Mel Bay

Author: Will Marshall
Format: Book with Audio Online
Instrumentation: Accordion

Modern Scottish accordion music shows the influence of folk styles, dance music and solo and ensemble performance practice. In this compendium of stylistic approaches, freelance musical director, composer, musician, and tutor Will Marshall provides a multifaceted intermediate-level guide to playing traditional Scottish dance music.

From separate left and right-hand part analysis to the fine points of deploying the "Scotch snap" and bellows phrasing, Marshall offers the basic tools to create melody, bass and chord arrangements from a traditional Scottish tune or ceilidh collection. He presents chapters on Scottish accordion history and dance rhythms, detailed instructions for playing jigs, reels, and strathspeys, plus tips on the execution of grace notes and accents. Even seasoned accordionists will appreciate the chapter on "Practice and Mindset" plus the author's ideas about compiling sets for dancers to kick up their heels. Includes access to online audio.

Contents:

• The Piano Accordion in Scottish Music
• The Left Hand
• How to Read and Play the Left Hand
• Major Chord
• Minor and 7ths
• Diminished Chords
• Slash Chords
• Jigs
• What is a Jig?
• Jig for John
• Metronome Practice
• Simple Right-Hand Rhythm
• How to Play with Both Hands at Once
• Right-Hand Techniques
• Time to Play a Jig!
• Jig for John
• More Jig Rhythms
• Reels
• What is a Reel?
• The Forth Rail Bridge
• Playing the Left Hand in 4/4 Time
• Metronome Practice
• Simple Right-Hand Rhythms -- Reels
• How do we play both hands at once?
• Things to Look for in 2/4
• Right-Hand Techniques
• Time to Play Reels
• The Forth Rail Bridge
• The Morning Loop
• Strathspeys
• What is a Strathspey?
• Lachlans Bounce
• How to Play the Left Hand
• Metronome Practice
• Simple Right-Hand Rhythms Strathspeys
• Time to Play your First Strathspey!
• How to Play Both Hands at Once
• Other Strathspey Ryhthms
• Time to Play
• Lachlan's Bounce
• Grace Notes
• Accents, Bellows and Phrasing
• Accents
• Bellows
• Phrasing
• The Forth Rail Bridge
• Jig for John
• Lachlan's Bounce
• Practice and Mindset
• Let's Play
• Performances
• The Forth Rail Bridge
• Let's Play a Jig!
• Jig for John
• Let's Play Reels!
• The Forth Rail Bridge
• The Morning Loop
• Let's Play a Strathspey!
• Lachlan's Bounce
• Bass Chart