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Author Topic: Two buttons, one finger  (Read 4742 times)

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Stiamh

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Two buttons, one finger
« on: October 05, 2010, 09:34:10 PM »

Had a Eureka moment just now, realizing that I can play two buttons on the same row at the same time with one finger, as in playing part of a right-hand chord. By pressing in the space between the two buttons - deliberately rather than accidentally (which I am rather good at too).

Having just found a few useful places for this trick, I can't believe it's taken me 6 years of squeezeboxing to hit on this idea, especially since it is an indispensable part of fiddling (as in stopping two strings with one finger).

I'm quite sure that, were there such a thing, this would be considered "bad technique". I've never heard it mentioned. But does anyone else do this? Does everyone do it? Has anyone never thought of it? Who is aware of the possibility but avoids it like the plague?

A related effect would be to press buttons on two (or possibly more) adjacent rows with one finger. Fewer useful opportunities on a semitone box, but do fourth-apart players do this?

stevejay

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Re: Two buttons, one finger
« Reply #1 on: October 05, 2010, 09:44:21 PM »

You are going to get messed up at speed.
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Stiamh

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Re: Two buttons, one finger
« Reply #2 on: October 05, 2010, 10:15:30 PM »

You are going to get messed up at speed.

I was experimenting with chords at the end of a section of a tune or phrase, so that shouldn't apply. (For speed I use two fingers, one button...  ;) )
« Last Edit: October 05, 2010, 10:17:17 PM by Steve Jones »
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GbH

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Re: Two buttons, one finger
« Reply #3 on: October 05, 2010, 10:42:24 PM »

Nope, I hadn't thought of this before, either.  Instinctively, yes, it feels like 'bad technique'.  Yet, having just tried it, I can see that it gives options that would otherwise need the thumb, or perhaps not be possible at all.  A quick experiment shows that it works usefully accross the rows on my (D/G) instrument, too.
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Chris Brimley

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Re: Two buttons, one finger
« Reply #4 on: October 06, 2010, 08:48:43 AM »

That's a great idea!  I've recently had a similar Eureka moment, realising that it's surprisingly quite easy to slide at speed from a note on the third row to a note on the first row (D pull to C# pull in my case, for the tune Old Molly Oxford), missing out the two notes on the second row in between.  I think what's happening is that having the two springs pushing against your fingeer as it crosses betweeen the second row buttons means neither of them sounds.
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george garside

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Re: Two buttons, one finger
« Reply #5 on: October 06, 2010, 10:23:25 AM »

Had a Eureka moment just now, realizing that I can play two buttons on the same row at the same time with one finger, as in playing part of a right
I'm quite sure that, were there such a thing, this would be considered "bad technique". I've never heard it mentioned. But does anyone else do this?   


A very useful & certainly not a bad technique - I would say its   very a 'good' technique as I hva used it for many years. More importantly  learned it from watching a video of Shand himself using it!

an example of where to use it would be if playing  2 of the same note an octave apart i.e. with first & little finger     eg 3rd & 6th button on a 3rd button 'do' box the first finger can also bring in button 2  thus providing 3 instead of 2 notes  to thicken the tune up a bit. like any form of ornementation use  sparingly and only where it really adds to the tune.  It also makes sense to use it where it is easy to use as in the example I have given.

 george
« Last Edit: October 06, 2010, 10:40:18 AM by Theo »
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Howard Jones

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Re: Two buttons, one finger
« Reply #6 on: October 06, 2010, 11:39:41 AM »

I use it quite a lot, but I do it by putting my finger on the button on the G row and flattening it across the button on the D row.  This feels more positive than pressing on the space between the buttons.

george garside

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Re: Two buttons, one finger
« Reply #7 on: October 06, 2010, 11:55:36 AM »

whatever works best taking into account thickness of fingers  and spacing  of buttons

george
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rees

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Re: Two buttons, one finger
« Reply #8 on: October 06, 2010, 09:55:39 PM »

I use it quite a lot, but I do it by putting my finger on the button on the G row and flattening it across the button on the D row.  This feels more positive than pressing on the space between the buttons.

I also use this technique quite often.
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Ebor_fiddler

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Re: Two buttons, one finger
« Reply #9 on: October 06, 2010, 10:06:15 PM »

So do I, but I hadn't realised it was a respectable practice, so I've kept quiet about it!  :|bl Sliding the other way (G row to D) I have great difficulty with. Can anyone help here?  ???
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forrest

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Re: Two buttons, one finger
« Reply #10 on: October 07, 2010, 12:44:50 AM »



A related effect would be to press buttons on two (or possibly more) adjacent rows with one finger. Fewer useful opportunities on a semitone box, but do fourth-apart players do this?

