Re: a recent slur on the Accordion

It has been awhile since I have posted here.

Ventura has a point in that ALL the Free Reed Family is currently on
the Edge of Mainstream (some say not even there). Let's look at some
points.

Mainstream music means having RIA put its fist some place unpleasant.
As well as two other industry bodies who like to have there fist in
everything (not to mention national groups for each different nation
as the US is a Market and not the only one).

If you keep pace of what is going on in the world music scene, there
is a steady revolt against electric based instrument. Sales for Free
Reeded instruments is higher in these past two years than they have
been in the last 15 (information from Hohner and Seydel). Japan has
two years ago added a national diploma in accordion playing to include
playing with others. So while the US market may not be mainstream it
is not only not dead but slowly growing once again for the whole
family.

There are mainy more folk groups these days using the full range of
the family in their production and also I personally know of Two
Scottish bands that are using free reed instruments in their
performance (one is an accordion, the other a Chemnitz concertina). In
Music world Salsa, Tango, and Tarantella music is seeing a massive
rebirth and you can't do any of that with out either an accordion or a
Bandoneon. In France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain, Russia and the
list goes on; have national competitions for large sections of the
free reed family (accordion being near the top as Glasgow host the
world competition and congress last year).

Guitar Hero is a gimmick. A toy, which teaches nothing real (ever
tried playing a real guitar after "mastering" one on the game (I know
a few fool's who tried and went back to the game, while trying to find
someone to buy their guitar from them). You can teach a CNC machine to
play Guitar Hero and it has been done.

What would be better for the family of free reed instruments is those
who play working towards better exposure of their playing and
improving their own standard and encouraging others to do the same.
This way there is positive growth instead of in fighting and
bickering. There is more than enough market to go around. Want to
improve the image of the musicians? Than volunteer some of your time
to teach youth how to play and go down to a youth center with your
second best and teach or get involved with your local club or form one
and open up the instrument and your mind to the different types of
music that can be played on it. There is going to a park dressed
nicely on a Saturday with a few acoustically minded fellow musicians
and playing a set or two of music for people without wanting any pay
(though put the hat out for donations, or better yet play for a cause
and get a permit). making money at this is paying dues to move up the
ladder. Talk to a local restaurant's and see if any would like to have
some live music and find one or two that like your play book (which
should always be growing) and make some sort of arrangement that suits
you both.

Heck I know Italians and Austrians that walk the streets during lunch
playing and make a days wages just from that (though in some areas
that may be hard to do).

As to those of use that make and repair the instruments. Yes there are
less and less of us each year and the list is not growing near fast
enough to replace the ones we have lost (one of my mentors on
concertina repair and construction died this year and that was a great
lost to all).

As to tuning materials 600 to 800 grit wet dry sandpaper works wonders
as does oil stones of a fine enough grit and with some reeds 1000 grit
is very useful to give a tuning that should last for many years. I
know more than a few who stil use harden steel files and I on occasion
have used diamond files. There are different ways of skinning the cat.

Keep on playing and encouraging others to do so and supporting the
professionals we do have and getting their music out. Don't worry
about mainstream unless you like having RIA and company interested in
how they can make money off you, while treating you like a slave.

Michael
.

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