Posted 09 May 2008 - 12:20 AM
I'm interested in it because I teach my mother to play diatonic button accordion. So far we have agreed to treat any accordion as G/C, and we have C/F, A/D and G/C.
I'm currently using French book with CD. I especially like the book because it's using Bernard Loffett's tablature. and specifically written for G/C accordion. The tunes are great, my mom is making progress, but I'd like a variety.
I don't think putting tunes in various keys is a big deal, rather keeping them in useful keys, like English stuff in D/G, French in G/C etc. Perhaps there can be some clear acetate pages with transposers, like blank stave, where you can put your copy and by moving up and down have it transposed.
But I am of the opinion that too many tunes are a waste of time. It's easy to compile such book, with simple tunes, no tablature, chord symbols and no CD. But actually arranging them in order of difficulty, to present a student with challenge in each new tune or chapter - real work. Besides Mally's Melodeon Method and a few French books I haven't found anything as useful, so far.
As for what I would like to see:
Less tunes, but with better selection, less redundancy, more variety and styles.
Less fluff or decorations, but more thoughtful arrangements with variations, so a tune can be played a few times for the public (even just for kids and parents).
Gradual increase of difficulty, so say, a tune may have trhee parts.
First is simple melody with chords, second is harmony and decorations, and the third is a variation. Then there can be a fourth, where variation is decorated. So a player can vary these parts and have a nice concert piece.
But that's my dream and, I guess, I'm going to do that myself, if I want to see it materialized.
