HELLO!My name is Dan Mudry dpm1@pitt.edu and the idea for this page was dreamed up out of my love of accordions, and the special loyalty which seems to exist between players of this instrument. Hopefully this will give those who play some sort of squeezebox, the opportunity to share it with the rest of the world. Whatever you may play--- Piano accordion, Button accordion, Concertina, Melodion etc. all are welcome!
It doesn't matter if you are an extremely talented player, or a beginner. If you love playing, that's all that's important. The other squeezers on the net, myself, or anyone who enjoys listening will love hearing your tune. As far as the type of music sent in, it's really up to you. This will be a site for all forms of reed expressionism.
#1. Make a recording of your tune. Try to keep it around sixty seconds. I know this doesn't seem like much, but my disk space is limited. A sixty second piece as a wav takes up approximately 600-700K. This way I can provide more tunes by more people!
#2. Somehow (your choice) turn it into a .wav or .mp3 sound file. If you have a soundboard in yours or a friend's PC this will not be too hard. If you need help with this step, please email me and I will do my best to help.
#3. Attach it to an email message to me, and I will do the rest. Please tell me a little about your particular instrument, the tune, and something about yourself. This way I can put a little blurb next to the soundfile for everyone to read. Hopefully in the future I will be able to perhaps include a picture of your box, (or you and your box) next to it.
#1 By Dan Mudry (Murrysville, Pennsylvania)
This is an old English tune called "Argeers". The
instrument used was my Paolo Soprani 140 base piano accordion. It
is about 20 years old and a dazzling red color (including the
bellows). The stop I used for the melody was "Celeste"
which has a pretty mild musette tuning. The bass was set on full.
I wish I had better recording equipment as you'll find out why
when you listen. Argeers.wav (661K)
#2 By Mario Mosti and Tommy Bruno (Jeannette,
Pennsylvania)
One day last winter I was visiting Mario's shop and was lucky
enough to record this gem! Mario picked up his
"Melodija" button box and Tommy strapped on Mario's
Hohner Gola Piano Accordion for an impromptu rendition of
........"The Accordion Polka"
(508K wave)
#3 By Dan Melander (Minnesota)
Dan sent in this very nice piece with the recording help of his
wife Maureen. They play in a Jug band together by the name of
"Big Dan and the Kazoodles". In this selection, Dan
plays the "Too Fat Polka" on his Cheminitzer
Concertina."TFP.wav"(449K)
#4 By Karen Devane (Galway, Ireland)
Karen is an amazingly talented individual. She plays seventeen
instruments and holds several All-Ireland Traditional Music
Titles. She was kind enough to send in this clip in which she
plays a Paolo Soprani two row Button Accordion with a B-C tuning.
It is quite a lively reel entitled 'Lad O' Beirnes' "Lad.au"(387K)
#5 By Brendan Browne (Galway, Ireland)
This clip was sent in from another All-Ireland Champion
Traditional Musician. Brendan is sixteen years old and has graced
this page with a fanciful reel entitled "The Ballinasloe
Fair". He learned the tune from the playing of the legendary
Irish accordion player Joe Burke. Brendan used a Salterelle Super
Nuage two row Button Accordion in C#/D tuning for this recording.
Have a Listen!"Fair.wav"(643K)
#6 By Hans Palm (Sweden)
Hans is a member of an accordion club from Linkoping. He now has
his own great Web page with his compositions and sound files
available.Go and have a look....Hans Palm's Web
Page
#7 By Wendy Morrison (Takoma Park, Maryland)
This beautiful little waltz is a personal composition of Wendy's
(So much talent among us Squeezers!) She has named it
"Eichah". It was recorded with an Organette 48 bass
Piano Accordion, with two sets of reeds and a very nice musette
tuning. In case her name seems familiar, this IS the Wendy of
"The House of Musical Traditions". Here is the song...."Eichah.wav"(597k).... Here's a
link to Wendy's Home Page. It has a very good supply of accordion
related information....Wendy Morrison's
Page
#8 By Ian Reeve (Uralla, Northern New South Wales,
Australia)
Ian has been playing button accordion since 1971. He played in
bush bands and folk groups from 1975 till 1991 and became
interested in the cross keying style of playing after watching a
German visitor use this style in 1979.The tune Ian sent along is
entitled "Pop Holland's Walz" Named after a famous
player who also lived in New South Wales and passed away several
years ago. The button accordion used for this recording was a
Hohner three row triple voice. (FCG). Now sit back, download, and
enjoy...."Pophol.wav"(682k)
#9 By Tom Norulak (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
This tune was written by Tom Norulak and Dave Golub and is
entitled "Affordable Floors". Tom writes: "We
composed the A Part as a "Celtic Interlude" for the end
of a song on an album by the local rock group of the same name,
and composed the B part later." The recording was played by
Tom on a Hohner Tango II 80 Bass Piano Accordion with a sweet
musette tuning. Tom refers to it as his "Hohner Honey".
