Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum This is for Monica and Anyone Else Who Dares Admit to Playing the Accordian

An Apology to Accordianists everywhere:

http://well-temperedforum.groupee.net/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/9030004433/m/5310001164

Borrowed from Well Tempered Forum

Wow, certainly changed my opinion of the accordian.

Thanks for pointing these clips out... that guy can really play.

That's amazing ... Really wonderful.

I noticed on WTF that someone commented about the instrument having all buttons and no keys and was told that it is a "chromatic accordian." Interesting. I think that concertinas have all buttons, but that might be a size issue ... not enough real estate for keys.

What type of accordian did (do) you play, Monica? More importantly, where are your videos?

Huttima, Huttima, Huttima!
Wowwsa!

Never heard that played on an accordian before!

I already admitted to having played the accordion in my very first post. I further admit that I even know the correct spelling.

I'm tempted to post my old accordion orchestra (including me) playing (let's say) Stars and Stripes, for comparison, but I can help it for now.

A piano accordion, dh, and fortunately for everybody on this forum and the internet, I stopped playing accordion before videocameras were invented.

p.s. to glitzer: I was in an accordion band, too (we called ourselves "The Reedettes" :rolleyes: ), and "Stars and Stripes" was one of our crowd-pleasers as well.

Yes, these are fun memories. Actually, we never got that transition right, after the famous (melodious) theme occurs for the first time. I mean the eighths in parts 3, 4, which are a bit a nasty after it was so nice and easy before. Typically about one of these will get lost...

PS: Probably it's just philistine me, but I actually enjoyed the Nutcracker recording from the same site much more.

But . . . could you play like this guy? Sheesh, he is amazingly talented. I never knew an accordion could sound that wonderful. Okay, here's the deal. All those accordion jokes are now officially banjo jokes.

There's a local businessman who advertises on radio stations. He is a banjo player. Every commercial is filled with silly banjo player jokes. They are very similar to the accordion jokes. Things like:

What do you have when a banjo player is up to his neck in water? Not enough water.

What do you call a banjo player in a 3 piece suit? The defendant.

Hey, that reminds me of the drummer jokes, too.

A drummer decides to become an accordion player. He goes to the music store and asks to look at accordions. The salesman points at a display of accordions. After staring at them for a few minutes, he tells the salesman, "I'll take the big red one."

The salesman says, "You're a drummer aren't you?"

"Wow, that's right. How did you know?"

"That big red accordion is the radiator."



--Dennis

Here's a video of my favorite accordion player... I've seen her live and she's actually quite a musical talent:

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Phoebe+Legere+npr&search=Search

If you want to see more of her, do a search on youtube for her "sloth" environmental video on Ipanema beach... I hesitate to put the link here for reasons you'll understand if you locate it. Fwiw, she does all the accordion, pianos, and vocals in that video.


Howard

Q: What did the drummer get on his SATs?
A: Drool

I was listening to a favorite autumn CD this morning and realized there was an accordion accompaniment! I never paid attention to it before. It's Emerson, Lake & Palmer's song, C'est la Vie, on Works, Vol.1 I had never noticed it before, but it sure blows my "polka" mentality of accordion playing.

Nancy

Q: what's the difference between onions and accordions?

A:people cry when they chop up onions

Q: Why did God make drummers a little smarter than horses?
a: so they wouldn't crap on the parade ground

Those pieces are challenging enough on a piano or organ keyboard... but an accordian. I wouldn't have believed if I hadn't see that video.

Thanks for sharing the youtube link; it made my day.

There is a busker in the Paris Métro who plays many of the great Bach organ works on the accordion. His technique is flawless, and it is quite eerie to hear that music reverberating around the subway tunnels.

Every time I visit I hear him; lately I'm beginning to wonder if there may be more than one virtuoso Bach accordéoniste down in those tunnels...

WOW I saw Paul Simon just of late and he had an accordian in his band...just for those wannabees

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjJQwTKYfd4

Here's another one, wow, if you close your eyes you can't tell it's not an organ, the guy is amazing.

Here's the same piece on a real organ:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pY08e_tdtA

...also uber amazing.

Many truck drivers play guitar. I am a pianist. I tried a 61-note keyboard but it was too cumbersome with the cords and all and the converters. I keep a large accordion in the sleeper and have a ball with it. I've never had a single lessons but have pretty much figured it out.

An accordion is like an acoustic (versus digital or electronic) organ. Needs no plug or electrical source and makes its sounds by vibrating natural products.

I hope they make a comeback. Hammonds did.