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Shredding On An Accordion...


Murph

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Seems hard enough to play an accordion with keys, but those button jobs gotta take some skills.  Even tiny ones.  [wink]

Being Polish, I grew up hearing mostly these-----

So your OP clip was a great change of pace!  [thumbup]

Whitefang

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I quite liked it. I don't mind accordions. I've heard them a lot in Tex Mex music and I love that stuff.

The only thing I would add is this. They were playing to impress and to experience the thrill of speed. The music itself would sound better if they backed down the tempo.

Also: If the director asked them to play it again but leaving out all the gratuitous notes, - how long would it be. 

Edited by merciful-evans
oversight
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45 minutes ago, merciful-evans said:

I quite liked it. I don't mind accordions. I've heard them a lot in Tex Mex music and I love that stuff.

I spent many years gigging in Louisiana and the Cajun and Zydeco music also used a lot of accordion. Wayne Toups was a major player back in those days.

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Yep.  While living in Southwest Detroit and married to what many would call a "Tejano"  I've heard a lot of those types of accordions.  But nothing with that rapid a pace.  Been to many a family wedding or other type of party with the Mexican polka band(complete with the electric guitar with the slightly out of tune 2nd string  [wink] ) playing cumbias dressed with plenty of that accordion sound. 

Whitefang

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On 6/14/2023 at 7:47 AM, Murph said:

And now for something completely different...

 

Play a banjo or accordion and it’s right to jail. Talented but I wouldn’t want to hear 2 songs in a row. It’s like the shredder guitarist. Yeah you can play 500 notes within 3 measures, but do you need to?

Edited by Sgt. Pepper
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Superb.  I saw Frank and Vinnie a few years ago when they came to the UK. 

 And - in the last century - I spent 3 years gaining my jazz rhythm chops in a Django-inspired trio/quartet.  The violinist was a Doctor of Music and the bass player was the genuine article, an old alcoholic jazzer who knew all the tunes. He was the one we all learned from.  There is always a case for playing fast in that genre, especially if you have a violinist.   There was a period in my life when that was the most important style of music to me.

Thanks, I think it's great.

[thumbup]

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1 hour ago, jdgm said:

Superb.  I saw Frank and Vinnie a few years ago when they came to the UK. 

 And - in the last century - I spent 3 years gaining my jazz rhythm chops in a Django-inspired trio/quartet.  The violinist was a Doctor of Music and the bass player was the genuine article, an old alcoholic jazzer who knew all the tunes. He was the one we all learned from.  There is always a case for playing fast in that genre, especially if you have a violinist.   There was a period in my life when that was the most important style of music to me.

Thanks, I think it's great.

[thumbup]

What genera is that? So a violin is in order to play fast on an accordion? 

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On 6/15/2023 at 5:20 AM, merciful-evans said:

I quite liked it. I don't mind accordions. I've heard them a lot in Tex Mex music and I love that stuff.

Meanwhile, next-door in Louisiana...

 

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On 6/15/2023 at 11:35 PM, Sgt. Pepper said:

What genera is that? So a violin is in order to play fast on an accordion? 

What I was trying to say (probably not very well) is that in 'gypsy' jazz or whatever you call it,  there is an element of playing fast purely to show off skill, same as in bebop and fusion.  

The violinist and bassist I mention above were two of the best musicians I have ever been lucky enough to play with.  But what got the audiences responding every time was the blindingly fast stuff rather than the beautiful interpretations of slower tunes.   I can't think, react or play a musical instrument that fast - with that level of speed and accuracy - and like a lot of people,  I wish I could.  It is undeniably impressive.  However I could also name many players who can do that but leave me cold.  

It is similar to pro sports today where you have to be practically superhuman just to be in the game.

And no, I've never seen an accordion played that fast before; but it was well played and the content was good too IMO.

Edited by jdgm
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On the other hand, I remember reading an interview with Paul Desmond in Downbeat some time ago in which he claimed,

"I don't practice for any predetermined time.  I'll practice until I start to notice I'm playing too fast, then I'll stop for a while or for the rest of the day."  [cool]

Whitefang

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Anyone ever heard of a "Chordette" by Excelsior. A friend found one while cleaning out an old farm house and gave it to me. It appears to be an electric Accordion, and still works well and is in great shape. (no pumping the manual bellows.)

 

 176360.jpg

176356.jpg

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Well, that's sure more elaborate than the EMENEE chord organ we had in the early '60's.  [laugh]

                                                                                                                           il_340x270.1407728756_mo94.jpg

Whitefang

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