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Author Topic: Theme of the Month for July 2018: Musical Heroes  (Read 7288 times)

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Clive Williams

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Theme of the Month for July 2018: Musical Heroes
« on: June 30, 2018, 10:55:16 PM »

Hi all, this month's theme is pieces written by, or played/made famous by musicians whose music you particularly admire, who may, or may not be melodeon players - could be any musician really. A little backstory about what/how you connect with the piece and/or musician, would be very interesting for everyone as well I'm sure, but only if you want to.

Looking forward to seeing the contribs,

Clive

howard mitchell

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Re: Theme of the Month for July 2018: Musical Heroes
« Reply #1 on: July 07, 2018, 04:08:09 PM »

I've gone with Phillippe Bruneau and Frank Sears.

Tunes from the Quebec repertoire were quite rare here in England when I started playing in 1970. It was not until I worked for a short time in Montreal in about 1980 that I acquired an LP with lots of tunes played on melodeon, fiddle, piano and double bass - a familiar line up in England but with lots of different ornaments and harmonies.

Then in the 1990s I found Trente Sous Zero, a company which sold CDs and books of Quebec music and I bought the book "Phillippe Bruneau, Musique Traditionnelle pour Accordion Diatonique" which sets out many of his compositions in minute detail with all the twiddles and alternative bars.

Frank Sears, many may remember, did an Advent Calendar of Quebec tunes 18 months ago with a new tune each day. Recently he's published 2 books of Quebec tunes in standard notation with chords and in tab format with alternate bars. The books are accompanied by CDs containing recordings of each tune with piano accompaniment, just the piano accompaniment (for you to play along with) and videos. The piano accompaniments are played by Lise Beauchemin.

Amongst the tunes in the book is Hommage à Jos Bouchard, a 6/8 Quadrille composed by Phillippe Bruneau.

Here's the piano track from Frank Sear's CD with me playing the tune against it and the addition of a bit of double bass.
https://youtu.be/A2Yd0zJVsIw

Mitch
« Last Edit: July 08, 2018, 08:59:40 AM by Howard Mitchell-Borts (Mitch) »
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Re: Theme of the Month for July 2018: Musical Heroes
« Reply #2 on: July 08, 2018, 01:56:18 AM »

Nicely played, Mitch. That's definitely a tune I've never heard before. And thanks for the storytime as well, always interesting to read a little bit while listening to the tunes you all record. (:)

Personally I'm having a bit of an issue with this months theme and I'm yet very unsure about how to approach it.
Should I just rerecord one of my earliest melodeon dream tune, "Return from Helsinki" as recorded by mcgrooger, because that song is what has brought me as far as I've gotten?
Should I try to translate a metal song into melodeon language, as that has been the music that has probably influenced me the most in my teens?
Should I just skip this months theme entirely since I'm only playing the diatonic accordion for ~3 years and I don't have too many stories to tell?
Undecided as I am at the moment, I'll just wait for a few more submissions from your sides and hope for some inspiration by seeing how you approach the theme.  :||:
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Eshed

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Re: Theme of the Month for July 2018: Musical Heroes
« Reply #3 on: July 08, 2018, 05:45:56 AM »

Should I just rerecord one of my earliest melodeon dream tune
Yes
Should I try to translate a metal song into melodeon language
Yes
Should I just skip this months theme entirely
No
I'll just wait
No
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george garside

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Re: Theme of the Month for July 2018: Musical Heroes
« Reply #4 on: July 08, 2018, 10:51:44 AM »

the bluebell polka made famous by Sir Jimmy Shand . 3 parter in G/D/C.  Doable on a standard 2 row DG box with chin end accidentals using the thumb for the chin end f nat.
george
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Tone Dumb Greg

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Re: Theme of the Month for July 2018: Musical Heroes
« Reply #5 on: July 08, 2018, 05:33:09 PM »

the bluebell polka made famous by Sir Jimmy Shand . 3 parter in G/D/C.  Doable on a standard 2 row DG box with chin end accidentals using the thumb for the chin end f nat.
george

 ??? ??? ???
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Greg Smith
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Helena Handcart

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Re: Theme of the Month for July 2018: Musical Heroes
« Reply #6 on: July 08, 2018, 05:48:01 PM »

the bluebell polka made famous by Sir Jimmy Shand . 3 parter in G/D/C.  Doable on a standard 2 row DG box with chin end accidentals using the thumb for the chin end f nat.
george

Also perfectly doable using the index finger for the F.
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Re: Theme of the Month for July 2018: Musical Heroes
« Reply #7 on: July 08, 2018, 08:20:39 PM »

Here's the piano track from Frank Sear's CD with me playing the tune against it and the addition of a bit of double bass.
https://youtu.be/A2Yd0zJVsIw

Mitch

Nicely done Mitch! And, a beautiful box you have, too!

