12th Street Rag for Accordion

12th Street Rag for Accordion

TV Show "Family Affair" (1967) Movie "The Beguiled" (1971)

The composer the the 1960's Television Show Jeff Alexander wrote this memorable hit. I remember this Television Show "FAMILY AFFAIR" as being the first of my T.V. experiences a child. The red freckle face kid "Jody" (Johnny Whittaker) and the unforgettable "Mr. French" (Sebastian Cabot, who voiced the narration of Winnie the Pooh.), and Uncle Bill (Brian Keith the Red Headed Father) who I remember seeing later in many random Cowboy Westerns.

Last night after seeing this show again I had to pen down the melody and chords and play on the piano. Although it did not sound right because the original song is played on a Harpsichord! The episode I saw was Ms. Beasley gets lost and the little girl in the apartment below (Cathy Silvers) was the actress who grew up to play Jenny Piccolo from "Happy Days".

I saw Kathy in this weird 1970's Clint Eastwood movie called "The Beguiled" where she played the 8 year old blonde pigtailed girl who takes a liking to a sly Civil War Veteran, damn Yankee. The story line with this soldier being hidden by a school of all girls was compelling. I would say it was unpredictable the whole way through.

I think the song has a syncopated rthyme rithythem, rthim, rythym rythem rythm um . . . in melody line, a lot like "Ragtime".

Guitar Lessons #2 - Mike Hayes

For guitar "E" is the Open Chord starting at the end of the neck. Mike Hayes show be the very common 12 bar blues. The type of chords he wrote down for me are called "drop two" which is because the "E" and "A" strings are not played. Learning this new way of 'inverting the chords' gives the guitar a brighter sound and blends better with lower registered piano or accordion.

Mike has been playing for 25 years and has worked for Dave for two years. I hope to gain some insight and knowledge working with him. I expressed to him that my 'intonation' and 'tone' are the areas I need help in. Ok get to work already!!

"RHAPSODY IN BLUE" - George Gershwin

This piano classic was found written for accordion. Seem like a daunting task to perform but I've learned if you only take one step at a time, you can learn it.

"The Bethena Rag" - Scott Joplin

This Rag is almost finally completed, I've been work on it for months. This song really kicked me into learning play complicated rhythms. Many times he very simply throws in a "single repeating note" and it's 'timing' gives it the interesting syncopation.

Scott knows how to piece together sections of music with musical interludes or transitions that change keys. Most rags are in 4/4 and this one being in 3/4 sure opened my eyes. The 1st and 2nd endings on page 4 really give me a head ache!

Madness

Well thought out album cover that shows the well organized

group each doing there completely own thing. Who in the

world would think to take a picture with Primrose Hill the

same size relationship. Well done.

"Complete Madness" and "Rise and Fall" were probably the two most listened to records growing up. They still hold up today. These people took what they may have rememeber from childhood and took it to adulthood for the world to see. Fearlessly.

Abrahamson

Here's a caricature I gave to my piano teacher Eric Abrahams. I luckily make a quick copy before giving to him. I hope he liked it I don't always feel I can capture a likeness.

"Pirate's of the Caribbean"

Here's a new illustration I did for my book "Happiest Music On Earth" (2011). The other one was rushed and I used a Pirate from "Peter Pan". I like the lettering better in this new one and the funny 1960's Animatronic Pirate's.

"FUN ZONE" - Button

New "Fun Zone" buttons will soon be in stock.

"Today at the Park" - Garfield Park

I never usually do this but bringing the ipod ghetto box really can inspire a good mood to create music. The music I select works fine so just keep it playing. During the practice I had a few folk stop by. I kept playing and like usual switching over to playing Disney Music...

Right when I finish a lady who was starting her conversation decides to start talking to me. I turn on the ghetto box and tell her I am going on break! On the way back from the car I see her dancing with her partner.

I did a small puppet show for four people with the horse mask as a huge puppet to the song "Ghost Ryder in the Sky". I had the horse singing but for got I had made the sign with the "Yippy Yi Ho" . . . bummer. But I did get a round of applause and they stuck around for "Mickey Mouse Club".

