...but applicable to all traditional music. Straightforward thinking from Cajun accordion builder and player Marc Savoy
"Learn the music first! To do this, you don’t need an instrument. You do need to listen to music (CD, cassettes, LPs, live performances, etc.) until you can instantly recall each note in the melody correctly. This may take an hour, or it may take a month. But whatever time it does take, it’s no use to proceed to the next level of actually putting the instrument in your hands until you have mastered the melody in your head.
The manner in which you will orally recite the melody by whistling, humming or singing is identically the same as the manner in which you will attempt to play it. It’s the same analogy as sitting down at a typewriter and attempting to type a word when you can’t ever spell it. Committing the melody to memory and being able to recall it instantaneously has the same significance as a spelling class being a pre-requisite to a typing class. There are no lessons, instructional materials or magic buttons available to help in committing the melody to memory note for note anymore than there was when you had to learn your multiplication tables or “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America”. You have to do the work. No one can learn it for you.
After you have mastered the melody line of whatever tune you want to play and can recall it instantaneously note for note, then and only then are you ready to pick up an instrument. Now you are confronted with taking each note that you hear in your head and attempting to reproduce that particular sound using your hands on button, string, key, etc. If you hear the note in your head, then it should be a simple process of “hunt and peck” on the instrument until you can find the particular sound (note) that matches up to the one in your head. After you have located its hiding place, you then try hunting around for the second, then the third, forth, fifth and so on until you have found all of the notes' hiding places."
I ran across that same citation when I was looking for a melodeon a year ago or so. It is great advice, and I find it's quite true. It's why many people insist that you shouldn't learn tunes from sheet music. I still like to use sheet music to help learn a tune, but if you don't know it in your head and feel it, you won't be able to play it.
Further looking around Marc's site (really nice "atmosphere" if such a thing is possible) showed there are regular sessions at his shop but the rule seems to be "only one triangle, please...."
Where have I heard something like that before...
When I was there in '92 the BIG rule was one accordion player at any time. This was an absolute. Marc would come out and play the fiddle, and the session could have any number of fiddle players. That one box player was the boy for the day!
Marc is the best, Full Stop. Oh by the way, the double bass is bolted to the floor in his shop, or was anyway. This is as it should be.
From a cajun accordion builder and player....
From a cajun accordion builder and player....
...but applicable to all traditional music. Straightforward thinking from Cajun accordion builder and player Marc Savoy
"Learn the music first! To do this, you don’t need an instrument. You do need to listen to music (CD, cassettes, LPs, live performances, etc.) until you can instantly recall each note in the melody correctly. This may take an hour, or it may take a month. But whatever time it does take, it’s no use to proceed to the next level of actually putting the instrument in your hands until you have mastered the melody in your head.
The manner in which you will orally recite the melody by whistling, humming or singing is identically the same as the manner in which you will attempt to play it. It’s the same analogy as sitting down at a typewriter and attempting to type a word when you can’t ever spell it. Committing the melody to memory and being able to recall it instantaneously has the same significance as a spelling class being a pre-requisite to a typing class. There are no lessons, instructional materials or magic buttons available to help in committing the melody to memory note for note anymore than there was when you had to learn your multiplication tables or “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America”. You have to do the work. No one can learn it for you.
After you have mastered the melody line of whatever tune you want to play and can recall it instantaneously note for note, then and only then are you ready to pick up an instrument. Now you are confronted with taking each note that you hear in your head and attempting to reproduce that particular sound using your hands on button, string, key, etc. If you hear the note in your head, then it should be a simple process of “hunt and peck” on the instrument until you can find the particular sound (note) that matches up to the one in your head. After you have located its hiding place, you then try hunting around for the second, then the third, forth, fifth and so on until you have found all of the notes' hiding places."
www.savoymusiccenter.com
# Posted on January 30th 2008 by TomB-R
Re: From a cajun accordion builder and player....
Marc Savoy is amazing. I've been to his Cajun jam session on Saturday morning and it was an unforgettable experience.
Thanks for citing this. Brings back great memories
Avi
# Posted on January 30th 2008 by improziv
Re: From a cajun accordion builder and player....
I ran across that same citation when I was looking for a melodeon a year ago or so. It is great advice, and I find it's quite true. It's why many people insist that you shouldn't learn tunes from sheet music. I still like to use sheet music to help learn a tune, but if you don't know it in your head and feel it, you won't be able to play it.
# Posted on January 30th 2008 by PatrickJWK
Re: From a cajun accordion builder and player....
Further looking around Marc's site (really nice "atmosphere" if such a thing is possible) showed there are regular sessions at his shop but the rule seems to be "only one triangle, please...."
Where have I heard something like that before...
# Posted on January 31st 2008 by TomB-R
Re: From a cajun accordion builder and player....
When I was there in '92 the BIG rule was one accordion player at any time. This was an absolute. Marc would come out and play the fiddle, and the session could have any number of fiddle players. That one box player was the boy for the day!
Marc is the best, Full Stop. Oh by the way, the double bass is bolted to the floor in his shop, or was anyway. This is as it should be.
# Posted on January 31st 2008 by pushpullefty