USING THE ACCORDION'S CAPABILITIES

“When the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem is a nail.” - Old Adage

With the exception of the new keyboard workstations, there is no musical instrument more robust than an accordion.

Are you taking advantage of all of the physical capabilities?

Let's look at the right hand keyboard.

• Be sure that you are fluid with scales all of the way up and all of the way down.

• Use glissando up and glissando down.

• Play melodies in one area of the keyboard (lower or higher) and play counter- melodies at the opposite area.

• Use ALL of your registers. Experiment with each song by trying each register with lower position keys and with upper position keys. 

With the left hand keyboard:

• Again, the importance of scales is basic. As you use the keyboard more aggressively, the confidence that you will hit the keys you seek will improve (I would recommend that you look at the left hand fingers while you play, but I could get sued for the attendant medical expenses).

• Depart from the um-pah-pah bass pattern. Base runs are the first step. Using single notes to augment chords or create chords is another step.

• Use ALL of your registers.

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Creative use of the bellows can be enhancing to your song or and indication that your arms are not long enough.

RETURN TO MAIN

IMPROVISING

SONG SELECTION

ARTISTIC TECHNIQUES

ADDITIONAL ACCOMPANIMENT

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