Song rehearsed were FRENCH MUSIC "Amelie", "Valse D'Amelie" and "La Ven Rose". Sight reading "Bella Notte" and "So This Is Love". Surprisingly sounded halfway decent.

"Charleston" - Day #5

This version has been revised so many times to get the left hand chords correct and comfortable. Hopefully earlier versions are not better. I now hope I finally got it right!

"The Charleston" - Jimmy Johnson

I download a lead sheet of the Charleston with the melody and chords but I could not find sheet music for both left and right hands. I applied the way I'd been seeing how to 'voice' the chords in the left hands on this version here. I tried to steer them out of the way of the right while keeping them centered around middle "C".

After hearing the 'Player Piano Rolls' version, it sounded to me like maybe there were two piano players parts playing at once. My version is much simpler but not as simple at the single note lead sheet I originally downloaded. That didn't have octaves or chords that I was hearing in my head.

The song has words but I don't think of this song sung. It's like a theme song like George Lucus's "Star Wars" or the music in Fishbone's "Party at Ground Zero".

Tomorrow - Piano Lessons

1) Scales "F", "Bb" (practice slowly daily)

2) "On Wings of Song" - Medelssohn

3) "Bethena" - Joplin

4) Music Theory - Circle of Fifths Sharps and Flat in order.

Sharps F#, C#, G#, D#, A#, E#, B#

(Females Can Get Down And Even Boogie)

Flats Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, Cb, Fb (Are they backwards from the sharps?)

(Beware Every Accident Does Great Circumstantial Failure)

5) "Someday My Prince Will Come"

6) "Captain"

'On Wings of Song' - Mendelssohn

Boy that song is one tough safe to crack. Played the hands separately for a hour and a half and finally got it. He really takes each measure and puts them together in such a way. I could see that this stuff can really get tough when it has to do with Romance. And I see this just the simplified version! Great middle section.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8kS5HNjzFA

More work on this song has proved again the only way to get these songs good. Play the hard measure repeatedly until it's smooth as butter.

So This Is Love

Here is a song on my list of songs I want to learn on accordion and piano properly. I already play these songs but not as accurate as I would like. So here they are with all the left-handed accompaniment. . . "So This Love", "A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes" and "Bella Notte".

A Dream Is Wish Your Heart Makes

Bella Notte

FRENCH MUSIC FAVORITES - "Amelie"

Here is a drawing I did of "Amelie". I just lightly traced a photograph in colored pencil and then a few days later inked it looking at the picture and a pleasantly looking inked drawing of Snow White.

It's may or may not work but the point of it is just to give the musician working on the piece of music some relief while they are sweating reading the music. It will be shrunk down pretty small with the title of the song along side of it.

Dave's Accordion School - "Bellows Shake"

I forgot to mention Dave explained to me how to bellow shake.

1) Keep the Bellows closed

2) Shake very little at the top very slowly.

3) Learn to practice shaking for 15 minutes in a row.

He also explain a "triplets" shake.

The bellows pivot in the center cause is 1-2-3 timing.

It sounded incredible the first time heard it.

I explained I wanted to do a bellows shake to him before with the "Little Rascals"

theme song, then he went looking for an accordion that could make this "tremolo"

sound instead.

I think the shake is to be used half way through a song to make the song elevated in

excitement level but it's really hard to do.

Dave's Accordion School

Photography by Todd Stefani

Today we went through songs in "French Music" book that I lost then found. I worked really hard on "Someday My Prince Will Come" that I learned on piano. Dave showed me 'tri-tone chords' on the ending and middle transition which made it sound much fuller. Stephen Grabstein, a great accordion player was standing by listening as we were going through this. He has this song on his CD and he look curious waiting by.

The other song "La Vie En Rose" which Veronica says is the most popular request song from

people who come through their door. The version Dave and Veronica had given me was pretty old and look liked it had been xerox a thousand times so I retyped it in PRINT MUSIC. I figured out the fingering (how I thought it should be played at home) and asked Dave to check it. He said what I had worked.

