Having problems breathing with my melodeon,
Running out of air I go for the air button and everything goes to pot.
When is the best time, little and often / at the end of a bar / phrase / when I need it / in time with the bass / when I am not playing a note.
I can tell you that on the button accordion you do it *whenever you need to*, just breath harder than normal. On the whistle and other air instruments, you breathe whenever you need to also. You stop playing for a bit to breathe. Generally you work up a good sense of when to do this, especially solo, i.e. at the end of a long sustained note.
You should breathe in good time. That is, in time with the music, 3rd beat in 4/4, on a longer note etc in 6/8. But more importantly (especially if you are actually blowing down a tube as I do) well before you actually run short. Its amazing just how often you cannot reach the end of a phrase because you forgot to fill up soon enough. My friends tell me the point of disaster is a very visible as well as audible experience.
with the concertina i just rearrange my fingerings so i dont have to breathe, i hate breathing on that thing. i sitll do it, but only on long notes. i have enough to think about...
but yes, what they said is very good advice. when you need to, drop if you have to, but dont lose tempo. that is the most important thing.
I must plot out in a tune when I am going to take air into or discharge air from the bellows in order to prevent the bellows from overstretching or compressing completely. These adjustments can be made while playing notes or between phrases and vary in each tune. In D, G and related keys, the press and draw style of playing C#/D two row and D one row melodeons really teaches about economy of motion and air valve planning, especially when ornamenting tunes. These instruments may need many small air adjustments throughout the tunes in to prevent the bellows from running out in either direction.
On a B/C instrument, a tune in the key of A is likely to require many notes on the draw and fewer on the press therefore as I learn the tune, I plot on which note or interval I will take the advantage of compressing the bellows, then when I come to that note or interval, I press the air lever to accelerate the closing of the bellows in preparation for the next run of notes on the draw. Depending on the complexity of the tune being played, B/C accordions tend to allow longer intervals without bellows adjustment when playing in D and G because of the layout of the two rows, but attention to the direction that the music is taking the bellows is still necessary to anticipate adjustment.
Playing any note on the press or draw while pressing the air lever or button will influence its volume but after playing a tune several times, you will soon discover how much pressure will be needed to press or draw the bellows sufficiently in order to play the next group of notes yet maintain the volume of the note being used for bellows adjustment. Bellows adjustment in the intervals between notes may be necessary but the sound of the air intake or discharge can be noticeable and distracting depending upon the accordion being played and the volume of the air needed to continue playing. As you become familiar with the action of your instrument, the understanding of where and how much air adjustment will be made becomes easy and natural.
In summary, bellows adjustments depend on the complexity of the tune, the type of instrument being used, the key of the tune, and the loudness at which the tune is being played. I make air adjustments on beat or off beat; they will be less audible if I make them when playing a note than when not playing but they may be necessary at either time; and air adjustments will require my plotting of their position in most tunes until I am truly familiar with the tune.
Ok, I don't play any free-reed instrument, but I do play the flute. I think that some of the same points for breathing on the flute would work for free-reeds. Rather than breathe in between parts of the tune and break rhythm, it works better to just drop a not mid-part and breathe there. It actually can make for very nice phrasing, especially if you hold the note before you breathe just a tad, or slide into the next. Really good box, concertina or flute players do this, it kills two birds with one stone. You get in a breath in introduce a little lift at the same time.
That's a good idea meemtp, but it seems unnatural to do that on the box. I played flute for a long time before starting the box, and I'm sure that I use the same general approach for breathing, except that I never drop notes because it's much easier to just open the air button and grab some air while playing that one note in the other direction. This takes practice, but after a while it will become so normal that you never have to think about it.
This is why beginners often start with a box or concertina that has a leaky bellows - so that they can practice with the air button.
The way to learn this is to practice hitting the air button regularly in both directions, on the beat where possible, through a couple of tunes. I think the objective is to take small breaths in both directions until you can keep the left side about where you want it (closer or farther from the right side) and still keep the tune going the way you want it. Integrating this with the basses will take a bit longer because they suck a fair bit more air.
When do I breathe
When do I breathe
Having problems breathing with my melodeon,
Running out of air I go for the air button and everything goes to pot.
When is the best time, little and often / at the end of a bar / phrase / when I need it / in time with the bass / when I am not playing a note.
Thanks
# Posted on November 21st 2004 by mojo
Re: When do I breathe
I can tell you that on the button accordion you do it *whenever you need to*, just breath harder than normal. On the whistle and other air instruments, you breathe whenever you need to also. You stop playing for a bit to breathe. Generally you work up a good sense of when to do this, especially solo, i.e. at the end of a long sustained note.
