Where Have All The Accordions Gone?

[Nevada Ed]

Ever try walking through a big party crowd with a piano ?
I could never figure out what the left hand did but I had no lessons.
They were the thing back in the 50's in the Bay area.
Great way to pick up a dime if you were good at it.

When young our family would go down to the neighbors HUGE Easter party
that was in Mill Valley and a gentleman for years, played the squeeze box
that made the party a great hit.

Another thing I miss is the mouth organ..................

 

[A10]

I really prefer listening to bagpipes......

 

[venomballistics]

Why is an accordion larger than a ukelele?



so it'll hold more gas when you find a chance to burn it.

 

[venomballistics]

seriously .. axe versus squeeze box.
Its in the nuances one can apply to a guitar that are simply unavailable to the accordion player.
harmonics, bends, staccato, artificial harmonics, and a host of other abilities make it one of the most expressive instruments ever devised.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvMKsgVBzMo

 

[Erich]

Paging bmcgilvray . . .

Andy Stanford combines accordion with the shooting sports:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_h0Oyp3X7c

 

[kozmic]

Sure the accordion is super cool and all, but it will never replace the washboard!

 

[Rustyt1953]

In my career as an A-list bassist, I have done many recording sessions and live shows with Zydeco and Norteno groups.

The accordion has no middle ground. In the hands of an accomplished player it can be the defining sound and drive of the band.

In the hands of a lesser player it is a torture device listed in the Geneva Convention.

 

[labworm]

Jimmy Sturr and Frankie Yankovic possess 98% of all the accordions in the world.

 

[wbraswell]

The accordian really doesn't have a place in "my" music.(hard edged rockn roll.) But, Zydeco is a whole 'nother animal. An accordian, washboard, spoons, guitar, a fiddle or two. Break out the gumbo pot, cold beer, maybe a little home made wine, and get ready to parr-tay

 

[venomballistics]

Jimmy Sturr and Frankie Yankovic possess 98% of all the accordions in the world.

96% .. I found two more in a thrift store

 

[Rustyt1953]

In my career as an A-list bassist, I have done many recording sessions and live shows with Zydeco and Norteno groups.

The accordion has no middle ground. In the hands of an accomplished player it can be the defining sound and drive of the band.

In the hands of a lesser player it is a torture device listed in the Geneva Convention.

 

[vytoland]

my mother was a HUGH fan of lawrence welk............so, at the age of 6, I was introduced into the wonderful world of music lessons

I really wanted to play the saxophone or guitar...........but was "encouraged" to learn he accordion...........and so, each week I would sit in a small room, with the door closed, beside the cigar smoking teacher and play the accordion...........

I, now, do not have to worry about going to hell after death..........all the Transgressions I committed on earth ............have been satisfied by the suffering in that room.....

 

[labworm]

my mother was a HUGH fan of lawrence welk............so, at the age of 6, I was introduced into the wonderful world of music lessons

I really wanted to play the saxophone or guitar...........but was "encouraged" to learn he accordion...........and so, each week I would sit in a small room, with the door closed, beside the cigar smoking teacher and play the accordion...........

I, now, do not have to worry about going to hell after death..........all the Transgressions I committed on earth ............have been satisfied by the suffering in that room.....

John Sosnowski and John Kopachinski both played the accordion while we attended St.Stanislaus school.

 

[federali]

I think I Know Where The Accordions Went!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trVo1FAhCVQ

 

[gunblade]

Ever hear of perfect pitch with an accordian? It's when you toss the accordian in the dumpster and you hit a banjo.

 

[photocosmo]

Jimmy Sturr and Frankie Yankovic possess 98% of all the accordions in the world.

Actually it would seem that quite a few of them wound up at my friend's music store just down the street from my place of employment. If you google "Accordion Heaven" and follow the trail you will find that they are still popular and pretty darned spendy to boot! Not surprising considering that they are beautiful and complicated instruments.

BTW besides being a virtuoso on the "squeeze-box" he also sells a modern electronic version of them which are hand-crafted for him in Italy.

For myself, I prefer the smallest and second most annoying (in the wrong hands: MINE) instrument: the harmonica. YES! Ken sells them too but I am forbidden to play one in the store.

P.S. IMHO the most annoying instrument in the "wrong hands" would be the Bag Pipes.

 

[mc5aw]

Once everyone picked up guitars, the accordion market got squeezed.

 

[Ogandydancer]

As an aside I also like the Concertina. When played by a good player they sound great.

 

[A10]

Jimmy Sturr and Frankie Yankovic possess 98% of all the accordions in the world.

I actually have a Frankie Yankovic CD sitting here somewheres....I bought it to irritate the grandkids. It works!

 

[labworm]

photocosmo

Plucked idiophones are the favorite musical instrument in the dental field.