"Valse D' Amelie" was the last song that I fixed by changing it to the correct key of "E" rather than "C". I asked about the fingering at the end of the piece and he added a few fingering to make it correct. The "ties" on the notes of "slurs" he called them "fraizing marks".

My accordion case is made for a "Cordivox" and it is a little too big for the accordion so it slides around a bit and I move this thing around alot. I asked Dave about a case so that I might have better luck keeping it safe. He suggested I get a smaller bag-type that fits on you back. (for $70.00 that is lighter than the big accordion case). It fits on your back so my left arm will not take so much stress. (I have been having pain off and on for the last few months) and paid for today's lesson and one I had missed!

Horner Soft Case for the Accordion

Set List for Book

PRINT MUSIC - "Happiest Again in Nottingham"

Today I found the PrintMusic! User's Manual on their website. It only took about five minutes and some prayer before I found the answer. In many musical pieces I have been assigned, they ask you to play an accompany melody that usually follows the main melody. This means while certain notes of the main melody are being held, others are being played beneath it to fill in the background.

Anyways you can not just do this when you plug in the notes. The program will only allow a certain number for each bar. But I read that buy using different "Layers" you can! You have to hold down "SHIFT" and the "AAROW" key "DOWN" to get to four different layers. The other layers will be "dimmed".

The last thing I have to warn when doing this is, plug in the "Main Melody in first", then let the "accompany parts" on other layers in order of Hierarchy.

"Hierarchy": Any system of persons or things ranked one above another.

French Music Revisions

After finding the folder with all the french music I was excited to play some of it. It's funny when you loose something how all of the sudden you see how much you really want it.

I really could only play the songs I knew that I had performed at that FRENCH PARTY. To my surprise I found all sort of mistakes in the notation I had written. I played them several times at the train station marking them up with pencil, making the corrections.

"L' Autr Valse D' Amelie" was written in the wrong key. I had it in "C" and was configuring every notes that was flat or sharp with a symbol. I went into the drop down menu where you "change the key" and it did just that. The song was changed to "E" with 4 sharps. There was an option to hold the notes at the same "value" I played today at the park and the fingering and notation was right on.

"Vie En Rose" had a few note that needed to be fixed. I still can not play it like I've heard on recordings with all the romance but I am getting better at sight reading. This song is beautiful on accordion but I got to play the basses short!

I did not have "Valse D' Amelie" in the book and was trying to remember the key but to no avail. The sheet music is in the piano book, Need to move that over here.

DA DA - DA DA -DA DA! OH YEAH 3/4 Waltz how could I forget.

Lastly "Swan Lake" would work nicely with this group too. I should include "Neapolitan Dance" too. That's already written out thank God.

Recording Bass - "Afraid of the Dark"

For the past several days I have trying to recording Bass Guitar on the song "Afraid of the Dark" and get a good sound. The part I am playing is pretty good but it's the sound that has been boomy and not much high end. The song is a up beat reggae song with the classic Kick Drum on three note Bass guitar lick. There is also I melody that is felt in the bass the vocal and instruments play with.

I figured it out.

1) Turn down the Bass on the amp, to bring out the high.

2) "Drive" turn up a little distortion.

3) Mid up, Treble up

4) Turn on the "Compressor" in the recorder.

5) Click "Edit" change "RATIO" from 240 to -8!!!

6) This "Evened the Sound Out" of the Bass and made it sound great in the track.

"Being Alone" was writing at the Hotel and all it is was just a melody line that repeats over two chords Am E7. The length of the song is now 3:00. Could end up being on the album "On Time" will replace any song that does not "Withstand the Test of Time".

Someday My Prince Will Come

I've been playing "Someday My Prince Will Come" for about 3 weeks, it's getting better but I am still having trouble with the end. Also playing the 'counterpart' at a lower volume is not something I can pull of . . . yet!