Ableton and Roland Accordion Midi Integration

Audio-Midi Divide

Roland and other electronic accordions amazingly integrate mechanical music systems with electronic sounds. Once you get past the power cord and batteries, you enter the world of cables and connections.

The Audio (analog) electronic waves of varying voltage extend through cable or wireless connections to headphones and speakers. These signals can be recorded into mp3 and wav files, where they can be played later and also be combined and edited on a computer. These signals can be digitally sampled and manipulated.

The MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) signal is digital from the start. It requires a separate arrangement of cables and connections as well as computer hardware and software known as a DAW (digital audio workstation). Ableton is one such computer software that works with both audio and midi information. 

Midi Morass

A general comparison between audio and midi is that one works and the other does not. A goal would be to get midi working to the level of audio. Given that digital starts with two values, zero and one, and then builds up to countless layers and complexities, it is most likely not to work. So getting a midi system working is the result of many small victories.

The Roland accordion can establish a two-way digital connection with a computer DAW by using a USB cable. The computer can now record the midi information from the accordion as well as send midi information to the accordion.

Operating the Roland Accordion from the Computer

The FR-1x accordion responds to midi signals from a computer when the accordion parameter setting ESQ (external sequencer) is set to YES. It is located far down the Parameter List after UPG, SND, and SAV. Press on the Set button to enter the Parameter Setting Menu. Press Register Switch 4 forty-three times to get to ESQ. Then press Register Switch 2 to set ESQ to YES.

Similarly on the FR-4x accordion, set Ext Seq (ESQ) to YES. Press the Menu button to enter the Parameter Setting Menu. Press the Right Arrow eleven times to reach the System heading. Press the Enter button and press the Right Arrow twenty-one times (or press and hold the Right Arrow button) to reach the MIDI  sub-menu. Press the Enter button and press the Right Arrow button twice to reach the Ext Seq (ESQ) entry. Press the Enter button then the Plus button.

Midi has sixteen independent channels, but defaults to channel one. The Roland accordion uses many of the channels. So, the computer will work best with the accordion when it is recording and playing on a separate track per channel. The following Midi channels are used on the Roland accordion.

• One -- right-hand Accordion
• Two -- left-hand Accordion bass and Free bass
• Three -- left-hand Accordion chord
• Four -- right-hand Orchestra/Organ
• Five -- left-hand Orchestra bass
• Six -- left-hand Orchestra chord
• Seven -- left-hand Orchestra Free bass
• Ten -- left-hand Drums
• Thirteen -- Sound set selection

Touchy Feely

Orchestra

Press the Orchestra button and go down the rabbit hole.

Consider the four Register switches on the Roland FR-1.

Switch 1 gets strings and vocals -- violin, soft vocals (ooh, or strike key strongly for ahh and a drop), harder vocals, and string ensemble.

Switch 2 get brass -- trumpet, trombone, french horn, and brass choir.

Switch 3 gets woodwinds -- flute, tenor saxophone, clarinet, and oboe.

Switch 4 gets piano, guitar, mandolin, and harpsichord with strings.

Bellows

For Switches 1, 2, and 3, operate the bellows as you would your diaphragm when playing wind instruments or singing, or your bow on a string instrument.

Play short, detached, and accented note.

Play a longer note with an initial attack, then a swell, then a drop-off of air pressure.

Play a longer phrase of notes that builds to a peak then drops off.

Work to achieve a characteristic sound for the instrument and play notes (pitches) within the range of the instrument.

Key Strike

For Switch 4, you can keep the bellows shut. The bellows has no effect.

The speed and force of the key strike affects the sound.

Switch 4 is a great area for practicing the evenness of your fingering.

An interesting effect with the mandolin is quick key presses give single notes. 

A slightly longer press gives a tremolo. 

So, play the single notes short, and hold the longer notes slightly longer to get a tremolo.

Dual

Pressing the Set switch then pressing Switch 4 turns Dual Mode on and off.

With Dual Mode on, you get the accordion and the orchestra instrument.

With Switches 1, 2, and 3, both instruments are affected by the bellows.

The accordion and the trumpet, or the tenor saxophone, or the clarinet provides a pleasing sound.

With Switch 4, you can blend between the two instruments. Using no bellows will give only the orchestra instrument. Adding in bellows will add in the accordion. Adding in a lot of bellows will sound mostly the accordion. So, you can effectively play between two instruments.

