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Author Topic: Susie Lemay An Honest Melodeon Player  (Read 2762 times)

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Larry Powers

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Susie Lemay An Honest Melodeon Player
« on: June 26, 2020, 07:42:24 PM »

I was just watching a video of Susie Lemay playing her Beltuna d/c# (I think) and something struck me as odd.  Finally I realized there were no bass buttons, just a groove for her fingers.  I guess if you play in a band and never use the bass why bother paying for them?

https://www.facebook.com/1484492704/videos/10222744151380779/
« Last Edit: June 26, 2020, 07:51:08 PM by Larry Powers »
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Mike Hirst

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Re: Susie Lemay An Honest Melodeon Player
« Reply #1 on: June 26, 2020, 08:05:24 PM »

if you play in a band and never use the bass why bother paying for them?

You don't keep a dog and bark yourself.
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Winston Smith

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Re: Susie Lemay An Honest Melodeon Player
« Reply #2 on: June 26, 2020, 08:14:25 PM »

It would make playing a lot easier! Personally, I find that I'm embarrassed to play just the treble end, and therefore I feel obliged to often dab away with the left hand. Sometimes though, it seems that using just the basses sounds a lot more pleasing to my ear than introducing the left hand chords.
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CAB

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Re: Susie Lemay An Honest Melodeon Player
« Reply #3 on: June 26, 2020, 09:16:00 PM »

Peter Brown has plenty of idle basses on this clip from ten years ago.  Saw him last November in Birmingham playing everything from fast reels to flamenco but I don't think his left hand had any part to play in the virtuouso performance.
Makes you wonder why they don't just do away with that side altogether as Susie Lemay has done.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6V1ki_D1Io
« Last Edit: June 26, 2020, 09:18:14 PM by CAB »
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rees

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Re: Susie Lemay An Honest Melodeon Player
« Reply #4 on: June 26, 2020, 09:49:31 PM »

Tex-Mex players often discard the left hand reed-blocks on their triple rows. This then gives them 13 air buttons.
Playing on the pull they can get those bellows in really fast!
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melodeon

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Re: Susie Lemay An Honest Melodeon Player
« Reply #6 on: June 28, 2020, 03:31:34 AM »

Tex-Mex players often discard the left hand reed-blocks on their triple rows. This then gives them 13 air buttons.
Playing on the pull they can get those bellows in really fast!

And play in all 12 keys.
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Stiamh

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Re: Susie Lemay An Honest Melodeon Player
« Reply #7 on: June 28, 2020, 10:23:56 PM »

Here's another fb video showing Susie and hubby Denis each playing one. With André Bouchard, maker of those 1½ row boxes, on piano.

Larry Powers

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Re: Susie Lemay An Honest Melodeon Player
« Reply #8 on: June 30, 2020, 01:18:38 PM »

I new Denis played a D/C# Beltuna but could not find a picture or video that showed the bass side.  I also did not know that Denis and Susie were married.  I guess that explains the matching melodeons.  Stimah you are a wealth of knowledge.
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Stiamh

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Re: Susie Lemay An Honest Melodeon Player
« Reply #9 on: June 30, 2020, 02:05:56 PM »

I also did not know that Denis and Susie were married.

For many years. BTW I gather that Beltuna have refused subsequent requests to make similar bass-less accordions.

I think Denis, aided and abetted by Susie and by André Bouchard, is the reason for current interest in the D/C# system in Québec. Denis told me he thinks it's the perfect system, and wished he had known about it when he was younger (implying that he wouldn't have bothered mastering the 3-row system).

The first time I came across André he was playing a D/C#/C ! Nowadays he seems to prefer playing piano and double-bass.  (:)

mselic

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Re: Susie Lemay An Honest Melodeon Player
« Reply #10 on: June 30, 2020, 04:28:28 PM »

There are a few other well-known Quebec players who play some variation of a D/C# (such as 10 button + accidentals) who have removed the reeds from the bass side.  Some of these instruments only had two bass buttons to begin with, so I’m not sure I understand the advantage of removing the reeds!
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Lester

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Re: Susie Lemay An Honest Melodeon Player
« Reply #11 on: June 30, 2020, 04:31:30 PM »

There are a few other well-known Quebec players who play some variation of a D/C# (such as 10 button + accidentals) who have removed the reeds from the bass side.  Some of these instruments only had two bass buttons to begin with, so I’m not sure I understand the advantage of removing the reeds!
Three air buttons  (:)

melodeon

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Re: Susie Lemay An Honest Melodeon Player
« Reply #12 on: July 02, 2020, 01:05:49 AM »

With D/C#..

If you did have bass notes what would a layout be?

8 button?
12 button?
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CAB

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Re: Susie Lemay An Honest Melodeon Player
« Reply #13 on: July 02, 2020, 03:17:03 PM »

12 button, thirdless, unisonoric C G D A E B.
Or maybe the odd bisonoric pair (if one direction proved unnecessary) to squeeze in F and/or F#?
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mselic

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Re: Susie Lemay An Honest Melodeon Player
« Reply #14 on: July 02, 2020, 03:47:49 PM »

With D/C#..

If you did have bass notes what would a layout be?

8 button?
12 button?

Standard 8 button bass found on A/D or C#/D boxes works fine.
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komat

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Re: Susie Lemay An Honest Melodeon Player
« Reply #15 on: July 02, 2020, 05:35:04 PM »

I was just watching a video of Susie Lemay playing her Beltuna d/c# (I think) and something struck me as odd.  Finally I realized there were no bass buttons, just a groove for her fingers.  I guess if you play in a band and never use the bass why bother paying for them?

https://www.facebook.com/1484492704/videos/10222744151380779/

Kinda like playing piano with only one hand...
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Mr Squeeze

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Re: Susie Lemay An Honest Melodeon Player
« Reply #16 on: July 02, 2020, 05:51:39 PM »

I play with a decent guitarist, his chords are WAYYYYY more advanced than mine, I just let him get on with it.
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melodeon

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Re: Susie Lemay An Honest Melodeon Player
« Reply #17 on: July 02, 2020, 11:25:31 PM »

Thanks Matt,

I found a schematic as used by Joe Derrane. This would have been a 14 bass no thirds on his Gaillard.
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Dennis Steckley

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Re: Susie Lemay An Honest Melodeon Player
« Reply #18 on: July 03, 2020, 05:18:46 AM »

I've seen an occasional box on an auction site that was of interest to me--but if it had the "Tex-Mex look" or was from the southwestern USA, I always queried as to whether there were sounds made when the bass buttons were pushed.  I wouldn't want a box that had the bass reeds missing.

Dennis S.


Tex-Mex players often discard the left hand reed-blocks on their triple rows. This then gives them 13 air buttons.
Playing on the pull they can get those bellows in really fast!
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CAB

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Re: Susie Lemay An Honest Melodeon Player
« Reply #19 on: July 03, 2020, 03:05:02 PM »

Standard 8 button bass found on A/D or C#/D boxes works fine.

But what happens when you're playing in G major and you want to play a G chord with a D note? 
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