---

Here is my take on this subject. I've gone for a friend, Heikki Bourgault, with which I played a lot a while back, and who, all things considered, has been a great influence on me, both as a friend and as a superb guitarist. You may know him through his work with flutist/piper Calum Stewart. I've taken an air that I played with him "back in the days", and that they put on their first album, here is my version. It's played in Bb minor on my Handry G/C. Hope you'll like it !

https://soundcloud.com/larrydondaine/jolie-nanon

Tone Dumb Greg

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Re: Theme of the Month for July 2018: Musical Heroes
« Reply #8 on: July 08, 2018, 09:21:26 PM »

the bluebell polka made famous by Sir Jimmy Shand . 3 parter in G/D/C.  Doable on a standard 2 row DG box with chin end accidentals using the thumb for the chin end f nat.
george

 ??? ??? ???

Is there a link to you playing it?
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Greg Smith
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ACCORDION, n. An instrument in harmony with the sentiments of an assassin. Ambrose Bierce

george garside

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Re: Theme of the Month for July 2018: Musical Heroes
« Reply #9 on: July 08, 2018, 10:58:39 PM »

unfortunately I don't have the equipment to record it . The only awkward part is  using the chin end F nat  on the G row for which I use my thumb and Helena her index finger. The G part is played on the G row and the D part on the D row and the C part on the G row.

george
« Last Edit: July 08, 2018, 11:02:29 PM by george garside »
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Tone Dumb Greg

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Re: Theme of the Month for July 2018: Musical Heroes
« Reply #10 on: July 09, 2018, 09:07:27 AM »


Here is my take on this subject. I've gone for a friend, Heikki Bourgault, with which I played a lot a while back, and who, all things considered, has been a great influence on me, both as a friend and as a superb guitarist. You may know him through his work with flutist/piper Calum Stewart. I've taken an air that I played with him "back in the days", and that they put on their first album, here is my version. It's played in Bb minor on my Handry G/C. Hope you'll like it !

https://soundcloud.com/larrydondaine/jolie-nanon

Beautiful tune, beautifully played, Yannick
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Greg Smith
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ACCORDION, n. An instrument in harmony with the sentiments of an assassin. Ambrose Bierce

Thrupenny Bit

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Re: Theme of the Month for July 2018: Musical Heroes
« Reply #11 on: July 09, 2018, 10:27:22 AM »

Idly browsing.... and ended up searching Melnet but couldn't find.....
does anyone have an abc of the 'proper' version of the Bluebell polka as described by George ( D/G/C) with the 'C' part in the key of C?
cheers
Q

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Helena Handcart

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Re: Theme of the Month for July 2018: Musical Heroes
« Reply #12 on: July 09, 2018, 10:36:40 AM »

Idly browsing.... and ended up searching Melnet but couldn't find.....
does anyone have an abc of the 'proper' version of the Bluebell polka as described by George ( D/G/C) with the 'C' part in the key of C?
cheers
Q

I do. I'll ping it over to later Q
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Thrupenny Bit

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Re: Theme of the Month for July 2018: Musical Heroes
« Reply #13 on: July 09, 2018, 10:52:45 AM »

thank you...... that would be grand.
Q
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I think I'm starting to get most of the notes in roughly the right order...... sometimes!

Tone Dumb Greg

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Re: Theme of the Month for July 2018: Musical Heroes
« Reply #14 on: July 09, 2018, 11:17:15 AM »

Idly browsing.... and ended up searching Melnet but couldn't find.....
does anyone have an abc of the 'proper' version of the Bluebell polka as described by George ( D/G/C) with the 'C' part in the key of C?
cheers
Q

