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Author Topic: That 'a-ha' moment  (Read 7254 times)

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Chris Ryall

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Re: That 'a-ha' moment
« Reply #60 on: January 31, 2020, 09:25:10 AM »

1. Major tunes on push, minor on pull. At LAST a use for those Em, B basses!

2. Crossfingering part scales, generally against those minor pull chords

3. Right hand chording.
Have to agree with all of those.

Not sure what “agree” means in context, but that was my personal journey  :|glug
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playandteach

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Re: That 'a-ha' moment
« Reply #61 on: January 31, 2020, 12:48:13 PM »

1. Major tunes on push, minor on pull. At LAST a use for those Em, B basses!

2. Crossfingering part scales, generally against those minor pull chords

3. Right hand chording.
Have to agree with all of those.

Not sure what “agree” means in context, but that was my personal journey  :|glug
Agree that they've been useful realisations for me too.
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Julian S

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Re: That 'a-ha' moment
« Reply #62 on: January 31, 2020, 04:22:18 PM »

Ongoing a ha moment...and certainly for me whenever I learn a new tune (or revisit an old one). A simple change in fingering - and maybe bellows direction, can make all the difference !

A frustrating personal project tune has been Rob Harbron's 'Rain on the Woodpile'. I have been unable, in spite of hours of practice over a couple of years, to play it consistently without errors, and I finally realised that my problem was mainly due to the fingering I'd adopted, and the melody errors were often the fault of my less dexterous fourth finger. It's never too late to learn - and maybe unlearn as well.

J
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Graham Wood

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Re: That 'a-ha' moment
« Reply #63 on: February 02, 2020, 08:49:50 AM »

Latest 'a-ha' moment is the discovery that the more Abbot Ale you drink while trying to make a video, the worse it gets....
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Lester

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Re: That 'a-ha' moment
« Reply #64 on: February 02, 2020, 09:07:38 AM »

Latest 'a-ha' moment is the discovery that the more Abbot Ale you drink while trying to make a video, the worse it gets....
As a teetotaller it is undoubtedly true that at the end of a long session in a pub I am probably playing better than most everyone else, unfortunately it is also true that, by that point, I am the only one who cares.   (:)

Paul Coats

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Re: That 'a-ha' moment
« Reply #65 on: February 02, 2020, 10:01:23 AM »

I've been plonking about playing up and down the rows for a month and then I noticed I could play a run of notes by crossing rows. Duuurrr
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Chris Ryall

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Re: That 'a-ha' moment
« Reply #66 on: February 03, 2020, 12:41:47 PM »

That’s my [2], expressed rather better than I did, and in my case the most life changing”‘ah ha” !

“Why did I  buy a 2 row instrument, yet play it 🤔 like  2 mouth organs strapped together”? 🙃
« Last Edit: February 03, 2020, 01:11:16 PM by Chris Ryall »
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Helena Handcart

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Re: That 'a-ha' moment
« Reply #67 on: February 03, 2020, 12:48:54 PM »

As a teetotaller it is undoubtedly true that at the end of a long session in a pub I am probably playing better than most everyone else, unfortunately it is also true that, by that point, I am the only one who cares.   (:)

Since I now also appear to be teetotal that'll be two of us in future.
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gmatkin

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Re: That 'a-ha' moment
« Reply #68 on: February 03, 2020, 02:08:51 PM »

I've just remembered another 'aha moment', this time at the beginning of my melodeon journey about a decade ago.

Having learned to touch type as a teenager, I realised that I needed to decide on 'home' buttons on each row for my right hand fingers. For my index finger I chose the keynotes on each row at the lower end of the scale, and I decided to give my second finger the responsibility of homing on the tonic an octave up.

This meant I had only two scales to learn (instead of learning a different one starting at each keyboard button), as my remaining fingers including my little finger naturally found their homes on the keyboard.

It quickly transformed my experience of playing the instrument as my fingers and brain learned the sounds available to each finger.

I don't say it's a rule for all melodeon life (there are times when you need to stray from such a rule), but it's a great place to start and cuts down the risk of getting lost...

Gavin

Chris Rayner

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Re: That 'a-ha' moment
« Reply #69 on: February 03, 2020, 07:44:18 PM »

As a teetotaller it is undoubtedly true that at the end of a long session in a pub I am probably playing better than most everyone else, unfortunately it is also true that, by that point, I am the only one who cares.   (:)

Since I now also appear to be teetotal that'll be two of us in future.

Oh dear!  It appears I shall be drinking for three at Bretforton.🥴🍺🥃🍸🥂🍻🎵🎶😵
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Elderly amateur musician hoping to stave off dementia by learning to play the melodeon.  Main instrument a Tommy, also D/G and G/C pokerworks,  a single row 2 stop Hohner, and a new addition to the free reedery, a rather splendid Paolo Soprani four voice 120 bass c-system chromatic button accordion.  Very shiny, very loud, and about the same size and weight as a small car.  Now I’ve traded me Benny with (ahem) a cash adjustment, to a three voice 60 bass Castagnari K3.

Gary P Chapin

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Re: That 'a-ha' moment
« Reply #70 on: February 04, 2020, 01:44:06 PM »

I don't know if these will be helpful to anyone.

