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[Eshed]

Superb work Gena! 

[Gena Crisman]

I envy you for your courage to go down this route. I've tried it once or twice but most of the times my brain comes to a grinding halt whenever I try to play melody, right hand chords and left hand bass/chords at the same time.

Hey, you've taken this tune and made it your own. That's a great accomplishment, if you ask me! To be fair, it doesn't really sound like a waltz anymore. Reminds me more of a laid back country tune - which is by far not the worst direction this could have taken. I applaud your efforts, this is great.

Well, 'it's something to do', heh - all driven by trying to be interesting at folk clubs, I imagine. I'm still pretty clumsy sometimes, but I'm just as clumsy playing the melody on it's own with a single button and no basses, so, I figure I might as well be doing this.

It's taken a while but it feels strangely natural now to be smashing a bunch of buttons and knowing which chords they're all a part of and why I'm doing what I'm doing. There really are so many other skills to cultivate as well though - for example, having some more aptitude in my choices for left hand accompaniment, or adding tasteful ornaments to tunes - both of which are skills you demonstrate proficiency for on a regular basis and frankly often elude me.

In any case, thank you for your words. Also: thank you too, Eshed.

I should try it on a G/C...

I believe I would like to hear that.

[Clive Williams]

That's pretty great Gena :-)

Anyway, onto the next tune folks - as ever please feel free to stick any late contribs on the end of the thread...

[Anne Dicks]

I am really enjoying this tune!  As a complete beginner who didn't know what a melodeon was a couple of weeks ago, and whose new melodeon was faulty and had to be sent back so I continued using one lent by a friend until yesterday, please don't expect a recording of my efforts!  (but I have posted to a restricted audience on Facebook!)
I am learning to play with the help of a friend, who has decided that rather than going through any basics at all, we should jump straight into Tune of the Month.  H'mmm.  In G on a D/G instrument.   
So far I am fairly happy with playing right and left hands separately, and with my colour-coded music showing if I need to be on the G row or D row I can get most bars (except the ones with CDE in sequence) into either pull or push so that the chords will work.  This instrument is unlike anything I have ever tried before and I find it wonderfully brain-addlingly addictive, but I feel very sorry for my husband and neighbours....

[Emre Enercan]

I am really enjoying this tune!  As a complete beginner who didn't know what a melodeon was a couple of weeks ago, and whose new melodeon was faulty and had to be sent back so I continued using one lent by a friend until yesterday, please don't expect a recording of my efforts!  (but I have posted to a restricted audience on Facebook!)
I am learning to play with the help of a friend, who has decided that rather than going through any basics at all, we should jump straight into Tune of the Month.  H'mmm.  In G on a D/G instrument.   
So far I am fairly happy with playing right and left hands separately, and with my colour-coded music showing if I need to be on the G row or D row I can get most bars (except the ones with CDE in sequence) into either pull or push so that the chords will work.  This instrument is unlike anything I have ever tried before and I find it wonderfully brain-addlingly addictive, but I feel very sorry for my husband and neighbours....

I hear that!   

[Blake]

Salutations from Pennsylvania US.

It takes me longer than a month to learn a tune, so I've been hesitant to participate in the TOM, but I love the idea and I'm ready... I think. Here's my go at the lovely Guinness Waltz, only 3+ weeks late. https://youtu.be/nHkc1mU6tOg

[MikeK]

Great effort, Blake. Very enjoyable.
May I suggest that you play with tighter bellows and that will give your better control. Although you have them open
wide, I noticed they only moved approx. 12cms. in either direction whilst playing the tune.

[Blake]

Great effort, Blake. Very enjoyable.
May I suggest that you play with tighter bellows and that will give your better control.

Oh, very interesting observation and suggestion! I will try this. Thank you!

[Anahata]

Glad to see you've posted a tune, and please continue to do so, even if it does take a month to learn and you post later (The Guinness Waltz seems  to be particularly popular for late entries!)

MikeK has a point, but I have an even simpler suggestion: you could play the tune slower, and I think you'd find it easy to get the timing more even. And imagine someone is dancing round the room, and you're playing for them!

[Squeaky Pete]

There's very little I'd criticise, but Anahata has put his finger on it.
You've got all the notes and the little accents and grace notes, but you sound like you're playing it a fraction faster than you're happy with.
A tad slower and relax into it and it'd be a treat to listen to..

[Blake]

Glad to see you've posted a tune, and please continue to do so, even if it does take a month to learn and you post later (The Guinness Waltz seems  to be particularly popular for late entries!)
You could play the tune slower, and I think you'd find it easy to get the timing more even. And imagine someone is dancing round the room, and you're playing for them!

Thanks, Anahata (And I see Squeaky Pete). Yes, you're right to go slower... tunes tend to get away from me. I am working with a metronome more and more, about 10 minutes a day, but I seem to always play while running downhill! Same on my English concertina. I also found some apps that have visual metronomes, so I can record with a metronome without the tock tock tock in the background.

[Tone Dumb Greg]

I seem to always play while running downhill! Same on my English concertina.

I have the same issue. It's very common.
The best thing I've found for coping is recording myself playing. It makes you far more aware of what you're doing. Listening to the noise you're actually making, rather than the one you think your making helps a lot.

[Blake]

Listening to the noise you're actually making, rather than the one you think your making helps a lot.

This, I think is nice advice for all forms of communication musical and otherwise.