ADDDITIONAL ACCOMPANIMENT

“It sounds good with the vocals and the acoustic guitar, but I think now we should add some drums!.” - Ringo to Paul after the recording of the song Yesterday.

Why let your accordion carry the load all by itself? One obvious add-on is your voice. Most people can sing somewhat. If you just can't, so be it. But, if you can, you should consider singing on some songs. But, “I can't sing and play at the same time”!   Address this problem in the same fashion as playing a difficult passage – slow down, take a piece at a time, and practice repetitively. In addition, simplify the accordion part until you find that you can play and sing simultaneously – then, you can increase the degree of difficulty of the accompaniment.

A basic technique is to use your voice (NOT the accordion) for the main melody and use the accordion's right hand to chord along in the background and to fill in with counter melodies.

Adding electronics to your instrument can provide other options. An amplifier with a 15 inch speaker greatly enhances the bass sound and can add emphasis to the bass lines you use in your arrangements.

Use of added electronics such as a rhythm machine increase the robustness of your arrangements.

RETURN TO MAIN

IMPROVISING

USING THE ACCORDION'S CAPABILITIES

ARTISTIC TECHNIQUES

SONG SELECTION

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