Three systemsThe free-bass is a type of keyboard system that is found on some accordions. Unlike the Stradella-bass system, all of the buttons on a free-bass keyboard play single notes, not chords. The free-bass also has a bigger range of notes than the Stradella system, and it is more difficult to play out a tune with it. Due to this, the free bass system is used more often to play serious classical music with less transcription involved.Most bass systems can switch between the Stradella and free-bass systems, while some accordions have free-bass only or auxiliary free-bass rows in addition to the Stradella buttons (sometimes called a bassetti).There are two common free-bass systems: one is the chromatic free bass, where the notes move in a chromatic pattern upwards or downwards (see chart at right).
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The other is the quint bass system, which has a note system similar to the Stradella bass layout, but spread over several octaves. The former system gives you around five octaves of range in the left hand, and the latter about three without a register change. Usually, only big and expensive accordions have free-bass and it is still a relatively new concept; chances are the instrument you have, or are looking to buy, does not have it. As a beginning accordionist, you should not be too worried about it. Small bassetti accordion models are available, having a reduction in their range (or scope) for the novice and younger performer.The study of free bass is currently beyond the scope of this module, although it may be covered at a later date. Knowing the free-bass system is not essential to becoming a professional accordionist; many pieces can be played just as well on the Stradella system, although free bass is useful for complex pieces like piano music or three/four voice counterpoint (which can frequently be played note-for-note without any transcription even necessary).
I'm an amateur accordion player who is having difficulties with the bass side. There's no problem when I'm using close keys such as jumping from C to A.
Nydana's Chord Combination Chart. This document shows the Stradella layout and how to combine chord buttons to produce various kinds of chords. An interesting article by Stephen Keen, found on Hans Palm's accordion website, was the source of inspiration for this chord combination chart. Accordion/Left hand. Jump to navigation Jump to search. A 96-button Stradella bass layout on an accordion. The Stradella bass system (also called the standard bass sometimes) is a type of button layout you find on the left (or bass) side of almost all accordions. It uses columns of buttons arranged in a.
But when I need to jump to a further key such as from A to Bb, I usually press a wrong key.Is there a common (or natural) left hand position preferred by accordionists? I mean, is there a way that accordionists position their left hand on the accordion? Do they know it just by looking at the chords in the song?I've watched several accordionists on Youtube and couldn't figure out any specific style.If the answer is no, what do you recommend me to improve my left hand? Do you recommend any source of exercise set?
You could pick up converter/MIII accordion. That way one gets a lot of practice in finger changes, intervals and so on. The normal standard bass play rarely requires that kind of stuff. The somewhat less resource-intensive version is practicing the bass line play on standard bass. Try finding music that uses the standard bass for a lot more than Oom-pah accompaniment. If you can play scales and later melodies by ear on the standard basses, you'll be a lot better acquainted with distances and finger changes and so on.–Mar 22 '14 at 19:23. I think your answer might depend on what style (and key, and so on) of music you are playing, as well as what size (style?
I don't know the word) of accordion you are using.I use the standard 120-button size accordion, and as a general rule (for my songs so far) I place my middle finger on C to start. I think I shift my middle finger to the key of the song I'm playing in.If a song requires chords that are not easily accessible from a 'root' position of middle finger on the base of the key, you may want to find a nicer position or learn to shift. Exercises that helped me learn to shift were simply practicing arpeggios and scales, starting slowly while reading the chord chart, and moving towards memorization and faster speeds. You could also try playing the bass line of difficult songs alone. I'm sure your instructor has more ideas for left-hand improvement etudes. The accepted answer states proposes the middle finger on the key bass to start.
It is listed under 'as a general rule (for my songs so far)'. I tend to suspect that the parenthetical remark points to little actual experience underlying the urge to provide a helpful answer to another beginner.That's actually a rather strange starting position: the typical Oom-pah accompaniment using (lower case chord, upper case bass note) C-c-G-c (4/4) or C-c-c-G-c-c (3/4) can be fingered 4-3-2-3 and 4-3-3-2-3-3 respectively (assuming that thumb-index-middle-ring-pinky are numbered 1-2-3-4-5). While minor key Oom-pah C-cm-cm-G-cm-cm can be played well using the 4-2-3-2 pattern, it is more usual to revert to 4-3-4-3 here: minor keys tend to involve a lot of switching between major, minor, and seventh chords, and playing the basic minor pattern starting with 4-2 rather than the major-typical 4-3 requires planning ahead for comparatively little gain.
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