X:2028
T:Bluebell Polka
R:Polka
C:Trad.
O:Scotland
Z:Paul Hardy's Session Tunebook 2017 (see www.paulhardy.net). Creative Commons cc by-nc-sa licenced.
M:2/2
L:1/8
Q:1/2=70
K:G
(3Bdg|:"G"b2b2 "C"gfge|"G"d2d2 B2G2|"D7"FGAB c2e2|"G"ed^cd B2 (3Bdg|
"G"b2b2 "C"gfge|"G"d2d2 B2G2|"D7"FGAB cdef|"G"g2g2 g2z2:|
[K:D]|:"D"A2A2 FAdf|a2a2 f3f|"A7"a2^ga =g2e2|"D"b2a2 ^g2a2|
"D"A2A2 FAdf|a2a2 f3f|"A7"a2^g2 =g2e2|"D"d2f2d2z2:|
[K:G]|:"G"b2b2 "C"gfge|"G"d2d2 B2G2|"D7"FGAB c2e2|"G"ed^cd B2 (3Bdg|
"G"b2b2 "C"gfge|"G"d2d2 B2G2|"D7"FGAB cdef|"G"g2g2 g2z2!fine!:|
[K:C]|:"C"e2e2 efg2|e2e2 efg2|"G7"f2f2 fdB2|fefg fdB2|
"C"e2e2 efg2|e2e2 efg2|"G7"f2f2 fdBd|"C"c2c2c2"^D.C."z2:|
« Last Edit: July 09, 2018, 06:58:06 PM by Tone Dumb Greg »
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Greg Smith
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ACCORDION, n. An instrument in harmony with the sentiments of an assassin. Ambrose Bierce

george garside

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Re: Theme of the Month for July 2018: Musical Heroes
« Reply #15 on: July 09, 2018, 12:07:55 PM »

The bluebell polka as played by Jimmy Shand was a  ?1950's version of the pre war 'little pet polks;' which shand also recorded in the '30's.    If I remember correctly      he played the bluebell polka parts in the following sequence

2 xA (key g)
2xb  (key d)
2xa  (key g)
2xc   (key c)
2xa   (key g)

the dots for this are probably somewhere on t'internet

there are several youtube sound tracks of him playing it a)nd also one video of him playing it when in his 80's with his sons band which comes up  under 'dancing with the shands' ( the complete DVD being on tinternet.)

george
« Last Edit: July 09, 2018, 12:11:10 PM by george garside »
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Re: Theme of the Month for July 2018: Musical Heroes
« Reply #16 on: July 09, 2018, 01:42:13 PM »

The bluebell polka as played by Jimmy Shand was a  ?1950's version of the pre war 'little pet polks;' which shand also recorded in the '30's.    If I remember correctly      he played the bluebell polka parts in the following sequence

2 xA (key g)
2xb  (key d)
2xa  (key g)
2xc   (key c)
2xa   (key g)

the dots for this are probably somewhere on t'internet

there are several youtube sound tracks of him playing it a)nd also one video of him playing it when in his 80's with his sons band which comes up  under 'dancing with the shands' ( the complete DVD being on tinternet.)

george

That's the same setting as the one I posted above. [Edit, well almost I'll add the last time through, in G] [Further Edit, just noticed it already had "Fine" instruction  :|bl ]
« Last Edit: July 09, 2018, 06:57:23 PM by Tone Dumb Greg »
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Greg Smith
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ACCORDION, n. An instrument in harmony with the sentiments of an assassin. Ambrose Bierce

Anahata

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Re: Theme of the Month for July 2018: Musical Heroes
« Reply #17 on: July 09, 2018, 05:19:54 PM »

Just in case anyone hasn't seen it: My attempt at Bluebell Polka in G, D and C on a D/G two row melodeon.

Very much taking my cue for tempo, style and sequence of parts from Jimmy Shand, also on YouTube somewhere.
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Re: Theme of the Month for July 2018: Musical Heroes
« Reply #18 on: July 10, 2018, 08:42:33 AM »

BTW, after receiving a PM from Gena (mainly about technical minutiae) I realized it looks like the above was my 'Heroes' contribution. Not exactly intended to be, simply making up for George's lack of technology by providing an example of how Bluebell is done in three keys on a two row box, as there doesn't seem to be another available.

Jimmy Shand was one of the first accordionists I ever heard, though, on one of a bunch of 78's that came with a wind-up gramophone that had belonged to my grandparents (they must have had good musical taste: other records in that collection were Mozart 40 and Brandenburg 5). And I used to play a Shand system B/C/C♯ box, but I have to admit the direct inspiration for that choice of instrument was John Kirkpatrick.
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george garside

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Re: Theme of the Month for July 2018: Musical Heroes
« Reply #19 on: July 10, 2018, 09:11:06 AM »

just coming back briefly to the thumb or index finger for the chin end F. The thumb has a natural sideways movement compared to the other digits and try as I might I cant get my index finger to stretch sufficiently far sideways to do the job, hence I have always used my thumb. Perhaps its something to do with having relatively short fingers!
george
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