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[Graham Wood]

Hi there

I'm trying to figure out how the guy in the video is playing a 3 chord song on a 1 row box. It looks like a D box and he is playing in the key of A (first song) so he should be able to get chord wise the 1st and 4th (root and sub-tonic?) but he seems to be getting E, A and D out of it (5th as well). Any ideas how he does that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnkFLAkJW5Q

The second song at the 3 minute point in the video is 2 chord ( I like that song) but the 1st one is 3 chord and it's frustrating me.

Cheers

Graham

[Anahata]

You can do E+B (a bare fifth) on that box. The bass is hitting an E too and I think if you listen carefully you'll find there isn't a G♯ in the E chords at all.

Or in short: power chords!

You can also do the G and B of a G chord on a D 1-row, and a full E minor. I use those and the C box equivalents a lot in song accompaniments. (and people occasionally ask where I get the chords from)

[rees]

Only two whole chords available, D and Em.

Chords on a D one-row:
D - push anything.
G - pull GB the D is on the push
A - pull C#E the A is on the push. I alternate between this and octave pair of A push. Some layouts have A pull on button 1.
E - pull EB there is no G#.
Em - pull EGB.
F#m - push F#A.
Bm - push D/F#, alternate with octave pair of B pull.
A7 - pull C#EG.
Some of these fit with the left hand and some seriously don't!

[Graham Wood]

Thank you both for your help. You are very kind people.

This could go down as an 'Ah-ha' moment for Helena's thread....lol. Might actually apply the principal of your valuable advice to the April TOTM the Railway. That tune seems accepting of right hand chords and cajun rhythms sort of have a 'train going down the track' feel to them. Probably way ahead of myself here but something to shoot for.

Thanks again.

[rileycat]

Such great music - makes you want to dance!  Thanks for posting.  I wish I could catch 'Cajun'.

[Graham Wood]

Such great music - makes you want to dance!  Thanks for posting.  I wish I could catch 'Cajun'.

You are welcome. Here are the other three vids for the same venue. I wish I had discovered this before. It's just up front entertainment that's great to listen too and gets people dancing, and they don't take themselves too seriously either. I'm guessing he used to play blues harmonica or something because that style shows through in the way that he plays the box for some of the songs. Enjoy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5owQK0_hwCk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlbPutc5ECw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDIJAizmPP8

[Chris Ryall]

Back in about .. 1995 I encountered Québec's Philippe Bruno under a Chestnut tree in the village of St Chartier, teaching tunes to a protégé.  Watched him play his one row in 5 different keys! It was an education.  In some of them the notes weren't actually there, but … your ear hears them anyway   

All part of the magic of the melodeon.

[Gary P Chapin]

In some of them the notes weren't actually there, but … your ear hears them anyway   

That's a great way of putting it.

[george garside]

therein lies the art of faking !

george

[Chris Rayner]

Oh that’s nothing on air guitar.😉

[george garside]

for those who play a one row entirely by ear and have no knowledge of chord ( or any other ) theory the simple way to thicken up the right hand of a one row by adding chords or partial chord is to hold a particular 'tune note'  whilst at the same time using spare fingers to press other buttons.  With a bit of practice it becomes intuitive   as to which combinations of button can be used the  'thicken up'' the basic tune being played. 

The same technique can also be used to add a bit of extra rhythm  using beating a rhythm on buttons in addition to playing the basic tune and there are times when right hand rhythm sounds better than what canbe had from the 2 bass spoons.

both right hand rhythm and 'chords'  can be done at the same time as there are always 3 spare fingers available as only one is needed at any given time to play the 'tune note'

getting the hang of it is great fun!

george