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Un Peu Musique Cadjin


Bullethead

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I don't see any Cajun music here so to give something back to this community for all the help I've already received, I figured I'd post some of my local musi, for variety. This is a VERY simplified version I worked up for what is currently considered the "Cajun national anthem", "The Back Door" by D.L. Menard (1962). Pretty much every band hereabouts plays this. It actually sounds fairly good on a concertina with accordon reeds :).

 

This is my 1st attempt to work out the .abc for any tune and I'm pretty deaf so what sounds right to me probably won't to you. Also, for some reason I can't paste text in here, nor insert the special characters required by the French language. So when you see `e in "arri`ere", it's actually supposed to be an e with a left-pointing accent on top.

 

X:to taste

T:The Back Door

T:La porte en arri`ere

C:D.L. Menard

O:South Louisiana 1962

M:2/4

L:1/8

Q:120

Z:Bullethead

K:G (although it might as well be C or some mode thing I don't understand)

z G ED | B2 B2 | AG ED | B2 BG- | GG ED |

B2 B2 | AG ED | B2 BG- | GG ED | c2 c2 |

AG ED | c2 cA- | AG ED | B2 B2 | AG ED |

B2 BG- | GG ED | B2 d2 | A4 | B2<d2 |

B4- | BA GE | G3 B | dc BA | G z3 :|]

 

And a video, complete with an English summary of the Cajun French (not to be confused with French from France) lyrics:

 

https://youtu.be/AazJUQIEqNM

Edited by Bullethead
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  • 3 weeks later...

While on the topic, this is one of the only clips I've been able to find on YouTube of anyone playing Cajun music on the concertina (in this case a 20-button Anglo): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ob5OAEuW1pI

 

Bullethead, one suggestion since you play English-system concertina: in some past threads on Irish music on the EC, some folks have suggested that rather than try to imitate the stylings of the Anglo on the EC, it makes more sense to instead imitate the fiddle, flute, or uillean pipes on the EC, since its attributes are more conducive to those stylings than the Anglo is.

 

That being the case, perhaps you might find some good simple Cajun fiddle pieces and try playing them melodically (with some double-stops and drones) on the EC, as a fiddler would, whereas an Anglo player like the woman in the clip would tend to instead imitate the 1-row Cajun accordion on an Anglo?

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Bienvenue! Your advice on doing fiddle tunes, ça c'est bon, ça. I agree, even on an EC with accordion reeds, it's better to do the fiddle parts. "The Back Door" is more of a fiddle tune than accordion, at least as originally done, and I've got a Cajun fiddle book on order so we'll see. I'm especially looking for "La Sud de la Louisiane", which is one of the few I can sing in Cajun karaoke with my Neanderthal jaw and have the audience sing along instead of pelting me with tomatoes :).

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I haven't tried it on concertina (and I play Duet system, so yet a whole 'nother thing) but my favorite Cajun tune to play on other instruments has been the waltz "Jolies Joues Roses" also called "Chères Joues Roses". It's got this gorgeous turn to a minor chord that really grabs me.

 

Here's a pretty good version (with some fine triangle work) and a good fiddle part: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SG44OQ9mi8c

 

The neat thing about doing Cajun fiddle parts on the EC is that you can be easily backed up by a buddy with even basic guitar skills to do the accompaniment, so a simple way to be doing some cool duets.

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How do they get that wonderful raspy sound, for example on the opening notes?

Then how could you get a sound like that on a concertina?

That's 2 fiddles doing a sliding finger in harmony, exploiting their analog tone production. Concertinas, even the chromatic ones, are pretty digital, tone-wise, so it would be hard to do that even with multiple concertinas.

Edited by Bullethead
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I like to play a few Cajun tunes myself, although I'm playing on a 20 button Anglo, so I suppose I'm closer to imitating the 1-row accordion, although really I tend to play the melody line and a close harmony note that sounds a bit like the double stops on a fiddle. Generally that means adding on a 3rd, 4th, 5th, or Octave below the melody line, but really that means I'm often playing the notes offered on buttons bit lower on the same row on the Anglo, and listening for the harmony note with the sound I want.

 

Some Cajun tunes I play are:

Jolie Blon

Oberlin Waltz

Pa Janvier

Bayou Pon Pon

 

I had found a written melody line for The Back Door previously, but it didn't sound right. The syncopations you have where the G (or one time an A) is held over into the next measure make this much better, and reminds me more of what I recall hearing in years past , so now I'm working up my version of this tune as well. Thanks!

 

I don't have any idea how to go about showing double stops in ABC, but if I figure it out I'll write in again. I'd delayed replying because I'd hoped to either offer a transcription of what I'm doing, or a recording, but I doubt I'll get to either very soon.

 

Nobody would confuse my playing for the full sound of all four stops on a Cajun accordion, but these are lively tunes (except Pa Janvier, which is sorrowful instead) and I enjoy playing them!

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I had found a written melody line for The Back Door previously, but it didn't sound right. The syncopations you have where the G (or one time an A) is held over into the next measure make this much better, and reminds me more of what I recall hearing in years past , so now I'm working up my version of this tune as well. Thanks!

 

I don't have any idea how to go about showing double stops in ABC, but if I figure it out I'll write in again. I'd delayed replying because I'd hoped to either offer a transcription of what I'm doing, or a recording, but I doubt I'll get to either very soon.

 

Nobody would confuse my playing for the full sound of all four stops on a Cajun accordion, but these are lively tunes (except Pa Janvier, which is sorrowful instead) and I enjoy playing them!

 

Thanks for the compliment, Ted. I worked on that synchopation for a while, especially the last few bars ("J'ai passé dedan la porte d'en arrière"). I firmly believe this song wasn't written down until long after it was being performed ;).

 

I look forward to your future contributions to this thread.

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