Can't speak for others, but I play two buttons with one finger cross row quite frequently. Many useful combinations for this can be found on a "quint" tuned (or fourth apart box, depends on which way you are looking at it). It may seem foreign at first, but try holding your index finger across the tonic note of the inside and outside rows. Then pretend you are playing a one-row box, holding your finger(s) at the same angle. Of course you will get a wild 'mode flavored' melody, but you can hear that the two note combinations are not discordant. Then see which left hand chords/basses are compatible. After a while, you may find a couple of very useful favorites, and your fingers will become conditioned to adopt this position quickly, when need arises.
  As for playing two buttons on the same row using one finger, I only do this unintentionally :|bl
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rees

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Re: Two buttons, one finger
« Reply #11 on: October 07, 2010, 09:36:47 AM »

I occasionally finish a tune in D on a four note chord using only two fingers.
The chord is D6 or Bm7 depending on which way you look at it.
Press B and D on the G row and with the fingers flattened press F# and A on the D row.
It works with D or B in the bass.
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Ebor_fiddler

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Re: Two buttons, one finger
« Reply #12 on: October 07, 2010, 04:19:43 PM »

I find that the emptier the pint pot gets, the better the music sounds, until I fall over.  :|glug :|bl
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I'm a Yorkie!
My other melodeon's a fiddle, but one of my Hohners has six strings! I also play a very red Hawkins Bazaar in C and a generic Klingenthaler spoon bass in F.!! My other pets (played) are gobirons - Hohner Marine Band in C, Hohner Tremolo in D and a Chinese Thingy Tremolo in G.

stevejay

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Re: Two buttons, one finger
« Reply #13 on: October 07, 2010, 04:20:50 PM »

Across the rows seems very nice sometimes, and you can get some  pretty weird "good" tonalities. I need to use it more like a spice thanks for posting this.

 On the same row, it seems less necessary, and I'll probably pass.

 :Ph Odd I thought of this, but never played around with the possibilities. 5 Star post.

It would be interesting to hear some examples of things people come up with a double stop technique across the rows,  although some seem more useful than others.
« Last Edit: October 07, 2010, 04:25:50 PM by stevejay »
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forrest

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Re: Two buttons, one finger
« Reply #14 on: October 08, 2010, 04:11:46 AM »

Yes it works.  I have in the past played tunes using an empty* pint glass, and can report that they sound all the better for it.    :|glug*

Similar to "bottleneck" guitar? ;D
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Chris Ryall

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Re: Two buttons, one finger
« Reply #15 on: October 08, 2010, 07:23:35 AM »

Very much so actually, as a melodeon row is similarly tuned to an open chord.  You slide the glass and do the rest with bellows switches. OK, this is a cheapo pub trick but it's nice to put a friends's 4 year old on your knee and then do same with the child's hand. Needs a light touch but the kid actually feels they are playing. So far only one took it up - then stopped at about 6 tunes.

Nearer to topic (or maybe not) I commonly end up with a straight finger across all 3 rows.  Depending on what key we're in I get a nice (allegedly) blues clash chord (A or E), and pull G7 is also a straight finger chord for me.  Like to say I could do the same with the acerbic A7#9 I mentioned on the modes thread - but that's definitely a "two finger" chord  >:E
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Owen Woods

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Re: Two buttons, one finger
« Reply #16 on: October 08, 2010, 08:46:14 AM »

Hmm. Two buttons, one finger across rows is occasionally useful, although most of the time it isn't much bother to reach round and press it with a spare finger (but then I do have big hands and use all four fingers), but on the row? I'm struggling to think of a time where it would be a good idea to do so. There are few times where more than four notes are desirable on the RH and if you are playing less than five notes it just strikes me as bad technique.
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george garside

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Re: Two buttons, one finger
« Reply #17 on: October 08, 2010, 09:17:27 AM »

  if you are playing less than five notes it just strikes me as bad technique.

 'good technique'  aand 'bad technique'  are in many way terms beloved of   classicaily trained buffs.
In tradidtional music in general & possibly melodeon & button accordion playing in particular  there are many ways of skninning a pig, so to speak and  there are many equally valid ways of playing a particular tune  .

The only 'bad' technique is that which doesn't work well for a particular individual i.e. it neither enhances the tune or makes it easier to play. The way the digits are applied to the buttons   can only really be judged on how well (or not) it works.   Agonising over whether you are using good or bad technique is a great inhibiter- just get on  & experiment with different ways of playing  ;D the bugger!

george
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Keithypete.

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Re: Two buttons, one finger
« Reply #18 on: October 08, 2010, 10:27:41 AM »

There was a video posted quite a while ago -" L'Escargot" I think, - in which the melodeon player uses his thumb to great effect. If it works for you that is all that matters. You might well become a trend-setter.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhCz3Ig1mN4
« Last Edit: October 08, 2010, 10:33:53 AM by Keithypete. »
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Owen Woods

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Re: Two buttons, one finger
« Reply #19 on: October 08, 2010, 11:24:21 AM »

I disagree, but then we've clashed over this before :P Yes there are many different techniques available on the box, but some are better than others and I don't think that it's reasonable to allocate them all equal weighting.

Then again, I can't speak for everyone. Some people may find this technique to be helpful, however to myself I would describe this as a bad technique and I would expect that it would be a bad technique for lots of others.
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