It has a very nice sound and is used in Tom's Contra dance band
"Magic Forest". Tom has been playing since childhood
and took lessons at the American School of Music in Irvington,
New Jersey. Here we go...."Floors.wav"(600k)
Tom now has his own Web site. If you'd like to visit....Click Here
#10 Here is a link to Glenn Lautenbacher's Page. Where you can hear a couple of great tunes recorded by him.
#11 By Bill Runyon (Centerview, Missouri)
Bill is the pastor of small church in Missouri and says that some
of his missionary friends use the squeezebox extensively in
remote areas. He has sent in a tune played on his
"Nobility" Piano accordion which he picked up at a
garage sale 20 years ago. It is entitled "Longing for Jesus
to Come back". An evangelist friend of Bill's first recorded
the tune back in the 1950's. Please enjoy this peaceful little
tune...."Longing.wav"(340k)
#12 By Chuck Roman (Skokie, Illinois)
Chuck was an accordionist in a jazz quintet that played in and
around Chicago in the late 1940's. The sound clip he's recorded
is a ballad that was quite popular among young lovers of that
era. His accordion is an Excelsior, and he used the Bassoon
switch in this very nice recording of......"Don't
Take Your Love From Me"(762k)
#13 By Mark Kenneth (Edinburgh, Scotland)
Mark was originally classically trained and competed in all the
national competitions. He won a couple of Scotland and All
Britain titles in various categories. The accordion he used for
this selection was a Borsini Superstar PA 120 Bass, 5 voice on
both hands. It was a special order direct from Italy with double
cassotto sound chambers. Mark presently plays in a band where his
accordion is linked through expanders and synths and plays
Scottish and more modern rythms. He also plays in a traditional
Scottish Duo. The tune sent along is a very energetic piece which
showcases Mark's great talent. It is entitled "Jig of Slurs"(632k) it is a
Wav file.
#14 By John Koontz (Tidewater, Virginia)
John is an ex-musician in the US Navy and currently limits his
playing to Church affiliated functions.The accordion played on
this recording was a 33 year old Excelsior PA model A2 with 120
bass. The clip he sent in is an excerpt of John's own arrangement
of a hymn called"My Anchor
Holds"(370k) He patterned it after hearing a recording
of a very gifted Accordionist, Evangelist Dr. Jack Van Impe.
Quite a lively rendition!
#15 By Marty Greene (Fargo, North Dakota)
Marty was stationed in Germany in the Late 80's, and took lessons
from a wonderful lady Akkordionmeister (Frau Elsbeth Mueller)
from the Hohner school. Here he presents a very nice rendition of
Lili Marleen "LILIMA~1.WAV"(580K)
The tune was played on a Weltmeister Caprice (120 Bass) made in
former East Germany. Thanks, Marty.
#16 By Randy Krichbaum (Calgary, Canada)
This tune is a lively jig called "Coleraine". It was
played on a Hohner Student VM 48 Bass piano Accordion. Randy says
that he likes to use this instrument for Celtic music because it
sounds so much like a button box. Hope you enjoy it! "Coler.WAV" (770K)
#17 By David Barnert (Albany, New York)
Performed by David on a Hayden (Duet) Concertina. There are not
many sound samples of Haydens on the Net. David explains that
this instrument has a fully independent right hand (treble) and
left hand (bass) which allows for melody on the right and
imaginative accompaniment on the left, using bass runs, chords,
open fifths, etc. It sure produces a very sweet tune for all to
listen to. ......"Saint Margaret's
Hill"(950k)
#18 By Katrina Magri (Hudson, New Hampshire)
Katrina is definitely our youngest member. She is 7 years old and
has been playing a 48 bass Titano for a little over three months.
She takes lessons at the Rosita Lee Music Center and has just won
a trophy for playing in a band competition. Keep up the good
playing Katrina! Here is a little ditty performed by her....."Melody Time Waltz"(469k)
#19 By Theodore Kloba (Chicago, Illinois)
Ted had only been playing for a few weeks when he sent me this
song. Hard to believe when you hear how good it is.The instrument
used is a 1983 Star Beauty Double Reed Concertina with an
internal microphone.Ted tells me that when he gets better he'll
send me another tune. That probably wont take very long. The song sent in is a Lithuanian folk tune
called...."Noriu Miega" (I Must
Sleep)"(717k)
#20 By Bud Crain (Washington State)
This is a tune by the great Turlough O' Carolan played by Bud on a 100 year old 20 button Lachenal anglo concertina. Bud also plays button box, guitar, fiddle and a little Celtic Harp. Please enjoy this little ditty called Morgan Magan (600K wav)
#21 By Andy McCormick (Rhode Island USA)
This is a song called "Boogermouth". It was played by Andy on a 48 Bass Monterrey
Superstar piano accordion. Andy plays music for puppet shows, bars, and at parties. This is his own composition written for a show in Minneapolis a few years ago. Neat little tune!