# Posted on November 21st 2004 by sifudave54
Re: When do I breathe
You should breathe in good time. That is, in time with the music, 3rd beat in 4/4, on a longer note etc in 6/8. But more importantly (especially if you are actually blowing down a tube as I do) well before you actually run short. Its amazing just how often you cannot reach the end of a phrase because you forgot to fill up soon enough. My friends tell me the point of disaster is a very visible as well as audible experience.
# Posted on November 21st 2004 by bigfish
Re: When do I breathe
haha, my uncle says to breathe on tuesdays.
with the concertina i just rearrange my fingerings so i dont have to breathe, i hate breathing on that thing. i sitll do it, but only on long notes. i have enough to think about...
but yes, what they said is very good advice. when you need to, drop if you have to, but dont lose tempo. that is the most important thing.
# Posted on November 21st 2004 by daiv
Re: When do I breathe
I must plot out in a tune when I am going to take air into or discharge air from the bellows in order to prevent the bellows from overstretching or compressing completely. These adjustments can be made while playing notes or between phrases and vary in each tune. In D, G and related keys, the press and draw style of playing C#/D two row and D one row melodeons really teaches about economy of motion and air valve planning, especially when ornamenting tunes. These instruments may need many small air adjustments throughout the tunes in to prevent the bellows from running out in either direction.
On a B/C instrument, a tune in the key of A is likely to require many notes on the draw and fewer on the press therefore as I learn the tune, I plot on which note or interval I will take the advantage of compressing the bellows, then when I come to that note or interval, I press the air lever to accelerate the closing of the bellows in preparation for the next run of notes on the draw. Depending on the complexity of the tune being played, B/C accordions tend to allow longer intervals without bellows adjustment when playing in D and G because of the layout of the two rows, but attention to the direction that the music is taking the bellows is still necessary to anticipate adjustment.
Playing any note on the press or draw while pressing the air lever or button will influence its volume but after playing a tune several times, you will soon discover how much pressure will be needed to press or draw the bellows sufficiently in order to play the next group of notes yet maintain the volume of the note being used for bellows adjustment. Bellows adjustment in the intervals between notes may be necessary but the sound of the air intake or discharge can be noticeable and distracting depending upon the accordion being played and the volume of the air needed to continue playing. As you become familiar with the action of your instrument, the understanding of where and how much air adjustment will be made becomes easy and natural.
In summary, bellows adjustments depend on the complexity of the tune, the type of instrument being used, the key of the tune, and the loudness at which the tune is being played. I make air adjustments on beat or off beat; they will be less audible if I make them when playing a note than when not playing but they may be necessary at either time; and air adjustments will require my plotting of their position in most tunes until I am truly familiar with the tune.
# Posted on November 21st 2004 by ∅
Re: When do I breathe
laitch, try playing a Schylling $18 piece of crap, THAT will teach you economy!
I've learned to make it sound exactly the same if I am or am not breathing. Is it harder on the bigger accordions?
# Posted on November 22nd 2004 by sifudave54
Re: When do I breathe
Ok, I don't play any free-reed instrument, but I do play the flute. I think that some of the same points for breathing on the flute would work for free-reeds. Rather than breathe in between parts of the tune and break rhythm, it works better to just drop a not mid-part and breathe there. It actually can make for very nice phrasing, especially if you hold the note before you breathe just a tad, or slide into the next. Really good box, concertina or flute players do this, it kills two birds with one stone. You get in a breath in introduce a little lift at the same time.
# Posted on November 22nd 2004 by meemtp
Re: When do I breathe
That's a good idea meemtp, but it seems unnatural to do that on the box. I played flute for a long time before starting the box, and I'm sure that I use the same general approach for breathing, except that I never drop notes because it's much easier to just open the air button and grab some air while playing that one note in the other direction. This takes practice, but after a while it will become so normal that you never have to think about it.
This is why beginners often start with a box or concertina that has a leaky bellows - so that they can practice with the air button.
# Posted on November 22nd 2004 by Gzeg
Re: When do I breathe
The way to learn this is to practice hitting the air button regularly in both directions, on the beat where possible, through a couple of tunes. I think the objective is to take small breaths in both directions until you can keep the left side about where you want it (closer or farther from the right side) and still keep the tune going the way you want it. Integrating this with the basses will take a bit longer because they suck a fair bit more air.
# Posted on November 22nd 2004 by Gzeg
Re: When do I breathe
Thank you all for your excellent suggestions,
They have all been very helpful.
# Posted on November 24th 2004 by mojo