play the accordion

I took my great grandfather’s accordion to be tuned. It will be out of the shop tomorrow and I have my first lesson.

I’m still a VERY amateur player, but a while back I joined a local all-accordion band. We’ve played shows at the veteran’s hospital, in the park, at the library and also at a regional accordion convention! Through this instrument I’ve come into contact with many wonderful people (as well as some strange characters). I’m mainly interested in Eastern European folk music and hope to expand my repertoire in that genre…

but haven’t played much recently. Yesterday i organized all my accordion music in a notebook, complete with tabs and everything! It feels so good to do that and it’s inspired me to play more.

I have acquired a toy accordion, and so far … I can fiddle with it so it. I want to learn songs on it or create songs on it! :)

So I met a young lady whose father owns a pawn shop, and she believes he just may have an accordion or two for sale! Depending on what kind of shape they’re in and how much he wants for them, i just may be a little closer to marking this off my list! :)

...I bought an old beat up accordion from a man selling used band instruments off the back of a pick up truck. I’d never played one before but decided I wanted to learn. It was only $80 and he even threw in an old beat up suitcase to lug it around in. I drove my apartment building nuts. It was loud and kinda wheezed a bit, and I never really became proficient enough to create a tone not unlike that of a slightly out of tune perhaps sinister calliope…but still a fun sound! I taught myself to play somewhat, and apart from some obligatory polkas learned a little Duran Duran, Police, and ABBA songs and was working on Bohemian Rhapsody when the instrument finally died.

How I long for the days when I’d stand in the window on the second floor, a plodding version of “Hungry like the Wolf” wafting across the sidewalk, puzzled pedestrians pausing to seek out the source of the tune. Good times…

Now I’m in South Carolina. The ethnic diversity is not like it is in Chicago, and as a result, I was dismayed to learn there is not a very large accordion playing population. I’ve been told by a number of music stores that I’ll have to go out of state to find an instrument, or try ebay (but I really hate to spend the money without seeing it in person). I keep trolling the thrift stores hoping a decent used one will show up eventually…and I know eventually one will because the music is in me and is screaming for release…

ive come so far…..i even forgat that i had opened this account an registered until people started recently replying, i have gone from holding the accordion upside down backwards, an playing as if i was left hand, i even switch accordions, i switched from playing a diatonic to playing a 5 row chromatic, i even thought myself how to read music, something i never new i learned an i thank god, now all i have to do is master the stradella bass on my accordion, i have certain books refering me to the berben method but its going to take the wil power for me to play, any tips will help, thanks guys for all your replys.