Melodeon.net Forums

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  

News:

Welcome to the new melodeon.net forum

Pages: [1] 2   Go Down

Author Topic: Learning new tunes  (Read 6132 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Nick Collis Bird

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 3785
  • Been squeezing melodeons for over 48 years (badly)
Learning new tunes
« on: January 04, 2014, 12:57:42 PM »

Not being a reader of music, and I'm 67 this year, does anyone else find it difficult to learn new tunes?
  Have just realised that I haven't learnt a new one for years. Although I still have the gift of "if you can hum it I can play it syndrome " Ho Hum! :-\
Logged
Has anyone heard of the song. “ Broken Alarm-clock Blues” ? It starts   “I woke up this Afternoon”

Squeezeme Pleaseme

  • Member
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 33
Re: Learning new tunes
« Reply #1 on: January 04, 2014, 02:36:08 PM »

does anyone else find it difficult to learn new tunes? 

Oh yeah! and even more of a struggle is choosing a tune to learn.
Once decided, I'm not too bad copying the melody on the right hand but I find it almost impossible to learn the bass side by ear and can only really learn tunes if someone shows me how. ABC is ok.....but it's the bass side that's lacking.

Lester's list of tunes on you tube is great as you can just advance to the next one once you have mastered the last, but again following the bass side is more often than not a problem.
Logged

george garside

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 5401
Re: Learning new tunes
« Reply #2 on: January 04, 2014, 02:48:27 PM »

just keep listening to the ones you particulary like so they 'soak in' to the long term memory.  Then any half decent byearist should be in with a good chance of  sending    the right messages down the arm to the box

george
Logged
author of DG tutor book "DG Melodeon a Crash Course for Beginners".

Bob Ellis

  • Hero?....Where's my medal, then?
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2878
  • Ain't I cute?
Re: Learning new tunes
« Reply #3 on: January 04, 2014, 03:05:03 PM »

Even when learning a tune from the sheet music, more often than not there is no bass line, but I don't think that matters. Just experiment to see which basses sound best for each phrase. Often there is more than one option, so, even when a bass line is provided, I often ignore it, preferring to work something out for myself on the principle that 'if it sounds right, it is right'.
Logged
Bob in beautiful Wensleydale, Les Panards Dansants, Crook Morris and the Loose Knit Band.
Clément Guais 3-row D/G/acc.; Castagnari 1914 D/G; Karntnerland Steirische 3-row G/C/F; Ellis Pariselle 2.6-row D/G/acc.; Gabbanelli Compact 2-row D/G with lots of bling, pre-war Hohner Bb/F; Acadian one-row in D.

syale

  • The Terrier
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 708
  • When will this MADness stop?
Re: Learning new tunes
« Reply #4 on: January 04, 2014, 03:09:40 PM »

Although I still have the gift of "if you can hum it I can play it syndrome " Ho Hum! :-\

I export song books to midi and play them on my phone whilst walking so I can pick which one I would like to interpret!

Stephen
Logged
HA114 C/G/A/D, 2915 G/C. Liliput, Club IIB C/F Dino Baffetti Modell 22 B Twitter: @syale

Lester

  • MADman
  • Mods and volunteers
  • Hero Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 9109
  • Hohners'R'me
    • Lester's Melodeon Emporium and Tune-a-Rama
Re: Learning new tunes
« Reply #5 on: January 04, 2014, 03:39:48 PM »

At the end of my tune-a-day I was learning a lot of tunes, you get into a flow with it. Mind you very few have stuck in my memory unlike morris tunes that I may not have played for 20 years but can be trotted out at a moments notice.

BJG

  • Regular debater
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 185
    • Magicfolk
Re: Learning new tunes
« Reply #6 on: January 04, 2014, 03:46:53 PM »

does anyone else find it difficult to learn new tunes?

Tell me about it. I've been playing for six months and I'm still on the first one.  :P
« Last Edit: January 04, 2014, 03:48:24 PM by BJG »
Logged

Thrupenny Bit

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 6831
  • happily squeezing away in Devon
Re: Learning new tunes
« Reply #7 on: January 04, 2014, 04:15:56 PM »

Lester, that's an interesting thought.
I find that sometimes the tunes that go straight in go straight out again!
A long while back I used to teach sub aqua diving and noticed those people that learned slowly and sometimes struggled with the exercise were the ones with the technique firmly implanted. I think it's a fundamental thing that to learn and retain anything you have to work at it.

