(Newbie question) Stradella fingering?
necz0r
I am a newcomer at playing the accordion. I've practiced on my own and
learned three pieces through so far. Still, I am not sure if I'm
treating the bass side properly, ie. doing fingering as you're meant
to.
Not teachers or courses are available in my area, so I come to you for
advice.
As it is now, these pieces simply use a single bass note and a single
chord note. So I have been using my middle finger for the bass and my
pointy finger for the chord. And then improvising when trying
something different.
How do you work fingering on an accordion with a Stradella bass
system?
Thanks in advance.
Iam
I look forward to seeing how people respond to this. I use my ring
finger for the bass note and my middle finger for the major chord; I
use my index finger for alternate bass notes, minor chords, 7th chords
and diminished chords. This leaves my little finger available for (the
occasional) counter bass notes and makes it much easier to make the
reach to 7th and diminished chords. A friend who has been playing far
longer than I told me early on when I was learning to use my middle
finger for the bass note and my index finger for the chords but I
never followed his advise. He has also played mostly on instruments
that do not have 7th and diminished chords so I don't think he has
been as aware of the comfort factor my method allows for on a fuller
ranged bass side like the one on my 96 bass b system 5 row chromatic.
David Kastrup
> I am a newcomer at playing the accordion. I've practiced on my own and
> learned three pieces through so far. Still, I am not sure if I'm
> treating the bass side properly, ie. doing fingering as you're meant
> to.
>
> Not teachers or courses are available in my area, so I come to you for
> advice.
A self-course book would certainly be worth buying.
> As it is now, these pieces simply use a single bass note and a single
> chord note. So I have been using my middle finger for the bass and my
> pointy finger for the chord.
That is a bad idea since you waste both ring and little finger on the
counterbass row and have to use the index finger for every chord, even
the far diminuished ones.
The prominent bass finger should be the ring finger. The most common
counterbass pattern does not actually use the counter bass row, When
numbering thumb through pinky 1 to 5, you will play, say:
C(4) cmaj(3) G(2) cmaj(3)
The pattern for seventh is different:
C(4) cmaj7(2) G(3) cmaj7(2)
(except that for the maj7, the counterbass row is often used, leading to
C(4) cmaj7(2) E_(4 or 5) cmaj(2)).
Which of those patterns to use for the minor chord counter basses is
mostly a matter of taste and finger thickness.
> And then improvising when trying something different.
>
> How do you work fingering on an accordion with a Stradella bass
> system?
You really should get some beginner's book. Costs less than a single
lesson and answers questions more reliably than Usenet.
--
David Kastrup, Kriemhildstr. 15, 44793 Bochum
Il Pasticciere
>
> As it is now, these pieces simply use a single bass note and a single
> chord note. So I have been using my middle finger for the bass and my
> pointy finger for the chord.
Using the middle finger for the bass and your index finger (aka
"pointy finger") for the chord is acceptable.
Whether the prominent bass finger should be the middle finger or the
ring finger is a matter of opinion and preference. Neither is wrong
and each "school" has its valid arguments for and against. I agree
that it is in your best interest to get a beginner's book, but I will
also add that if you choose Palmer-Hughes, you will have the option of
choosing either fingering - the key is to pick one and be consistent.
I recently went through making this same decision with my instructor,
and what you will generally find is that the majority of European
players will use the ring finger and the majority of American players
will use the middle finger (as it was explained to me by several
sources). When you use the middle finger on the bass row, you would
use the index finger to play the Major and Minor chords, but to do the
7th and Diminished chords, you switch to using the ring finger on the
bass row.
> And then improvising when trying
> something different.
I really can't stress enough to get a good accordion method book -
regardless of which "method" you choose, the worst thing you can do is
incorrectly learn the fingerings. This will impede your progress more
than anything else. With consistency comes accuracy and agility.
I hope you are having fun with the instrument and wish you luck on
your new journey.
GinoG...@gmail.com
I dont know if I will ever get my picky to work like that, but I guess
it sounds right being used in the 7th diminished row.
necz0r
primary bass, index finger on min-dim chords way! It hurt a bit at
first but now it feels like I can't go back to the other way, and like
it's more easy getting around the bass layout.
Alan Sharkis
Congrats on the switch. The argument about what is correct has been
going on since Stradella bass was invented, and some people refer to
what you're using now as the "European fingering," more commonly known
as 4-3.
You will find that the fingering you just got used to is great for
bass-chord uum-pah, but as time goes on you won't be limited to it.
For example, you might find, in the key of C (major or minor) that an
occasional E-flat bass will come up and you will have a choice of
using your pinkie for that E-flat, or risking a jump in hand position
an awful lot..
Or, you might switch back to the 3-2 you started with when you have
more intricate bass runs or bass solos that call for using the
counterbass row along with what you're doing now. There's a passage
in the old Magnante arrangement of Espana Cani, for example, where you
have to go back and forth from alternating between an A-bass-A-major
pattern and an A-bass-D-minor pattern, and the suggested fingering for
that section is 3-2.
I learned 4-3 when I was a kid. When I started taking lessons again
about two years ago, I explained to my teacher that I was used to
using 4-3. He said that it didn't matter. In view of what I'm doing
now (4-3 as a foundation, and pinkies or 3-2 when necessary) he was
absolutely right.
Take care, and good luck with the rest of your studies.
Alan
On Mon, 28 Apr 2008 13:39:43 -0700 (PDT), necz0r <necr...@gmail.com>
wrote:
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__
You can read the FAQ for alt.binaries.karaoke at:
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garyda...@msn.com
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ciao
gd