Index Introduction Background Definitions Setting Technique Harmony Bass Drills Scores References
This is an attempt to organize my thoughts regarding Balkan accordion playing. It is hoped it may serve as a starting point for discussion for those sharing my interest. Eventually, it is hoped this tutorial will be suitable for use by beginners, but at present it is aimed at experienced Bulgarophiles.
This tutorial is aimed at playing Bulgarian dance melodies on the accordion. More specifically, it aims at the standarized (sometimes called Thracianized) style that is used for melodies from most parts of Bulgaria, but ignores the more somewhat divergent Macedonian and Rhodope styles (but see future plans below). This tutorial does not address accompaniment or band-related technique - only solo playing.
This tutorial is currently highly incomplete. The plan is as follows. I start by defining some terms and then give some guidance on setting Bulgarian tunes for the accordion. Next, I describe a technical approach to the accordion which emphasizes good body mechanics. Finally, I provide drills to facilitate technical mastery and a few complete scores that illustrate the principles discussed.
Bulgarian tunes are hard, and good performance requires smoothness and precision. To achieve this I will use basic mechanical principles as a guide. The mechanical approach to technique I describe here is original, but was inspired by several sources. C.P.E. Bach's Essay on the True Art of Playing Keyboard Instruments serves as a model for clear, rational exposition of musical technique. Seymour Fink's Mastering Piano Technique describes an approach to classical piano technique grounded in anatomy and mechanics. My table tennis lessons with Yi Yong Fan, a profession player trained in China, gave me an appreciation of how training based on the analysis of body mechanics can be used to improved athletic performance.
Some may find a detailed analysis of anatomy and mechanics an off-puttingly academic approach to a musical experience most experience as pleasingly intuitive. My feeling is that playing traditional Bulgarian melodies well requires superb technique that is achieved by very few. The reason is that, in the absence of analytical understanding, only a few natually coordinated people - the natural athletes of music - intuitively play the accordion in a mechanically efficient manner. By providing an analysis of mechanical efficiency, I provide a path to excellence for those of us not so naturally gifted. Once these principles of performance are well understood theoretically, future tutorials will (hopefully) be written aimed at producing concrete results for interested students with minimal detour into theory.
While the mechanistic methodology I provide here might, theoretically, be applied to any style of music, the Bulgarian style I describe is the particular one I've adopted after 35 years of playing. It is primarily based on the style of players from the 1940s to 1970s, especially Boris Karlov, Misho Gyurov, Emil Kolev, Ibro Lolov, Triacho Sinapov, Petko Radev, Kostadin Varimezov, Iliya Dimitrov, Neno Ivanov and Mincho Nedyalkov. This style, while ornamentally dense compared to most Western music, is significantly less dense than the "wedding" style popularized by Ivo Papazov, Petar Ralchev and others since 1980. While I enjoy the wedding style on occasion, I find the older style speaks more directly to my heart. The standard prescriptive ornamental formula for wedding music - half-step graces between vitually every 16th - requires vituostic technique that few accordionists possess and robs the tunes of the shape imparted by more selective use of ornamentation. There are a number of Bulgarians in the West who teach the wedding style, so if that is the style you prefer, you may wish to skip this tutorial. To others, welcome.
At some point after the basics of this tutorial in place, I hope to add still photos and/or video clips to illustrate aspects that are difficult to visualize from text descriptions. I also hope to expand the scope of the tutorial to deal with other musical styles including Bulgarian ballads, and the Macedonian, Rhodope and Serbian styles.
Copyright 2013 Erik Butterworth. All rights reserved.