Whole or Half

 B or C

With the Roland accordion, you get both B and C systems. Make a menu selection.

I started with a B-System accordion, but with Roland I still have a B-System but also a C-System.

So, can I get used to a C-System?

Whole or Half Steps

Switching systems means the half-step and whole-step diagonals switch places.

So, the key difference is identifying half-steps and whole-steps in the music. 

After playing scales, chords, and grace notes, it is time to start playing some songs.

Play Songs

Getting used to a new keyboard system means getting used to playing songs. The key element is identifying the melodic intervals. 

Between the B and C keyboard layouts, the long row is the same (minor third, diminished fifth, major sixth, and octave). So accurately identify and play the half-steps and the whole-steps.

Particularly good songs to practice are those with half- and whole-steps.

"Dark Eyes"

Starts off with half steps.

Then a fourth, a half step, minor third, then a mix of half-steps, whole-steps, thirds, fourths, and fifths.

Here is a French jazz version, ala Django Reinhardt.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfiqW1WaGbw

Shostakovich Waltz No. 2

Tritenina plays the waltz.

Can you identify the half steps versus the whole steps?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpcNkSmwPbc

The sheet music --

https://sheetmusic-free.com/shostakovich-waltz-2-sheet-music-piano-pdf/

Free the Bass

Press the Button

The Roland accordion allows the stradella bass to vanish with a press of a button, the Free Bass button. On converter accordions a mechanical switch provides the free bass option.

The outside four left-hand rows are now chromatic free bass. The two top inside rows remain stradella bass and counter-bass notes.

Chromatic Scale

Get the fingers used to where the notes are. Match them up with notes on the right hand. See what the lowest and highest notes are. Play the chromatic diagonal. Play the whole step diagonal. Play the long rows with the minor thirds and octaves.

Notice that the fourth row duplicates the outside row.

Play the chromatic scale on the outside three rows. Then move in a row and play a three-fingered chromatic scale using the fourth inside row instead of the outside row.

Match the notes with the right hand and notice the movement of both hands.

Do the daily as a warm-up.

Videos -- Lowest Notes at the Top

Dale Mathis presses the Free Bass button on the Roland accordion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrVvQrsr39o

Lowest notes at the top (Roland default)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyNod9PDSVs

Finger exercises for Free Bass

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1LkdozfgGU

Working on Drills

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZdSZYt-1hk

Daily practice

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqoeKbAjR5Q

New music selection practice

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBeIn2f8q8I

Playable version

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNMfqHhIysE

Videos -- Lowest Notes at the Bottom

Lowest notes at the bottom (from Roland Free Bass menu)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRLEhjtWM3g

Top two rows (Bass and Counter Bass) have the lowest notes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqQ1aJQNNeg

Roland accordions amazing

Learning other keyboard layouts

Roland recently had some lower prices on its V accordions.

So, a great opportunity to work on other chromatic button accordion keyboard systems without buying lots of accordions.

I am now working on C-system right hand and free-bass left hand. 

Roland FR-1xb 

It has the various keyboard layouts.

On the right hand, it has three octaves.

On the left hand, it has seventy-two buttons.

It has fourteen accordions, each with seven registers

Roland FR-4xb

Roland's newest model.

The same keyboard layouts as the FR-1xb.

On the right hand, it has four and a half octaves.

On the left hand, it has one hundred and twenty buttons.

It has one hundred accordions, each with seven registers.

Dale Mathis version

Kraft Music of Wisconsin, USA sells Roland accordions with Dale Mathis programming included.

Ludovic Beier 

He plays the FR-4xb.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIXIFRM9gnQ&t=95s

Kjell Dorholt Plays B-System

 Kjell Dorholt has posted a number of videos of him playing a B-System accordion.

You can clearly see his right hand.

He uses all five rows.

His YouTube channel is at:

https://www.youtube.com/@kjelldorholt4486/videos

MuseScore Transcription Playlist

On my YouTube channel (link below), select MuseScore playlist.

https://www.youtube.com/@dchribar/playlists

or select one of the following YouTube videos.

Petrunino Horo  

Ibraim odza oro

MuseScore creates YouTube videos.

The previous version of MuseScore (3) works well.

These are transcriptions I did of YouTube videos that do not have any available music.

The top score line is transposed up a step for clarinet.