September 2012 Newsletter
Our extravaganza is just around the corner. Events are at 9350 - 82 street.
(SEESA - South East Edmonton Seniors Centre)
September 28, 29 and 30. TIX On the Square for tickets 780 420 1757 or
phone 780 468 4788 to reserve tickets. For info call 780 929 8836
Check out our Website: www.edmontonaccordion.com
Friday Cabaret 7:30 pm Tickets $10.00
Come with your family
and friends and relax to an evening of music, dance and fun.Kick back and relax to the
varied entertainment on the stage, meet and greet with the members of the Edmonton
Accordion club and explore the accordion trade show. Look through our photo albums and
check out the past members and events of the Edmonton Accordion Society.
Saturday Daytime Daytime Admission $6.00
Competitions- (9:00 am – noon)
Trade show & crafts -check out the gear
Open Stage- All kinds of players – all kinds of fun! The Open Stage swings into action
with a new performer every 15 minutes. Children, seniors, duets, impromptu groups,
professionals and amateurs “strut their stuff” in this non-stop musical show. This year
the audience may be able to vote on their favorite act! Show off your skills? Play on
the “Open Stage.” Sign up at the festival auditorium – Saturday at SEESA.
Workshops (1:00 – 4:00) $5.00 fee (Children are free)Geared for accordion students,
Anthony Roland will focus on basic information all serious players should have.
Following this will be another workshop that appeals to the arrangers among us.
Saturday Night Concert 7:30 pm Admission $20.00
Starring: Corky Bennett and the award winning accordionist/vocalist duo Anthony
Rolando and Valerie Vacco. Advance tickets recommended.
Sunday Daytime Daytime Admission $6.00
Pancake Breakfast
(9:00 – 11:00) $5.00
Competitions 9:00 am Trade Show & crafts Open Championship
Accordion Band Showcase
ACCORDION TRADE SHOW! Do you have a used accordion to sell? Are you looking for a
used accordion? An Edmonton Accordion Society member can help you with an appraisal of
your instrument and we'll display it for sale all weekend. For maximum exposure, it's best to
bring your accordion on Friday, September 28th. A nominal commission of 10% to a maximum
of $100.00 is payable to The Edmonton Accordion Society if your instrument is sold. For more
information on Accordion Extravaganza, see our website www.edmontonaccordion.com. Accordions around town
Did any of you have the opportunity to attend the Edmonton Folk Festival? There were so many
groups that had accordion players. It was just wonderful. A number of accordion players have
been busy promoting the accordion around town. During Capital Ex, Nick Fedchyshyn played at
nine different pancake breakfasts. Paul Kobasiuk has been playing at the Ukranian Village. “Of
One Accord Accordion Orchestra” played at Ronald McDonald house this summer.
Kimberley Update
A number of Edmonton Accordionists did well at
the KIOTAC competitions. Congratulations to
Dennis Bourdon, Kristin Owerko, George Jaegli,
Ola Kawa, Tony Kawa, Jordan Rody, and Paul
Kobasiuk. You can enjoy a video of Austin Kawa
playing on the platzl at http://kiotac.ca/2012-videoaustin-kawa/
Photo - Tony Kawa and Ola Kawa in Kimberley
July 2012
Buttons and Keys, Free Bass and Basetti, Bayan and…. What?
Michael Bridge -‐ August 19, 2012
June McNeil wrote to me several days ago asking if I would submit an article describing the various types of accordion I play, for publication in the EAS newsletter. Once I began writing, I did not feel right about only including a physical description, and omitting the reasons and stories, as I know them, which explain the quirks of our instrument. Though I tried to be concise, it turned into a bit of a novella. Thank you June, for this wonderful idea. It has been an opportunity for me to try to piece together everything I have heard.
The Piano Accordion
Most Canadians and Americans are not aware that the piano accordion was initially a marketing gimmick for North America, and is quite different from the original accordion. Around the turn of the 20th century, Italian-‐American businessmen (Guido and Pietro Deiro come to mind) noticed that everybody had pianos in their parlors, and therefore endeavored to popularize the piano accordion because it was familiar and appealing. Who wouldn’t want a “portable piano?” It also eliminated the need to accommodate different ranges and systems from the onslaught of European instruments brought over by immigrants. The piano accordion was made known to literally millions of people through the Deiro brothers’ Vaudeville performances and music publications. They were aggressive marketers; if you search Guido Deiro on YouTube, you will ]ind several videos that deliberately introduce him as “World’s Foremost Piano Accordionist.” Galla-‐Rini acknowledged Pietro Deiro to be a great businessman (and, according to Mario Mosti, a copyright thief), but much less of a musician. According to Henry Doktorski’s book, The Brothers Diero and Their Accordions, all of Pietro’s classical compositions (such as Trieste and Tranquillo Overtures) were written by the well-‐known ghostwriters Alfred d’Auberge and Henri Klickmann. However, it cannot be denied that the Deiro brothers, as businessmen, did more than anyone else to kick-‐start the popularity of the accordion in North America. Finally by the 1930s, the accordion was becoming less controlled by business people and more directed by serious musicians.
