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[willriding]

Hi
Firstlly, thanks for a decent site, I've been signed up for a bit and have learnt quite a bit over the last twelve months thanks to a lively and active forum.I'm picking up things kind of o k ish, learning to play both rows both singly and crossing depending on the needs of the piece and how I wish to play it. Bass wise I'm ok on 2/4 and 4/4 getting there on 3/4 and  6/8. I'm currently wanting to learn Bouree des Dindes and Chassepain as a set on a D/G but find getting the basses on these right tricky.  Would you suggest a drone or getting that bouncy bouree drive? The b part on chassepain is quite a challenge too. Any suggestions or pointers to demonstrastions of these tunes would be much appreciated.
Cheers
Will

[Owen Woods]

Hi Will,

I don't know about Bouree basses, Chris Ryall is your man for that I suspect.

However, Chassepain is my favourite tune for box. I don't use dancable basses, at all. I will try to record something and put it up, but may not have the time.

[Chris Ryall]

• Step - | Left right left pause | right left right pause |
• almost touch and return x 2 (=4 crossings)
  Again it's | Left right left pause | right left right pause |
• The big movement in Bourbonnais or Auvergne style all takes place on the first
  step and this uses half the first bar. The pause at the end of the second bar is also
  slightly stressed .... as a 'lead' to the next big step

light

[ganderbox]

With bourees, you need to "feel" the tune rather than just apply a pre-set bass pattern to it. What you will end up is a combination of bass notes, drones, or no bass at all, with bass chords being used lightly and sparingly. With B. de Dindes. you have a basic 2/4 tune, and you need to think about stressing the first beat of each bar but not the second, and any left hand accompaniment needs to be based on a strong bass note on the first beat with a very light touch on the bass chord for the off beat.
I think the most important thing with bourees is to be able to feel how the tune fits the dance (or vice versa), and the best way to do this is to be familiar with the dance.

Edited to add that you also need to think about how you are playing the tune with the right hand, as cross-rowing
will often help with the bouree rhythm, and prevent it sounding like a polka (which it most definitely isn't). Although it's a simple tune, the B. de Dindes probably isn't the easiest to get right on a box. Personally I always play it on my hurdy-gurdy!

[Owen Woods]

   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsCxT_t1Czw

Oh, and shoot the bohdran player beforehand    Chris

That's fantastic, do you know the tune? It doesn't seem to be Beanfield, which the caption implies.

And we have already worked out that it is impossible to play a bouree on a bodhran

[willriding]

Thanks for the advice
I can sort of see the dance mentally, I s'pose it's a matter of putting the hours in and getting it fluent
cheers
Will

[Chris Ryall]

I can sort of see the dance mentally, I s'pose it's a matter of putting the hours in and getting it fluent

Best think you can do is get to your local French session or a French festival and dance it. PM me your whereabouts and I'll see what's available. C

[Nick Hudis]

What an interesting thread!

I have never danced a bouree in my life and am a relative newcomer to the "accordeon diatonique".  But I have passion for French music and I've been messing around with some of the bourees in the Massif Central tune book for a year or so and listening avidly to Frederic Paris and others.

Things I've found that seem to work with the basses are:

Don't play them at all!

Use bass and chord together very lightly and sparingly to emphasise the natural punctuation and shape of the tune

drone either with sustained drones or stacatto rhythmic drones.  I like to play the C and G basses or the G and D basses together (on a G/C box) to get a deep bagpipe-like bare 5th.  With an 18 bass set up I can do this regardless of the bellows direction.  Nice effect but use sparingly. Alternatively if you have a stop you can knock the thirds out of the chords.  Not quite as dramatic though.

It never ceases to amaze me what a variety of rhythms are hidden within triple time.

Now repeat after me:

A bouree is not a waltz
A mazurka is not a waltz
A polska is not a waltz
Sometimes too, a waltz is not a waltz.................