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Author Topic: Thinking of taking up melodeon  (Read 6343 times)

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Anahata

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Re: Thinking of taking up melodeon
« Reply #20 on: December 29, 2010, 10:05:22 AM »

Even when I play a two or three-row, I tend to play on a single row with 2 left buttons (very often 1) only.
This is the most natural and oldest style of melodeon playing.

And arguably, the least musical, harmonically ;) I HATE hearing tunes played on the one-row without the subdominant. It just sounds wrong :(

I beg to differ with both of you. That style doesn't sound nice on a typical two-row instrument, but on a properly constructed one-row box it sounds fine. Not only that, but Cajun players get away with playing a subdominant chord on the tonic note (e.g. playing in G on a C box)  and somehow you don't notice that either.

Additionally, when a subdominant chord is required, on a one-row you can leave out the LH, and often you can get at least the root and 3rd of the subdominant chord on the RH. Usually when I'm playing one-row my right fingers are getting severely stretched and exercised as I'm playing a lot more than the tune.

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waltzman

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Re: Thinking of taking up melodeon
« Reply #21 on: December 29, 2010, 11:49:58 AM »

Forget all that other key stuff - the best melodeon has 10 buttons in the right and 2 in the left!
What a profound and fundamental statement! I completely agree.
Even when I play a two or three-row, I tend to play on a single row with 2 left buttons (very often 1) only.
This is the most natural and oldest style of melodeon playing.

And arguably, the least musical, harmonically ;) I HATE hearing tunes played on the one-row without the subdominant. It just sounds wrong :(

You have to think of it as a rhythm instrument that can play melody.  Most dancers don't care a rat about the subdominant as long as the rhythm is cooking.   >:E
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Owen Woods

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Re: Thinking of taking up melodeon
« Reply #22 on: December 29, 2010, 12:07:33 PM »

I beg to differ with both of you. That style doesn't sound nice on a typical two-row instrument, but on a properly constructed one-row box it sounds fine. Not only that, but Cajun players get away with playing a subdominant chord on the tonic note (e.g. playing in G on a C box)  and somehow you don't notice that either.

Additionally, when a subdominant chord is required, on a one-row you can leave out the LH, and often you can get at least the root and 3rd of the subdominant chord on the RH. Usually when I'm playing one-row my right fingers are getting severely stretched and exercised as I'm playing a lot more than the tune.



The difference is that subdominant on tonic sounds nice :P Dominant on what should be subdominant doesn't. On a D/G I use C/D a lot against a G tonic. And yes, true, you can fudge it by leaving out the left hand and doing harmony, but why not have another bass? It would make it so much more musical.
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Chris Ryall

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Re: Thinking of taking up melodeon
« Reply #23 on: December 29, 2010, 12:59:37 PM »

Agree with Ukebert - the Tonic+5th is a pretty feeble harmony! Bear in mind that it is a simple 2nd harmonic. Of course Tonic+4th in mathematically the same, but at least that's an inverted interval, and also isn't a chord of our RH diatonic scale. "So there is tension".   My own 'Morris' organetto actually had G/D and C/C chords left end and with all notes both ways some really interesting effects were possible.

But this isn't about 5ths and 4ths.  Its about those who feel their music as a melody line and rhythm v those who feel their music as a harmonic structure with rhythm.  Both are of course correct.

BTW:  Anyone for the "sensitive female progression" (Am,F,C,G) I offered on today's backing trackthread ... Now that's really sexy  :P
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