tunes,learning by ear etc,followed by full session if enough people want to stay on till 11. Beginner friendly
Useful resources:
   www.melodeon.net  THE social website for all melodeon players
   Books  and videos – plenty!!
   Other musicians
« Last Edit: November 02, 2013, 04:07:19 PM by pikey »
Logged
Still squeezing after all these years.
Mostly on hohners , with a couple of Dinos and a smattering of anglos - and now a Jeffries duet
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