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Author Topic: Is there one piece of music that has taught you more than any other?  (Read 5356 times)

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arty

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Over the past month, I have been learning a tune called "Valse à Joseph" by Serge Desaunay. At the very limit of my current capabilities, I was thinking yesterday how much I have learnt about the melodeon and simply just playing music, by studying this piece.

I am finding it hard but I am getting there - the piece includes triplets, using most of the keyboard, playing a scale, arpeggios, bellows reversals, grace notes, lots of cross rowing and the importance of phrasing as well as a bass side which is not all um pa pa all the way through. And all this at a speed which is quite quick for my experience. Building up to this speed is what I have left to do now, but I think I need to learn to do that slowly, if that makes sense!

I was wondering - is there a piece of music which you have learnt, which has taught you more than any other about your instrument and playing music?
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911377brian

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Re: Is there one piece of music that has taught you more than any other?
« Reply #1 on: June 27, 2016, 10:27:38 AM »

Polka Chioise; it's taught me that I'm never going to be able to play it like Lester. B however hard I practice.... :||: >:E
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911377brian

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Re: Is there one piece of music that has taught you more than any other?
« Reply #2 on: June 27, 2016, 10:31:31 AM »

....and the above emoticon was supposed to be  :'(
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911377brian

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Re: Is there one piece of music that has taught you more than any other?
« Reply #3 on: June 27, 2016, 10:47:08 AM »

....and it is 'CHINOISE' not 'Chioise' ...Not having a good day am I?
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george garside

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Re: Is there one piece of music that has taught you more than any other?
« Reply #4 on: June 27, 2016, 11:12:05 AM »

I would  give the accolade to the bluebell polka as it was , many years ago, the first tune I struggled with to play the 3 parts in 3 keys  (GDA)  .It helped me to get the hang of seamless  key changes.  Another key learning tune was Swedish Masquerade  with its 3 parts at different  tempo and rhythm which needs to be done spot on for dancers.

There were probably many others that made their contribution to the lifelong learning process!

george

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Clive Williams

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Re: Is there one piece of music that has taught you more than any other?
« Reply #5 on: June 27, 2016, 11:30:30 AM »

I'd suggest Sir Sidney Smith's March for basswork, and I also remember Rob Kay's 'Bar Room Branle' as an example of changing key, and playing in C on a D/G (the B part is in C).

Shortly after I started playing, I caught chickenpox (at the age of 25, ouch) - with the resulting 2 weeks off work, I learned this thing, Carousel, a lovely waltz in Em on a D/G. I've not done a youtube video of it (yet), but here's a bandcamp link: https://vivant-uk.bandcamp.com/track/carousel (played on a C/F)

As another thought, you could do a lot worse than try Flatworld (in the upper octave) if you've not tried it before. Cross row playing, upper octave stuff, and chord sequences all in one tasty package.

Cheers,

Clive

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Re: Is there one piece of music that has taught you more than any other?
« Reply #6 on: June 27, 2016, 01:09:38 PM »

Paddy Rainey's jig, played on B/C box. 

It's in F major and F dorian.  Playing the B part with the proper articulation at reasonable speed demands the most demanding and counter intuitive execution of simultaneous row-crossing, bellows changes and position changes I've come across in the last decade of playing.
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Chris Ryall

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Re: Is there one piece of music that has taught you more than any other?
« Reply #7 on: June 27, 2016, 09:44:38 PM »

Dave Shepherd's Rose of Raby - lightened my bass and got me playing the chords with different basses.
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stevejay

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Re: Is there one piece of music that has taught you more than any other?
« Reply #8 on: June 28, 2016, 01:45:37 PM »

Not so much one tune, as what individual ones can teach me.

 Amelie is teaching me to accentuate the melody through an arpeggio, Foggy Dew was one of the first tunes in E on a GC Tunes with accidentals taught me to hit the accidental in time, tricky fingerings encouraged my efficiency. 5/4 has helped me feel the rhythm of 5 beats to a measure without losing tempo.