1- (when picking up box): "Oh! This is what I'm supposed to be playing! Not the flute!"
2- (when playing French music the first time): "Oh! This is what I'm supposed to be playing!"
3- The instrument is so charmingly clever and logical -- it's structure will guide you through many confusions. The box wants you to succeed.
4- With the possible exception of the spring -- all of the technology of the accordion (levers, valves, reeds, etc) existed during the Roman Empire. (This is especially unhelpful, but feels really cool to me and inspires reverence for the box and the first box makers).
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The Oul' Boy

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Re: That 'a-ha' moment
« Reply #71 on: February 12, 2020, 07:20:59 PM »

Recent a-ha moment: sometimes it's better to move the position of the fingers than make the wee finger do things it doesn't want to (and mine is a bit slow to be honest). For example, my version of the Hesleyside Reel has improved dramatically by not sticking to four fingers, one to each button (and thus needing the wee finger to do a fair bit of work), but using three and moving position. Still using it plenty, but when it works, not when I'm fighting to make it work because I don't want to have to shift hand position (and back again).
« Last Edit: February 12, 2020, 07:25:41 PM by The Oul' Boy »
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oggiesnr

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Re: That 'a-ha' moment
« Reply #72 on: February 12, 2020, 07:28:48 PM »

My a-ha moment was realising that a two row box was not two one row instruments packaged into one case for convenience but was actually one instrument and the two rows actually related to each other in useful ways.
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Peadar

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Re: That 'a-ha' moment
« Reply #73 on: February 12, 2020, 08:52:38 PM »

Arriving at Playgroup improvers workshop....with a music stand (embarrassed that I hadn't got to grips with learning either Clare's Dragoons or Am Bothar Loiste/The Lodge Road) and discovering that damn near everyone else was also equipped with a music stand.
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Chris Rayner

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Re: That 'a-ha' moment
« Reply #74 on: February 13, 2020, 12:01:33 PM »

Arriving at Playgroup improvers workshop....with a music stand (embarrassed that I hadn't got to grips with learning either Clare's Dragoons or Am Bothar Loiste/The Lodge Road) and discovering that damn near everyone else was also equipped with a music stand.

I was erecting my own music stand when my neighbour expressed relief that she was not the only one.  Sadly I find that since I learned to read music I have become dependent on it.  With, of course, reading glasses.  The joys of senility 👴🏼.
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Elderly amateur musician hoping to stave off dementia by learning to play the melodeon.  Main instrument a Tommy, also D/G and G/C pokerworks,  a single row 2 stop Hohner, and a new addition to the free reedery, a rather splendid Paolo Soprani four voice 120 bass c-system chromatic button accordion.  Very shiny, very loud, and about the same size and weight as a small car.  Now I’ve traded me Benny with (ahem) a cash adjustment, to a three voice 60 bass Castagnari K3.

playandteach

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Re: That 'a-ha' moment
« Reply #75 on: February 13, 2020, 02:20:26 PM »

I can't see the problem with bringing music, unless the point is to learn by ear.
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Sharon

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Re: That 'a-ha' moment
« Reply #76 on: February 13, 2020, 02:34:10 PM »

Arriving at Playgroup improvers workshop....with a music stand (embarrassed that I hadn't got to grips with learning either Clare's Dragoons or Am Bothar Loiste/The Lodge Road) and discovering that damn near everyone else was also equipped with a music stand.

I was erecting my own music stand when my neighbour expressed relief that she was not the only one.  Sadly I find that since I learned to read music I have become dependent on it.  With, of course, reading glasses.  The joys of senility 👴🏼.

Ahhh hello neighbour - I’m pretty sure that was me 🤣 We were doing a bit of sneaky cross-rowing where one row would have done 😉
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Chris Rayner

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Re: That 'a-ha' moment
« Reply #77 on: February 13, 2020, 05:24:57 PM »


Ahhh hello neighbour - I’m pretty sure that was me 🤣 We were doing a bit of sneaky cross-rowing where one row would have done 😉

I think that’s us, especially if I deafened you by deploying my Tommy in place of the pokerwork in the afternoon.  Sorry ‘bout dat.😕
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Elderly amateur musician hoping to stave off dementia by learning to play the melodeon.  Main instrument a Tommy, also D/G and G/C pokerworks,  a single row 2 stop Hohner, and a new addition to the free reedery, a rather splendid Paolo Soprani four voice 120 bass c-system chromatic button accordion.  Very shiny, very loud, and about the same size and weight as a small car.  Now I’ve traded me Benny with (ahem) a cash adjustment, to a three voice 60 bass Castagnari K3.

Sharon

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Re: That 'a-ha' moment
« Reply #78 on: February 13, 2020, 05:35:18 PM »


Ahhh hello neighbour - I’m pretty sure that was me 🤣 We were doing a bit of sneaky cross-rowing where one row would have done 😉

I think that’s us, especially if I deafened you by deploying my Tommy in place of the pokerwork in the afternoon.  Sorry ‘bout dat.😕

🤣 you were quite loud LOL! I’m getting a ‘new’ box soon so I might get you back one day 😉
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Lester

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Re: That 'a-ha' moment
« Reply #79 on: February 13, 2020, 05:45:09 PM »

Maybe you could both benefit from one of my a-ha moments:

It is possible to play a melodeon quietly 
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