But I'm drifting from Nick's thought.
Since picking up melodeon, I've gone from learning nothing on the concertina cos I wasn't playing, to learning a lot because it was new and I wanted to learn to play. I think you need an appetite to want to learn a tune, and appetite does come and go.
Soon enough a tune will come along and bite you and you will have no choice but to get it learnt!
Q
Logged
Thrupenny Bit

I think I'm starting to get most of the notes in roughly the right order...... sometimes!

george garside

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 5401
Re: Learning new tunes
« Reply #8 on: January 04, 2014, 04:26:14 PM »

most people probably have 2 catagories of tunes they can ''play'' and I certainly fit into that category myself.

 1.   a relatively large number of tunes that you more or less know and that are well up to session playing standard - whatever that may be!

2.   a smaller number, perhaps a much smaller number,  of ''sunday best'' tunes which may well have originated in category 1 but which have been  carefully 'detailed'  and 'honed' to bring them up to something resembling 'performance' standard - again whatever that may be!

george
Logged
author of DG tutor book "DG Melodeon a Crash Course for Beginners".

Thrupenny Bit

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 6831
  • happily squeezing away in Devon
Re: Learning new tunes
« Reply #9 on: January 04, 2014, 04:30:20 PM »

Yes George, I think that's absolutely right.
I'd add the 'sunday best' tunes are your real favourites that you play for yourself and really enjoy them, hence they are played by you to you regularly and so polished to 'sunday best'.
Q
Logged
Thrupenny Bit

I think I'm starting to get most of the notes in roughly the right order...... sometimes!

911377brian

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1518
Re: Learning new tunes
« Reply #10 on: January 04, 2014, 04:33:47 PM »

In answer to Nick C.B's post....I'm 77 and thought I wasn't doing too badly learning by ear, then along came the Trumpet Hornpipe which nearly had me over (Pikey helped me with that one) and now I'm making awful heavy weather with Foul Weather Call...as for bass notes, well lets just say they're a bit hit and miss. Mind you, once I've learned a tune it mostly stays with me. My method(?) now is to learn  Tune of the Month and try and stick to that....then Pikey or Anahata or Lester comes up with something so good that all my best intensions go by the board.... :||: :-\
Logged

AlexCJones

  • Good talker
  • **
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 89
  • 3 row Hohner GCF 16 Bass
Re: Learning new tunes
« Reply #11 on: January 04, 2014, 05:05:19 PM »

Not being a reader of music, and I'm 67 this year, does anyone else find it difficult to learn new tunes?
  Have just realised that I haven't learnt a new one for years. Although I still have the gift of "if you can hum it I can play it syndrome " Ho Hum! :-\
Yes, I do have that difficulty too.  I can read music, but I cannot sight-read for melodeon yet.  I have to learn a new tune phrase-by-phrase, starting out at an annoyingly slow tempo.
Logged

george garside

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 5401
Re: Learning new tunes
« Reply #12 on: January 04, 2014, 05:18:13 PM »

I find it much easier to read music ( not a good reader) when playing BC or BCC# than DG.  Is this because playing the semitone boxes is perhaps less intuitive but more logical! (Or maybe this should start another thread!)

george
Logged
author of DG tutor book "DG Melodeon a Crash Course for Beginners".

Graham Spencer

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 3538
  • MAD as a wet Hohner........
Re: Learning new tunes
« Reply #13 on: January 04, 2014, 05:31:02 PM »

most people probably have 2 catagories of tunes they can ''play'' and I certainly fit into that category myself.

 1.   a relatively large number of tunes that you more or less know and that are well up to session playing standard - whatever that may be!
 
2.   a smaller number, perhaps a much smaller number,  of ''sunday best'' tunes which may well have originated in category 1 but which have been  carefully 'detailed'  and 'honed' to bring them up to something resembling 'performance' standard - again whatever that may be!

george

Then there's category 3 - tunes I think I know until I come to play them in front of an audience.  I'd also include in this category tunes I know inside out and then discover everyone else plays them differently......

