Broad Outline of Beginner Button Accordion Lessons
The content of this course will teach an accordion player how to play button accordion in the BC scale/system. The Beginner Button Accordion Lessons takes a user from knowing nothing about playing, to an intermediate standard.
Is This You?
Are you a complete beginner who has yet to purchase their first accordion? Do you want to know how to play button accordion? A musician attending lessons already? Are you an experienced accordion player looking to increase your repertoire or improve your ornamentation?
The course will improve your level of playing. The lessons are suited for a musician in the early stages of development. Undoubtedly there are several levels one can find within the course.
Aims of Beginner Button Accordion Lessons
The course objectives are:
- Correct accordion positioning and posture
- Learn the geography of the notes through scales and simple tunes
- Fingering technique
- Command of the bellows
- Rhythm interpretation using a variety of tune types
- Simple ornamentation
From my 15 years of teaching music, I devised a fingering technique which will give you certainty. Additionally the 20+ lessons contains scales and simple tunes so that the user become comfortable with the basic aspects of playing. These progress to jigs and reels and to ornamentation input.
Course Content of the Beginner Button Accordion Lessons
Lessons 1 – 5
Title: Basics – Accordion Positioning – Terminology
Lesson 1 begins with teaching the user a particular accordion hold moreover terminology is described to ensure a smooth progress through the accordion lessons.
Title: G Major Scale
Lesson 2 is a scaled exercise which teaches the user some basic notes, finger use, terminology, note location using exercises to memorise where the notes are. Generally scales are excellent for the user’s accordion lessons and as a result ensuring that they will be able to play through the tunes further on in the course.
Title: D Major Scale
Lesson 3 builds on the learning outcomes of lesson 2 while also introducing new notes, progressing the user to the “outside” row/B row. Furthermore music theory has also been developed.
Title: C Major Scale
Lesson 4 is a scale exercise where more notes are being introduced. The bellows technique is being developed here also. These scales are taught with a view that a user will be very well equiped to gain the learning content later in this course, and further courses.
Title: Two Octave G Major Scales
Lesson 5 introduces more new notes to the user. Furthermore it gives a student the skills of using the lower register of the accordion, adjusting your bellows pressure when playing lower range notes and giving the student an ability to transition from lower end notes to higher.
Lessons 6 – 11
Title: The Star of the County Down
Lesson 6 – This famous song is the choice for the first tune of the course. From your scale work the tune will pose no problem to the user. Rhythm of a march is discussed.
Title: Fáinne Geal an Lae
Lesson 7 uses another march as the source material for this lesson. Students are learning to play a tune in the scale of D major which will help to gain use of the outside row.
Title: Terry Teahan’s
Lesson 8 now enters into the first polka of the course. Polka rhythm is discussed. This will help with correct bellows use.
Title: An Gaoth Aneas
Lesson 9 uses this famous waltz which are always lovely tunes to have at one’s disposal. One aim of the content is to get a student more familiar with the notes.
Title: Britches Full of Stitches
Lesson 10 continues with polka playing. Polkas are a great tune type to get comfortable with the basics of playing the accordion.
Title: The Kerry Polka
Lesson 11 is the concluding lesson of part A of the Starter Course. By the end of this lesson you are comfortable with the main notes of the accordion, bellows technique has developed, you are familiar with the finger technique taught throughout, terminology along with many more skills a user has now picked up.
Secondary Level of Beginer Button Accordion Lessons
Lessons 12 – 15
Title: The Leg of the Duck
Lesson 12 begins with the first jig of the course. Jig rhythm is described in depth but the notes should be easy to the user. Consequently this part of the Starter Course requires more skill for the user to progress through.
Title: The Hundred Pipers
Lesson 13 is another jig in the key of G Major. The lessons are carefully considered so that a learner has opportunities to practise the skills they have gained so far in the lessons, this is such a lesson, while also learning a new tune.
Title: My Darling Asleep
Lesson 14 is very common jig. This brings forward the use of your outside row and requires more thought with regard to the fingering.
Title: Ryan’s Favourite
Lesson 15 has many names and is very well known. This tune has many note patterns that are common to other tunes and requires different skills of the user.
Title: Old Favourite
Lesson 16 is a really well known jig but the second part will require more practise from the user which will stand well for future lessons. There is consideration to be given to your bellows work here as well which is well taught in the lesson.
Lessons 16 – 19
Title: The Geese in the Bog
Lesson 17 is a gorgeous jig in the key of C Major. Building on the work a student did with the Old Favourite, you are required to give consideration to how your bellows control will work. It focuses on using the inside row.
Title: Out on the Ocean
Lesson 18 has another very well known tune. The setting is in the key of A major. After the previous lesson which focused on using the C/inside row, I wanted to develop the student a little bit here and step up the difficulty level. The tune requires you to get use to alternative options for certain notes on the B/outside row.
Title: Old John’s Jig
Lesson 19 is a jig known as Old John’s. With all these different tunes, the skills from earlier lessons have to be adapted and use to gain the tune to your repertoire. Finally this is the last lesson for the secondary level of the Starter Course.
Tertiary Level of Beginner Button Accordion Lessons
Lessons 20 – 24
Title: The Rolling Wave
Firstly lesson 20 is the first lesson of the tertiary level and requires competent skill in using both rows at the same time, use of your air button and bellows work also.
Title: Ceanabháin Bhána
Lesson 21 focuses on using the inside row again additionally playing a tune which has a first part in the lower register of the accordion which makes the learner adapt their playing.
Title: Lucy Farr’s without Grace Notes
Lesson 22 is the first barndance of the website. This tune is taught so that it acts as a base to help you develop some ornamentation skill which is eventually coming up in the course.
Title: Grace Notes
Lesson 23 teaches the student one of the first pieces of ornamentation for any instrument and evidently the lesson doesn’t have a tune taught so the learner has complete focus on this new skills. It will require a lot of practise from a user.
Title: 223 Triplets
Lesson 24 builds on your ornamentation skill level and teaches a particular triplet. The numbers refer to the fingers you will be using (which is explained in the first lesson). Complete focus is given to this one skill.
Lessons 25 – 28
Title: Lucy Farr’s with Grace Notes
Lesson 25 incorporates the newly acquired skill into a tune previously learned.
Title: PJ Hayes’
Lesson 26 is increasingly difficult level once more however the student will get the chance to use their newly gained ornamentation skill.
Title: The Concertina Reel
Lesson 27 introduces the first reel of the site. Here your bellows work will be very important to play the tune to a decent level.
Title: The Boys of Bluehill
Lesson 28 is the last lesson of the tertiary level of the Starter Course consequently continuing to build on the skills already learned throughout the Starter Course.
Suit yourself
Overall manipulate the lessons to suit yourself. The melody hand positioning has it’s own view, plus lesson pace can be decreased and increased hence infinite number of plays are available, and looping capabilities so you grasp every teaching point.
Furthermore by the time you finish the course, accordingly you will be ready to progress to the improver course.
Get in touch with me, via the contact page, and find out more – Contact Us – Irish Button Accordion Lessons
I look forward to welcoming you to the course. Check out the free lesson page: Free Lessons – Irish Button Accordion Lessons furthermore follow us on https://www.facebook.com/irishbuttonaccordionlessons and https://www.instagram.com/irishaccordionlessons/