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Author Topic: Tune of the Month for February 2015: En Avant Blonde  (Read 25119 times)

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GBbox

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Re: Tune of the Month for February 2015: En Avant Blonde
« Reply #40 on: February 22, 2015, 09:23:23 PM »

I've been busy in those past weeks, but I am none the less able to add my contribution in time, even if it's just the 31 bar version, in a hurried performance. - I think I'll learn the third part when I'll find the time  to.

Yes, I was told En Avant Blonde was a Cajun tune when I lerned it in the early eighties. But yes, it doesn't sound a Cajun tune at all to me too: cajun waltzes, as are rule, are played swung, i.e. they are better transcribed as 9/8 tunes than as 3/4 tunes..

I noticed that almost everybody has reworked the predictable double tonic pattern, as I did. It's interesting to see that  (if I'm not wrong with the sole exception of folkbluesandbeyond, who ended up with the same chord pattern I have adopted) for the first part the choice was to move to F (i.e. C on the D/G box) rather than to C (i.e. G on the D/G box). I decided to move do F (i.e. C on the D/G box) for the second part, so to end up with a change of chord for each bar.

Another interesting reflection is that nobody noticed, or al least clearly stated, this is an exatonic melody - no F notes in it ,n either sharp nor natural. Telling it's in A minor.(on the G/C box)says little, if nothing at all. Actually both  a key signature without  sharps of with one sharpwould do, so I deicided that the first is the best choice (not when using an F major chord followed by a D minor one, as I do in the second part, anyway!), even if I remeber that I once found a written variaton of the melody that used the F sharp. But as I stated, rather than a modal tune, this is a tune built on a double tonic chordal  pattern, so any key signature in the end is debatable.

Anyway: here's my link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f083JvNFWMs
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Mystery Jig

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Re: Tune of the Month for February 2015: En Avant Blonde
« Reply #41 on: February 22, 2015, 10:47:32 PM »

I can barely read music and know next to nothing about theory. So, I learned this the same way I learn everything: by ear and by watching fingers.

Cheers!  :|glug

http://youtu.be/Li9r7U5mz8Q
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Grape Ape

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Re: Tune of the Month for February 2015: En Avant Blonde
« Reply #42 on: February 23, 2015, 01:29:35 AM »

Mystery Jig, that is a tough act to follow.

I have really enjoyed all of the different takes on this tune. I would have to say there is absolutely nothing "boring" about it, at least not in the skillfull hands of Melnetters.

Here is my version, on my new but very old BbEB Hohner.  I tried to stay true to the original while having fun with switches and attempting to play with "feeling."  I have been having trouble with tempo, which is ironic as I played the drums for many years.  Hopefully this is not too much the case in this video, but I am very open to hearing if it is as well as other suggestions to better my playing.



https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EJjVbawz3PQ

Here is a version of the song I found which I think is not at all boring and suggests the danceability of the tune.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iJH6T7xOPZo




« Last Edit: February 23, 2015, 01:33:12 AM by Grape Ape »
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Mystery Jig

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Re: Tune of the Month for February 2015: En Avant Blonde
« Reply #43 on: February 23, 2015, 01:40:55 AM »

Nice take and nice YouTube find. There's lyrics and everything. My French isn't good enough to make out what he's singing about, though.
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Grape Ape

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Re: Tune of the Month for February 2015: En Avant Blonde
« Reply #44 on: February 23, 2015, 01:44:45 AM »

Best I can tell he's calling all blondes and brunettes onto the dance floor.
« Last Edit: February 23, 2015, 01:49:43 AM by Grape Ape »
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Mystery Jig

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Re: Tune of the Month for February 2015: En Avant Blonde
« Reply #45 on: February 23, 2015, 01:49:24 AM »

I'm good with that!  ;)
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Grape Ape

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Re: Tune of the Month for February 2015: En Avant Blonde
« Reply #46 on: February 23, 2015, 01:50:26 AM »

Agreed!
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Roger Howard

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Re: Tune of the Month for February 2015: En Avant Blonde
« Reply #47 on: February 23, 2015, 06:25:38 PM »

Nice take and nice YouTube find. There's lyrics and everything. My French isn't good enough to make out what he's singing about, though.

An unpolished translation would be something like:

Go on, blondie,
You've a soft heart,
Come then and teach me
To dance well.

Go on, brunette,
Make my fortune,
Come then and teach me
To waltz well.

(For what it's worth!)

Roger
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Mystery Jig

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Re: Tune of the Month for February 2015: En Avant Blonde
« Reply #48 on: February 23, 2015, 06:37:08 PM »

Thank you Roger. A friend of mine in France says she translates the title as: You go girl!
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Pequod

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Re: Tune of the Month for February 2015: En Avant Blonde
« Reply #49 on: February 23, 2015, 09:00:31 PM »

Dear friends, here is my contribution of February:

http://youtu.be/6vSj00Lf9tQ

I used lots of ideas for the bass part from "Methode d'accordeon diatonique" by Norbert Pignol and Stéphane Milleret.

I also made some changes on the structure to hopefully make the performance more interesting and appealing. Hope you like it.

Kind regards,
Tiago
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Spikey

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Re: Tune of the Month for February 2015: En Avant Blonde
« Reply #50 on: February 28, 2015, 01:05:40 AM »

Just made it at the end of the month. 
On a DG Dino Baffetti, complete with my usual fumbles and hesitations https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TENiPeCH6E
I really enjoyed learning this tune (despite its melancholy E minor-ness!) and am glad it was TOTM (:).
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boblsturm

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Re: Tune of the Month for February 2015: En Avant Blonde
« Reply #51 on: February 28, 2015, 08:55:57 PM »

Hi all, been a long time!

Here is mine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U75OaWGA-p4
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Bob L. Sturm, Associate Professor, and student of the melodeon

Clive Williams

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Re: Tune of the Month for February 2015: En Avant Blonde
« Reply #52 on: March 01, 2015, 11:14:57 AM »

Hi Bob! Just under the wire! End of the month, and onto the next tune; late submissions can be stuck on the end of this thread like any other.

Cheers,

Clive

TomBom

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Re: Tune of the Month for February 2015: En Avant Blonde
« Reply #53 on: March 01, 2015, 06:30:16 PM »

I liked how we used to play Avant Blonde in my band. When playing solo with single row melodeon I am not pleased how it sounds ...
Almost no appropriate chords available, no chance to change voices while playing (I tried to pull down stops with my chin - in vain.) It is really hard to get some variation in it. I tried whole February, now i'm fed up with the tune. :|glug
However, here it is: https://soundcloud.com/ccr-irish-trad/en-avant-blonde-solo-melodeon .
Better late than never - played on a single row melodeon in D: first time in Em, then Bm.
At the end 101 year old great granny started mumbling. She did not understand what I was doing with the melodeon in the kitchen.  (:)

I am open to critique of any kind.

Thomas

EDIT: I would like to thank both Spikey and pikey for your inspiring recordings. I got some ideas from your playing, so there is hope for improving my own playing.
« Last Edit: March 01, 2015, 09:53:07 PM by TomBom »
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