Graham  ;)
Logged
Among others, Saltarelle Pastourelle II D/G; Hohner 4-stop 1-rows in C & G; assorted Hohners; 3-voice German (?) G/C of uncertain parentage; lovely little Hlavacek 1-row Heligonka; B♭/E♭ Koch. Newly acquired G/C Hohner Viktoria. Also Fender Jazz bass, Telecaster, Stratocaster, Epiphone Sheraton, Charvel-Jackson 00-style acoustic guitar, Danelectro 12-string and other stuff..........

Squeezing in the Cyprus sunshine

Lester

  • MADman
  • Mods and volunteers
  • Hero Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 9109
  • Hohners'R'me
    • Lester's Melodeon Emporium and Tune-a-Rama
Re: Learning new tunes
« Reply #14 on: January 04, 2014, 05:32:50 PM »

Then there's category 3 - tunes I think I know until I come to play them in front of an audience. 

Ah! Kitchen Tunes, I can play them perfectly well in the kitchen etc   ???

Thrupenny Bit

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 6831
  • happily squeezing away in Devon
Re: Learning new tunes
« Reply #15 on: January 04, 2014, 05:37:04 PM »

I remember being really frustrated when I first got going as I couldn't learn a tune from scratch in the month for ToTM. It never took that long on concertina. I now find I'm back up to speed.
I suspect it's getting to know the melodeon better and getting some things more automated that has made the difference.
My basic sight reading has improved dramatically and I have made myself dig around basic music structure to understand what a simple 3 note chord is. After evading it  for years I'm pleased with myself that I've now got some basic music skills. It's helped immensely trying to add chords to a single note melody. My musical knowledge could always improve though  best not get complacent!
Q
Logged
Thrupenny Bit

I think I'm starting to get most of the notes in roughly the right order...... sometimes!

Thrupenny Bit

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 6831
  • happily squeezing away in Devon
Re: Learning new tunes
« Reply #16 on: January 04, 2014, 05:38:59 PM »

No, Front Room tunes, those that get played....... Ah yes I see.
Different geography of the house, outcome happens to be the same though  ;D
Q
Logged
Thrupenny Bit

I think I'm starting to get most of the notes in roughly the right order...... sometimes!

rees

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 4734
  • Windjammer
    • Wesson Accordions
Re: Learning new tunes
« Reply #17 on: January 04, 2014, 05:40:17 PM »

A basic knowledge of chord structure is invaluable to anyone playing the melodeon.
It's not difficult to learn - simple arithmetic really, very simple.
Logged
Rees Wesson (accordion builder and mechanic)
Gungrog, Welshpool, Wales, UK
www.melodeons.com

ACE

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 527
Re: Learning new tunes
« Reply #18 on: January 04, 2014, 05:51:05 PM »

I found an old list from 25 years ago with all the different tunes we used to play as a country dance band, There was well over a hundred tunes named and linked to the actual dances, no written music as I play by ear. I chucked it in my melodeon case and when I took a quick look at the folk club decided to play La Russe without thinking and after not playing it at all in at least ten years. The usual audience thought it was a new tune, so I started playing 'new tunes' from the list.

Thinking about it later, I realised I have not really learned any new tunes for years, I have heard a few of the new popular tunes and can join in at a session but I would not say I have learned them and would certainly not start one off at a session. Sometimes I prepare a list in my head for the evening, but I do not run through them at home. I just record 8 to 16 bars on my phone, then when I am out in the smoking room I can give myself a reminder if I need one.
Logged
Saltarelle Horizon, Dino mini, Lachenal g/d anglo

Thrupenny Bit

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 6831
  • happily squeezing away in Devon
Re: Learning new tunes
« Reply #19 on: January 04, 2014, 05:59:51 PM »

Yep, absolutely correct Rees.
it's something I've managed to avoid all my life and got a  block about such things.
Just pleased I've sorted it and stopped jibbing out!
Q
Logged
Thrupenny Bit

I think I'm starting to get most of the notes in roughly the right order...... sometimes!
Pages: [1] 2   Go Up
 


Melodeon.net - (c) Theo Gibb; Clive Williams 2010. The access and use of this website and forum featuring these terms and conditions constitutes your acceptance of these terms and conditions.
SimplePortal 2.3.5 © 2008-2012, SimplePortal