I grew up in Canada, 70 years later, naturally studying on piano accordion. In 2007, when I went to Washington D.C. to watch the CIA World Cup of accordion, I was surprised to see most international virtuosi performing on button accordions. Before we got back to Calgary, my teacher, Beverley Fess, and I agreed that I was going to make the switch to buttons. Though I now play classical music almost exclusively on chromatic accordion, I still love and actively perform on my ]irst instrument. Both systems have their merits. Speci]ically, I ]ind that jazz improvisation involving chords and any type of glissandi still comes to me more naturally on a piano keyboard. However, any type of arpeggio is, comparatively, ridiculously easy on chromatic. We will talk more about this.
Chromatic Accordion -‐ Right Hand
The chromatic accordion (less commonly called a button accordion, so as not to confuse it with a diatonic button box, which is very different) has three, four, or ]ive rows of buttons on the right hand. On any instrument, all the notes of the chromatic scale are contained within the three outermost rows; the fourth and ]ifth row (if present) are duplicates of other rows, which facilitates ]ingering. The two main variations are C-‐system, where C is located on the outside row and the buttons zigzag from the outside toward to grill, and B-‐
system where B is on the outside row (and C has moved to the third row.) The easiest scale to play is the chromatic scale—the ]ingering is 1 2 3 1 2 3, etc. This, however, is not the actual reason for the instrument’s name. Technically, chromatic is the antonym to diatonic, and actually means “an instrument where the push and pull of the bellows produces the same tone.” By that de]inition, piano accordions are also chromatic instruments. However, we have come to use the word chromatic to describe non-‐diatonic button accordions—I just thought I would mention this for interest’s sake.
There are two schools of ]ingering on chromatic accordion. Initially, the thumb was never used, because it was thought to be sluggish compared to the other ]ingers. However, that idea has been almost entirely replaced by the notion, “If you have ]ive ]ingers, use them all.” In Russia, many B-‐system players still use a four ]inger system, however this is because B-‐
system actually does lend itself to a particular slope of the hand that makes using the thumb less necessary. Because of the mystical chromatic keyboard, the overwhelming view in North American is that the chromatic accordion is faster, which is false. (The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence…) Scale-like passages can be played just as fast on both systems, with proper training and hand relaxation. The only advantage chromatic players possess is the ability to play pitches that are further apart with greater ease, because they are physically closer. This makes large jumps and arpeggios more manageable. Also, double scales (two scales with one hand) are much easier because of lucky anomalies in the keyboard layout. Because of these facts, I know a lot of piano accordionists who feel that they have an inferior instrument and can’t compete on par. This might be true with classical pieces that demand large jumps and a big hand. But in any other style of music, I maintain that both systems can play at lightning speed and with amazing accuracy. The piano accordion is a wonderful instrument and I will never stop playing it.
North American Instruments
Let’s step back a bit. For the ]irst half of the 20th century, the USA and Canada were a huge part of the developing accordion world. Nearly all new cross-‐style repertoire and demand for innovative instruments took place on this continent. Perhaps the best-‐known ]igure for technical advancement of the accordion was another familiar name, Anthony Galla-‐Rini. He made two important technical contributions that are now worldwide standards. First, he was a huge advocate with accordion manufacturers to remove the 5th (note) from all 7th chords in Stradella bass, thus making it possible to play augmented chords. (Did you know your stradella bass accordion does that? It also plays major 7th, minor 7th, major 9th, minor ]lat 9th, and augmented sixth chords.) Second, Galla-‐Rini enforced the realization of absolute pitch. What’s that? It is the idea that accordionists should differentiate between multiple octaves of bass notes on the left hand, and always play at the correct octave indicated on the music—not an easy task with Stradella bass. He had special accordions built for himself and many of his students with over 20 switches on the left hand—repetitions of a few registers over and over again. As such, register changes were convenient and could actually be part of the ]ingering (something I highly recommend doing anyways, regardless of you instrument.) Then, Titano began to distribute Quint system free bass instruments, eliminating all the register changes, and we were off to the races with a new era.
