Bulgarian Accordion Tutorial - Prall-Triplets on E in Simple Melodies

In this lesson, we will combine prall-triplets on E (from the last lesson) with some other simple motifs to create surprisingly interesting Bulgarian melodies.

Before proceeding, with should discuss Bulgarian legato. Bulgarian dance music is (almost always) played legato. By this I mean that the 16th notes of a melody are played connected to each other without a break. Occasionally there are rests between notes that add accent to a melody, but consecutive 16ths are played with no break in sound. This idea may be surprising to those who associate a detached, marcato style with melodic vitality (as happens in Irish and Contradance music, for example.) However, the power and drive Bulgarian music comes from a combination of smoothness, precision, ornamentation, legato and some subtle timing that will be discussed later. Adding space between 16th notes in Bulgarian music only dilutes its power.

Consider the following motif:

The second half of each measure is the E prall-triplet from the last lesson. Note that the finger 2 notation on the prall is shorthand for 232.

The first half each measure is new - 3 16ths fingered 2, 3 & 1. Execution of these 3 notes follows the same rules as the prall-triplet, to wit:

• Fingers 2 and 3 depress keys by gently drawing the lower two joints slightly under the hand as one might gently squeeze a tennis ball. Meanwhile, the thumb is drawn forward in preparation for the 3rd note in the sequence.
• The D is depressed as the thumb is drawn directly away from the keyboard. The angle the thumb makes with the keyboard gradually increases and the wrist is correspondingly elevated. Meanwhile, the entire hand rolls forward in preparation for the following note.
• Note that the thumb is no longer directly under finger 2, but displaces slightly to the left side. Adjust accordingly.

It's advisable to practice this one measure at a time at first, pausing to reposition your hand (if necessary) before repeating. At fast tempi, minimal motion and precise replication of hand position is required for accurate and comfortable prall execution. Mindless repetition quickly leads to extraneous motions that discombobulate your playing like a car's unbalanced wheel. Once performance of a single measure is comfortable, try two measures without a break, and pause for self-examination as before. Eventually build up to the extended phrase. For more on this subject, see Good Practice Habits.

Now practice!

OK, here's another one:

The same principles apply here. Every 3rd 16th is executed by drawing the thumb away from the keyboard. The first prall-triplet drops to B, meaning the thumb line is even further off the line of finger 2 than in the previous motif. This actually makes drawing the thumb out easier, because the rest of the hand is not in the way.

To practice, break down the melody to focus on each prall or each measure one at a time as above. Pralls may look the same on paper, but their execution varies depending upon the notes and finger positions that preceed them. A few possible breakdowns are show below.

The following motif should be easier than the initial one fixed on E:

or more interestingly:

One more:

Here the thumb on F requires finger 2 to cross over to execute the following prall-triplet. If the rest of your mechanics is right, this should be simple and easy.

Combining Motifs

We can now combine the above motifs in various interesting ways. Here are a few examples:

Get the idea? Try some of your own!

(Always remember to break down melodies into fragments to practice minimizing motion and achieving repeatable hand position.)

Copyright 2015 Erik Butterworth. All rights reserved.