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Author Topic: Looking for increased response with less effort, possibly by buying better reeds  (Read 1528 times)

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Steve C.

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If the banjo is louder than the guitar that is because it is more a resonant structure, not because more force is being applied. Many  factors other than 'force applied' influence the way the sound of an instrument is perceived - different frequencies carry better or further, for example. And for that matter the appeal of an instrument is also very complex, not just down to whether it seems loud on the dancefloor, and people choose to learn an instrument for many reasons.  I was interested in the sound of the accordion as a child before I knew what it looked like, but when I was a little older I also needed an instrument that was always in tune because I had no way of learning how to keep a fiddle in tune, and my siblings were discouraging when I tried to.

Richard, thank you for this.  I am definitely going to refer to my banjo as merely "a more resonant structure" next time I catch hell for playing so loud.
(Pisgah with Dobson tone ring)
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richard.fleming

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Two comments.....and I am no expert as a player of any sort of accordeon

I think people worry too much about imobilising the melody end. There is archive footage of Irish 1 row players in the 30's, clearly resting the centre frame on their knee- most bellows work (WORK = FORCE x DISTANCE) is done off the bass end but the treble end is by no means immobile.

The thumb pain - I get that with one particular box - which has bigger bellows than the rest. All of the force from your left hand will always transfer directly to your thumb.

If you wedge the box against the outside of your left leg you lose the wobble and you lose the pressure on your thumb. This is a widespread technique in ITM. You can pretty well play without putting your thumb against the keyboard, should you want to; I wouldn't dream of playing like that, but it does show you how the pressure is reduced by this way of holding the box. You may need a longer strap to make this possible. As for photographs of players in the 30's, who is to say if they were any good? As for the use of the word 'force', maybe Peadar is an engineer and thinks in those terms, but I prefer to persuade the box rather than to force it.

Further to all this, I think  when you get more relaxed in your playing you may find that all the thumb is doing is keeping the hand at exactly the same distance from the keyboard, so that if the keyboard (almost inevitably) moves a bit it doesn't matter because your hand moves with it. I think this will be equally true if you follow Stiamh's advice or mine on how to rest the box on or outside your leg or knee
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