Free Bass
There are three main free bass systems: Basetti, Bayan, and Quint. Free bass means that the left hand side of the instrument has a multi-‐octave range and can play individual notes in all of these octaves. Unlike Stradella bass, free bass enables the performer to play multi-‐octave scales, chords in any inversion, and melody with the left hand far more easily than on Stradella. One hundred and eighty-‐bass instruments (like the Hohner Gola, Morino, and Giulietti Super) were in North America as far back as the 1950s. The free bass notes are contained in three extra rows between the Stradella bass and the bellows. Convertor basses look exactly like a standard 120 instrument. However, the M, m, 7, and o chord rows can be transformed into individual notes at the push of a switch. Also, Giulietti produced a few rare free-‐bass-‐only models.
Here is the breakdown of each system: in Quint free bass, the M and m chord rows transform into Stradella bass 1 octave higher than the fundamental rows. The 7th and o rows do likewise, adding a third octave. You have six rows of Stradella bass, in groups of two rows. In North America, Titano ]irst dominated the converter market with (to my knowledge) exclusively Quint system. Unfortunately, it has now become unpopular with most international artists (aside from 2009 world champion Grayson Mace]ield) and is now rarely taught at the conservatory level. Aside from musical politics, I can think of two reasons why this happened. First, 99.9% of converter accordions are “tuned to C” (common terminology meaning that the lowest sounding reed is C). Conversely, nearly all Basetti or Bayan instruments are tuned to low E (a minor sixth below), making them sound hugely powerful in comparison. Quint system builders were never able extend the range to E because it would have required the player to transfer octaves (by moving the hand into the next set of rows) at a different point in the scale, therefore requiring a completely new and foreign ]ingering. Before we can get to the second reason, let’s talk about the other systems.
In Basetti and Bayan free bass, low notes and high notes lie at opposite ends of the button board. In fact, the only noteworthy difference is the direction of low to high notes. Basetti houses the lowest notes at the top of the keyboard, near the air button, while bayan is the opposite. Because these systems grew popular in many different parts of the world, many names were invented. “Basetti” could also be called “Italian free bass” or “C-‐system free bass”. “Bayan system free bass”, “Russian system free bass” and “B system free bass” all mean exactly the same thing. (However, “Finish system” and, rarely, “Danish system” do refer to different button layouts.) To be honest, although the button layouts on these systems do vary slightly, the hand technique required to play them is completely transferable.
Recognized pioneers of free-‐bass in North America were, among many others, William Cosby, Tito Giudotti, and Stephen Dominco. In Russia, the two most recognized teachers are Viacheslav Semionov and Friedrich Lips (both also composer/arrangers of some amazing accordion music) at the G’nesin Academy in Moscow. In Serbia and Croatia, there are thousands of conservatory free-‐bass students—who, interestingly, play almost exclusively Pigini. In Finland, Mika Vayrynen and Matti Rantanen are well-‐known players are teachers, Kimmo Mattila hosts the Primus Ikalinen, a televised international competition, and the CIA (Confederation International des Accordéonists, the largest international accordion organization) houses its archives of almost every free bass piece that has ever been performed at an international competition. In France, André Astier and Joe Baseli published still-‐popular method books, and now Frederique Deschamps, the “trainer of world champions”, and Jaques Mornet have their own world-‐famous (though small and competitive) accordion academies for both free bass and entertainment music. The same is true in Germany, with Sephan Hussong, revered interpreter of Bach on accordion. In Canada, we have our very own claim to fame with contemporary accordionist Joseph Macerollo (UofT) and two excellent accordion schools: Toronto and Victoria. Free bass is not only used in classical music, borderline-‐pop music ensembles like Motion Trio (Poland), Bayan Mix (Russia), and Zoltan Orotz (Hungary) use it frequently. Peter Soave (France/
USA) and Julian Labro (USA) have both inspired me to pursue free bass improvisation. In Brazil and Mexico, the accordion is a frequently used instrument in pop music. The list goes on for 5 pages. Finally, in China, did you know that there are over one hundred thousand accordion students right now? I often laugh when someone asks me if the accordion is popular. I say, “Everywhere but here!” However, that’s not quite true. The accordion is making a comeback in North America—there is no question about that. This year, we experienced some great losses with the passing of jazz greats Art Van Damme and Frank Morocco. However, for every great accordionist we lose, I hear 10 kids that promise to become wonderful musicians. This leads me to the last category of instrument that I play.
Digital Accordion
The age of electronics in the accordion began decades ago, when brands names like Zero-‐
Sette and Elka-‐Vox introduced instruments capable of generating synthesized tones. In many ways, they were the accordion industry’s answer to the hugely popular house Hammond (and other) organs that emerged with the Rock & Roll movement, as they produced organ and string tones that could be mixed with the acoustic accordion sounds.
