UNIT10-S-1 - Button-Accordion Tunes 2 Play 4 Fun

Button-Accordion Project

(Dual-row A-D, D-G, G-C or C-F, with Accidentals)
Based on tunes2play4fun.com & Facilitated by ZOOM

MINI-COURSE BA1
The Button Accordion, its Music & Notation

UNIT TEN (of TEN)

Introduction to Tunes with Four Beats per Bar

Return to BA1 - Unit 10

SLIDES & COMMENTS
Slide 1 (Tutorial Project BA1 - Main goal)

Welcome to our final Unit in this BA1 mini-course.

The primary goal of BA1 is to support your efforts in learning to play your button accordion.

Slide 2 (Units in BA1 mini-course)

All learning involves (supported) self-teaching, whether in face-to-face or distance environments.

These are the "Units" that are included for your support in this BA1 mini-course.

This week we do an introduction to a popular category of tunes, those with four beats per bar.

Slide 3 (Topics for Unit 9)

Topic 1 is background.

Topics 2 & 3 cover our two featured tunes.

Topic 4 includes all six "somewhat" familiar tunes for home practice.

Topic 5 is a look back and ahead at melodies.

Topics 6 is a look back and ahead at tunes.

Slide 4

Three examples of bars and beats, with three different time signatures (2 beats/bar, 3 beats/bar, and 4 beats/bar.)

Today we focus on four beats per bar.

(e) First two bars of "Joyful, joyful we adore Thee"

Slide 5

For four beats per bar, we will consider two patterns:
B C C C and B C B C

For "Love Me Tender" we'll try the first pattern: B C C C

For "Billy Boy" we'll try the 2nd pattern: B C B C

Because of the pickup notes,
we can choose between the two choices given at left.

Slide 6

This is the title song of the 1956 movie "Love Me Tender" starring Elvis Presley who, with Vera Mason, wrote the lyrics. It consists of three verses with a refrain (or chorus) after each verse.

The melody, however, was written by George Poulton in 1861, with four beats per bar.

Slide 7

Here is a checklist for a quick glance at the tune.

You have to decide
a) on where to initially
position your fingers,
b) how far to initially open
the bellows,
c) how to divide the tune
into rhythmic patterns for
initial practice,
d) how to deal with pickup
notes, if there are any.
e) which beat pattern to use.

Slide 8

Checklist observations:

a) Fingers at buttons 5 to 8

b) Air-alert on line 3 (with 14
beats of push & 2 of pull

c) Same rhythmic pattern for
each line.

d) No pickup notes.

e) An individual choice, but
B C C C should be OK.

Slide 9

"Billy Boy" is a traditional American song, though perhaps adapted from an older English one.

From a sampling of youTube videos, it is clearly seen as a children's song, though there are Bluegrass, Rock 'n Roll and Jazz versions.

Slides 10

Same checklist as before.

Slide 11

Checklist observations:

a) Fingers at buttons 3 to 6,
with line 4 reach to 2*.

b) Air-alert on line 1 (with 13
beats of push & 3 of pull

c) Except for two beats at
start of each line, there is
no consistent pattern.

d) Two pickup notes.

e) An individual choice, but
B C B C should be OK.

Slide 12

List of Practice tunes with four beats per bar.

Our web site has additional lyrics, full notation, and embedded youTube videos for each of these tunes.

Slide 13

Love Me Tender

Slide 14

Billy Boy

Slide 15

Peggy Gordon is a tune claimed by both Scotland and Canada.

This is a simple version, just for beginners needing bass-chord beat practice.

The usual version (as sung in the youTube videos) has many quarter beat-interval notes and half-beat interval notes, difficult here for beginners.

Here it is "just" an exercise.

Slide 16

Mussels in the Corner is included here as a folk song, with four beats per bar, but is played more often (as in many youTube videos) as a reel with two beats per bar.

In any event, we can use the Bass-chord-bass-chord pattern for the beat sequence.

Slide 17

My Grandfather's Clock wa written by an American, Henry Clay Work, in 1876.

The remainder of the tune (as found on our web site) may be more challenging.

Slide 18

This gospel hymn was written by an Anglican priest in the 1820's especially for the opening of a St. Paul's Church in Trinity, NL.

It was included in many Anglican and Episcopalian hymn books in the 19th and 20th centuries.

It is sung relatively slowly.

Slide 19

First, a look back at Melodies featured in previous Units.

(For item v): Some of the melodies did require extensive use of the air lever, but not excessive.

(For item vi): This is, of course, quite subjective.

Slide 20

Then, a look ahead at some of the topics that might be included in future button accordion courses, if offered.

Some sample melodies are included in the following slides.

Slide 21

This is the layout of most of the tunes' pages on the tunes2play4fun.com site

There are two lines of notation above the lyrics, one (in red) for the higher octave, if available, and one (in black) for the lower octave, if available.

Remember that this is the "overly simplified" version of this beautiful tune.

Some song tunes are restricted to the higher octave or to the lower one, or are restricted to the inside row or to the outside, depending on the availability of the required notes (especially when there are accidentals). This is normally indicated at the beginning of the tune's notation.

Slide 22

Most melodies need more than four buttons, and you can either shift your whole hand (with fingers) up or down to reach the extra note(s).

In many cases, it is simpler to reach up with the first finger, or down with the "little" finger, leaving the 2nd and 3rd fingers in their original locations.

This is illustrated by "Shenandoah" (above), where the required button notes range from 5 to 10*, but where most of the melody uses buttons 6 to 9. It is an individual choice, but I find that most times I place my fingers at buttons 6 to 9, and reach with first finger for button note 5, and reach with the little finger for button note 10*.

Slide 23

Sometimes when a note is not available on the key row being played, it may be available on the other row.

This is illustrated by the song "Country Roads" (at left) when played low on the inside row. The melody needs a note not available low inside, but is found on button 3* of the outside row, as shown by the o3* label on each line.

Slide 24

Many tunes include a small number of accidentals, which can sometimes be found on buttons 1 and 1* of the two rows.

This is illustrated at left by the red button note ( .1 ) in the song "Adios Amigo" when played on the outside row (low).

Slide 25 (Topic 7.2)

The previous example "Adios Amigo" was played on the outside row (low).

However, if you wanted to play it on the inside row (low), the accidental you need is found on the outside row, button 6*.

The notation at left includes both options in parentheses (o6/1) with the beat symbol to the left of the parentheses.

Slide 26

First, a look back at "tunes" featured in previous Units.

Slide 27

Then, a look ahead at some of the "tune" topics that might be included in future button accordion courses, if offered.

A couple of sample tunes are included in the following slides.

Slide 28

FRÈRE JACQUES appeared as a melody back in Unit 4. It is given at left with two beats per bar.

In lines 3 & 4 there are pairs of "half-beat" notes, with each pair taking one beat interval.

So the challenge is to play two treble notes while only playing one bass (or chord) note.

Once there is a comfort level with the bars & beats of Units 8, 9 and 10, then this is the next level of "tune" treatment.

Slide 29

BLUEBIRD appeared as a melody back in Unit 5. It is given at left with four beats per bar.

In line 3 there are two notes shown in red, the first ("5*) for half a beat interval, and the other (;4*) for one and a half beat intervals. Together they occupy two beat intervals with two regular beats.

This also belongs in a future BA mini-course, if offered.

Slide 30

Slide 31

Return to Top of Page

Return to BA1 - Unit 10