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.

9 Pathway to Accordion C Bb Ab Gb Major

 Play in the keys of Bb, Ab, and Gb Major.

8 Pathway to Accordion C D E F# Major

 

Play in the keys of C, D, E, and F# Major.