In short, almost all tunes can teach me something (well maybe), even if it's making simple tune more interesting.
« Last Edit: June 28, 2016, 01:51:05 PM by stevejay »
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Mike Carney

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Re: Is there one piece of music that has taught you more than any other?
« Reply #9 on: June 28, 2016, 07:03:35 PM »

I'd echo Stevejay's nominating of a tune for teaching me to hit the accidental at the right moment...in my case in Vals efter Manneberg. And I agree with George about the benefits of learning to play Swedish Masquerade with its three rhythms. Most recently have learned how to use the basses I have got, to cover in the classical piece march from Scipio. I can't say one tune overall though. As for learning musicality and playing with others, that develops from getting out and hearing others and playing with them even when it feels hard.
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Chris Ryall

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Re: Is there one piece of music that has taught you more than any other?
« Reply #10 on: June 28, 2016, 11:12:38 PM »

[advert]
  I am sub titleing Stef Milleret's online video lessons at present, buyable (his living!)
  in blocks of 5 tunes. Have just finished the first 5 "episodes" - they are not simple
   but most are playable on 2 rows, but much easier on three, extended bass. I think
   I have drawn a lesson from every one.
[/advert]

That's to agree with Mike. Basically you gain something from every "difficult" tune that you can master. But not all that much from those already in your comfort zone?
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playandteach

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Re: Is there one piece of music that has taught you more than any other?
« Reply #11 on: June 29, 2016, 12:00:32 AM »

Basically you gain something from every "difficult" tune that you can master. But not all that much from those already in your comfort zone?
Or could it be, Chris, that we only really improve musically with pieces comfortably within our technical limits? Which is why I'm a little disappointed with my progress on the melodeon... not spending enough time in my comfort zone?
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Theo

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Re: Is there one piece of music that has taught you more than any other?
« Reply #12 on: June 29, 2016, 08:07:13 AM »

Pete, melodeon is a peculiar instrument to learn.  It is relatively simple to learn to play a few tunes.  There are no difficult techniques to master before you can play with a good tone and in tune, nothing like learning to use a fiddle bow, or developing a good embrouchure with woodwind, or the lip for brass.  That's one reason it's become so popular.  But to make progress beyond the basics can seem increasingly difficult. Fingering can become more complex to get the best out of the left hand, and good bellows control time to develop.  Also you are largely on your own,  there is no well developed learning path as there is with more mainstream instruments.  Don't give up though,  keep listening to Stephan D and keep playing!
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Chris Ryall

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Re: Is there one piece of music that has taught you more than any other?
« Reply #13 on: June 29, 2016, 01:27:15 PM »

What I meant was that "in comfort zone" we are unlikely to be learning new technique. That is not to say that a whole range of new tunes cannot be taken in in there, and as Theo suggests is one of the great things about our instument.

There is often a correlation with having a crack at some other nation's music. Be that fast Italian tarrantella, irish melodies that play a "different" way (to say nothing of ornamentations!), central European harmonic minors, or even swing and jazz modes, most of which are "there" even on 2 rows provided you set them in the right key.

It is astonishing how far such a simple instrument can be stretched
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stevejay

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Re: Is there one piece of music that has taught you more than any other?
« Reply #14 on: June 29, 2016, 02:59:36 PM »


It is astonishing how far such a simple instrument can be stretched

On a two row GC, the thing I miss most is not the ability to play in many keys, but the limits to chromatic passages.
Fortunately, most of the music I am playing  isn't very chromatic. It is a DIATONIC accordion after all  ::)
« Last Edit: June 29, 2016, 03:13:40 PM by stevejay »
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playandteach

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Re: Is there one piece of music that has taught you more than any other?
« Reply #15 on: June 29, 2016, 03:10:35 PM »

No intention of giving up.
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pikey

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Re: Is there one piece of music that has taught you more than any other?
« Reply #16 on: June 29, 2016, 09:23:39 PM »

Delilah of course !
Lots of cross row playing , and in waltz time, with a non standard chord sequence !
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Chris Ryall

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Re: Is there one piece of music that has taught you more than any other?
« Reply #17 on: June 30, 2016, 04:02:29 AM »

Forgive me ::) "Delilah"?

I just couldn't take any more.  :Ph
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pikey

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Re: Is there one piece of music that has taught you more than any other?
« Reply #18 on: June 30, 2016, 11:12:46 AM »

 ;)

I'll play it for you in Whitby if you like  >:E
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Chris Ryall

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Re: Is there one piece of music that has taught you more than any other?
« Reply #19 on: June 30, 2016, 10:23:05 PM »


you'll play it for me in Whitby … whatever!,
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