Chords for Keyboard Accordion Lessons by Shelia Lee on Horner Accordion - Major Chord Technique.

_ We're going to start out the little exercises today by reinforcing your knowledge of the
major chord and building some little technique skills at the same time.
If you're like me, I play two or three different [Bb] accordions.
Today I'm playing the Hohner Bravo.
This is the little 96 bass.
[A] I like it because it's [Bb] nice and lightweight and I don't need the basses that are missing
at the top and the bottom.
We're privileged to have Hohner.
We're a Hohner dealer now, so I get a chance to play all the cool accordions.
I want to start out getting used to [E] this instrument because I've moved to it from a different
[N] instrument by finding my octaves.
[C] If I start at C, find your C octave.
[N] I like to do this because I see so many players that play like this with their hands, other
fingers hanging off the keyboard.
If you start every day by identifying your octaves, look what it does to my hand position.
I have a nice straight line from this knuckle here, not this one, from this knuckle to that
knuckle to that wrist to that elbow.
It should all be a nice straight plane.
With my fingers curved down, not flat, not stiff, a nice curve to them, I tell my students
like a spider.
[E] I'm going to have an octave range just like [Ab] that and it gets my hand in good position.
[Gm] If you have to bend your wrist [Ab] or your elbows like this, adjust your accordion further to
the left so you have a nice straight attack.
Let your fingers rest right in [C] the middle.
See, there's a lot of real estate here, so let's use that real estate.
Start just by wiggling.
I'm going top, bottom, top, bottom, top, bottom.
Move up an octave to [D] D.
_ [E] This is getting you a nice good hand position.
You [G] notice my elbow has to drop as I go down.
[Gm] _ _ [A] I'm just walking up learning my octaves.
[B] I'm just running the C scale.
[C] I don't even have to worry about fingering.
So bottom line, you should be able to_
[G]
Without looking.
[Gb] _ [C] Then you're comfortable with that key.
Now once [B] you've done your octaves, now let's add in your major chord.
If C in this case is [Bb] tonic, which is the beginning of our chord, C chord, we'll play the first,
[Gb] the third, and the fifth note of [C] the C scale, which is C, E, and G.
So with my octave in place, I put the other notes down.
[A] Look at that, it's just so natural, my fingers fall automatically on it.
[G] Now if I move up a note, I'm not going to worry about sharps and flats right now.
I want to keep that same hand position that I used just then for C.
This time it actually is a D minor, but we're not going to worry [Dm] with that yet.
I'm worried with [Em] getting your hand moving up the keyboard.
Go to the next note, the next note, [G] the next note.
Just walk [B] right up.
I'm keeping a claw, and you notice I haven't looked down [C] yet.
I think I did pretty good.
Oh, one more to go.
Five still on C.
So many people have a problem getting their octaves because their hand starts to [A] tip or move.
So if you can get comfortable enough to go_
Walk right up to C. _
_ [F] _ _ [C] _ Then, have some fun with it. _
You hear me hitting the crack?
That means I don't have a good octave reach.
Let me try that again.
[Gb] I want to make sure my five is not catching that crack on the [Ab] edge.
That means I've got to make sure my hand's covered it [Dm] good. _ _ _ _
[C] See, I'm still hitting the crack a little.
So that means I have to really make sure I'm adjusted.
So if I can do that, then I can be able to go fast.
_ _ _ I'm keeping kind of a [Bb] claw as I'm doing it, but don't be stiff about it.
[A] Be nice and relaxed.
[C] _ [N] Now, once you've done that, probably a week, maybe two weeks, as part of your practice,
[Ab] now let's go back and do it with the proper key signature.
For [G] C, there's no sharp or flat.
Now, you [Ab] notice what I'm doing?
I'm rolling it.
And do [G] this.
Don't do legato.
Don't play [C] smooth.
[A] Do what they call detached.
_ [B] _ _ _ [G] Hear that?
How clean that sounds?
Now, move up to D.
In the key of D, there is an F sharp.
So put your two on the F sharp.
[D] Do the same thing.
Block it, then roll it.
_ Just have some fun with it.
[E] Move to E.
It's got a G sharp in the key signature.
I'm playing every other note.
_ I'm going to move to F.
There's a B flat in it, but that doesn't fall [F] under my fingers.
_ _ [G] Now I'm going to move to G.
There's an F sharp in that key signature, but it doesn't fall in my major chord.
_ [A] A has a C sharp.
[B] B is going to have two sharps.
D and F.
_ [C] [N] Now, the ultimate goal to this is I've just taught [Ebm] you the major chord for [Gb] seven.
The only other ones we have to learn are the black notes.
So by practicing just the white notes, and do it this [Bb] way.
Go block, roll it up and down, then block, then move [C] to the next one like this.
_ [D] Very [E] rhythmic.
_ [F] _ _ [G] _ A has a C sharp.
[B] B has two.
_ [C] _ [Bb] Then when you get to the top, I was already thinking about it.
When you walk it down, walk from the top [C] down on the run.
Isn't _ [A] _ [C] that cool?
That will loosen up your [Ab] fingers, get you into a good major position
when we need to call for a major chord, and you've got a little technique drill to boot.
Next section, we're going to go into minor chords.