The most important advancement for the electronic music industry was the introduction of MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface). The purpose of MIDI is to instantaneously record and transmit information about how a player interacts with their instrument, and then to transmit this to a sound-‐generating module. For example, an electronic keyboard “notices” and remembers when you strike the key, how hard you press it, and how long you hold it. This information is then sent to a sound production module (inside or outside the keyboard), which then generates a sound using this information.
In accordions, MIDI information is generated by small contacts that are installed under the keyboard (one for every key). On the left hand, special processing is used so that the contacts placed under the chords know they must “play” three notes. Most accordion manufacturers now offer the option of installing MIDI contacts on new instruments, which is much cheaper than having them installed after the fact. In North America, the cost of installing MIDI contacts into an old instrument can approach $2,000.
Two pioneers of the all-‐digital (reedless) accordion were the French artisan company Cavagnolo, and the Japanese mega-‐corporation Roland, now both experiencing their second decade of popularity. The purpose of the reedless accordion, according to both companies, has never been to replace the acoustic accordion. Roland, in particular, offers the digital accordion as an alternative to the traditional acoustic. It works both ways, there are a huge number of sounds and techniques that are possible on both the Roland and on the acoustic accordions that are just not possible on the other. Just as a person who speaks many languages can communicate with more people, a person who plays both acoustic and digital can de]initely play an ever-‐wider range of repertoire.
Roland V-‐Accordions (“virtual” accordions) are unquestionably the most popular, particularly in North America. Initially, I found that accordionists became very divided—
they either liked the Roland or they did not. I believe that a lot of traditionalists (including myself) thought that the Roland was going to marginalize acoustic instruments. This year, I have been one of the most active Roland performers in North America—70 concerts in the last 4 months. I encourage everyone to try one. Personally, my least favourite accordion sounds are the default settings, which everyone hears when they turn on the instrument. Next time you have the chance, ask the Roland rep to switch to “Set #40.” You will have a whole new experience. Try adding Fingered Bass to the left hand, maybe a Guitar Chord and drums too.
Personally, I love the digital accordion. For solo dancehall gigs and most outdoor performances, it is my instrument of choice. As there are no microphones, there is no risk of feedback. Ever. The bass sounds and drums (played live with the left hand) make the instrument sound like a full band!
My Prides and Joys
Whenever I can, I travel armed with at least three instruments. Selina is a Pigini Bayan Sirius with C-‐system chromatic right hand and Basetti convertor free bass. She has four reeds in the right hand and seven in the bass. She has a double tone chamber (also called “cassotto”) on both hands, which means that the bassoon and clarinet reedblocks are further recessed inside the instrument, adding warmth and richness to the sound. One of my greatest mentors is Leo Niemi, a master accordion builder, technician and tuner in Sudbury, ON. We have tuned her bassoon, clarinet, and piccolo reeds to exactly A440. The concertina reeds (clarinet, out of the tone chamber) is in tune on the highest notes but slowly moves away to add richness at the bottom end. She has seven chin registers, and I am in the process of adding an eighth. On the left, she is tuned to low E and I have added some extra Gola reeds into the bass section and adjusted the response. Selina was also my ]irst instrument who I named, because she plays differently every day. I am not crazy, but I speak completely serious when I say she is alive! This makes me constantly change how I play and forces the music to never be the same twice.
Artemis is a Mengascini piano accordion. He is a small, with a reduced right hand range and only 96 bases. That’s all I need. Also, he is also completely black, aside from bright splashes of orange, yellow, and green on the grill, keys, and bellows. He has only three reeds on the right hand, with a nice musette tuning, though he still has low E on the left hand. Like Selina, Artemis is 100% electronics-‐free. Artemis is the ]irst German-‐built instrument I have owned. He is only eight months old, but so far I am absolutely satis]ied.
Finally, The Roland is my digital accordion while I mentioned above. It is a Roland FR-‐7XB, which has ]ive internal speakers, a 7-‐9 hour battery life, and weighs in at about 25 pounds. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been named because, being a computer, it responds the same every day—something that is often very reassuring on high energy, loud gigs. I usually stand while playing The Roland, and have actually gotten into the habit of playing it with the bottom bellows strap done up at all times. This is possible because the digital accordion uses a lot less air than an acoustic, since the air column is only a pressure sensor and not the power of the instrument.
All three of my instruments have their place and respond in a very unique way. Usually, I play at least a few minutes on all of them every day. They make a very dynamic trio, opposite by nature. I am proud to know and to share parts of the stories that explain why these instruments are so unique and special.
Editors note. Thanks Michael for such an informative article. I love learning more about the
accordion.
In memory Ed Kawa was a former president of the Edmonton Accordion Society. Always
kind and encouraging, his love of the accordion lives on through his grandchildren. After a
busy life working and farming and raising a family, Ed and his wife Monica retired to
Edmonton in 1999. Ed’s greatest joy was playing his accordion with his family. Many of our
EAS members have enjoyed being entertained by The Kawa family band in Edmonton and
Kimberley. Ed was a great promoter of the Edmonton Accordion Society and encouraged
many people to play their accordions at our meetings. Ed passed away on August 6, 2012 after
an 18 year battle with prostate cancer.
Austin, Ed and Tony in 2009 at the
Edmonton Accordion Extravaganza
competitions. Ed was very proud of his
grandchildren.
Monica
and Ed in
2009
(right)
Ed and
Ola Kawa
in 2009
In Memory
of Bonnie Maio (above
lower right) passed away April 7, 2012. Margaret Millers reflections on Bonnie
are here.
I first met Bonnie 37 years ago, and learned quickly that once she included you in her heart, you were
there for good, through thick and thin, through adversity and good, and her heart grew to love every
person that she included. Though we lost touch for a few years while we were establishing and raising
our families, when we reconnected it was as if we had just seen each other yesterday; of such is the
nature of true friendship and love.
Bonnie had many passions in life. First was always her family, her husband and son, and those she
adopted into her heart as family. When you needed support Bonnie was there in whatever capacity she
could help you, she was there for you.
Her love and pride in Francesco has always been so prominent, and she worked diligently to make life
better for him and the family.
Not many people know she had a teaching degree, and she was a teacher in everything she did, whether
it was searching for the meaning of life, undertaking new endeavors like music lessons and miniatures,
volunteering, learning Italian, taking on the restaurant business or coaching her friends in the selections
of Dim Sum.
Bonnie truly was the sister of my heart. She shared everything openly and freely; we shared secrets,
dreams, sadnesses, joys, concerns, and laughter. She was a giant full of wisdom and love packed into a
powerhouse of prayer. Many of the things she shared, and coached, and encouraged are things worthy of
remembrance and reflection. SHE is worthy of remembrance and reflection.
Bonnie was always up for a challenge and never backed down when given one. We still laugh over the
incident when she first started music lessons along with Francesco. She had told me she had music
lessons when she was seven, and I mistakenly understood that to be she had had seven years of music
lessons. So, here she was essentially a beginner and I started her out at the Grade 5 level, by the end of
the first year having her play a Grade 9 selection at her first recital. She never corrected my mistake as
she accepted all the challenges, and MET them. Her Grade nine recital piece after one year of lessons
was masterful and full of virtuosity. When she announced to me that she was wanting to learn accordion,
she soon developed a love for the instrument and her passion was put into endless hours of practice. She
became an integral part of the "Of One Accord Accordion Orchestra" not only in her musical contributions
of talent, but also taking on the role of librarian and treasurer. In everything she did, she gave it her all.
She struggled with lupus for many years but wouldn't let it get her down. She proved to be an example to
me of how to live through adversity and come out on the other side a stronger and better person. Though
her health began to fail after cataract surgery she still held a positive outlook and energy refusing to give
into self pity or fears. When I last spoke to her just days before her passing on into the arms of Jesus, we
laughed and shared, whispered secrets into the phone and always told each other how much the other
was loved.
Bonnie, I honour you today with every possible word of praise and devotion.
I love you my friend, my dearest and special friend and you are and will be missed.
Margaret Miller.
A huge thank you to our webmasters pictured below!!
We appreciate your time and talent.
Visit our website at http://www.edmontonaccordion.com/
August 2012
Edmonton Accordion
Society Picnic
We owe
Charlie
Kapchinski a
huge thank
you for organizing our annual summer picnic.
We had a
beautiful
day, good
food and
some
great
music.
Acclarion, Canada's premier accordion and
clarinet ensemble, charmed the audience at our
picnic with their unique arrangements of tangos,
popular folk tunes and original compositions.
Entertaining banter by accordionist David
Carovillano and clarinetist Becky SajoCarovillano classical masterpieces, sultry tangos,
popular folk tunes. Music
was all on ipads with foot
controls for turning the
pages. They also have an
app for ipads.
Type to enter text
Squeezy is an exciting,
interactive children’s ebook app for the iPad.
This captivating tale
features vivid animations
and a full musical Score.
http://www.acclarion.ca/