Give it a listen...Boogermouth (644K wav)
#22 By Jacob Kouwe (??? USA) This is a little clip from Jacob's Band "Alan's Ugly Girlfriend". It's pretty cool. Good to see the ol squeezebox brought up to modern times. There is not a name for this clip, but it's a little snippet from one of their songs. Give it a try! Snippet (220K wav). To be able to understand all this, you need to go to the website http://www.alansuglygirlfriend.cjb.net/ It will then make sense. Good luck Jacob!
#23 By Kenneth Shaw (Albuquerque, New Mexico) Ken has sent in a great little dance tune from Bulgaria called "Tropanka iz Dobrudja". It was played on a Dallape SuperMaestro Super King 120 Bass 5/5 reed accordion. It has an exceptionally nice sound and Ken does a real nice job on this difficult piece. Ken has been playing since the early 70's and really enjoys the instrument. Here's the tune....Tropdob (723K wav)
#24By Bruce Metras (San Francisco, California) Bruce has been playing for a little over 3 years and said he got a late start in life learning the box. He does pretty well on this rendition of "Cynthia". The instrument is a double chamber Beltuna Leader IV which he ordered with 2 bassoon reeds and 2 middle reeds. Have a listen... Cynthia (640K mp3)
#25 By Mike O'Regan (Nottingham, United Kingdom) Here is a very well recorded song. The fidelity is outstanding. It is a tune called "Hey Brother, Pour the Wine". Mike played this on a Farfisa Syntaccordion through its inbuilt 8 microphones with a little reverb added for flavoring. Quite a happy little piece. Enjoy!... HeyBro (450K mp3)
#26 By Erik Mork (Brantford, Ontario Canada) Erik says he took lessons from the age of 6 to 13 then became more interested in hockey and other guy things. After quite a long break he dragged the old squeezebox out of the closet, began playing again and reawakened his passion for the accordion. On this clip he uses a Bell 4511C custom built box using the organ switch on the treble side full master on the bass. The sound is very good and I hope you enjoy it. The tune is "El Cumanchero" (1.2mb wav)
#27 By John Dickson (Perth, Australia) Here's what John wrote me.....Hi Dan......my name is John Dickson. I live in Perth Western Australia and have been playing the accordion for good few years. The tune is a waltz written by Slavko Avsenik. I played it on a Scandalli super 6 accordion. Cheers, John D slovenia.mp3 (2.5mb mp3)
#28 By James Swinhoe (Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia) Hey mate! Yet another fine tune from down under.
James played this great rendition of "The Irish Washerwoman" on a Hohner Imperator 4 using the tremelo setting. Something about this tune always makes me want to grab a pint and dance like there's no tomorrow...Irish Washerwoman
(750K mp3)
#29 By Kay Howie Hickman (StreetSqueeze) (Austin Texas, USA) Here's
the letter I got from Kay.....
#30 By Eric Gustafson (Montana, USA) From Eric....
#31 By Bill
Ritzman
(State College,
Pennsylvania)
Bill says
he's a recreational player and enjoys tinkering occasionally. This is an
original tune that he wrote and played on an old Pancordion, 120 bass. Being
that Bill is "an old coal region kid" The tune is aptly named "Coal Slavic".
A very pretty, haunting melody....
Coal Slavic (2 Mg mp3)
#32
By Heidi
(Suz)
Seville
(New South
Wales, Australia) Heidi says...."I
guess I'd call myself a seasoned beginner still. I inherited my button
accordion, a two row G/C Hohner, from my grandfather probably about 10 years ago
now. Mainly play for fun. I know he would have been proud that I actually got
out there and learned how to play it." Instead of only sending us a tune,
she sent us a link to her myspace page. We can not only hear her perform, but
can actually see her through the wonders of the Internet. Thanks Suz! ........ http://www.myspace.com/fedsie
.
My musical partner and I are street musicians in Austin, Texas, and we play
quirky tunes on two row diatonic accordions, and also sometimes he plays a
piano accordion. Mostly we play original tunes and European tunes, and since
our own tunes also have a European flavor to them, we call it Euro-Texan folk
music. I'm attaching an mp3 of us playing a tune that I wrote when we were
missing our friend Jarle, who comes to visit from Norway quite often. It's
called "Where's Jarle", and we are playing accordions hand made for us in
Australia by Peter (Stormy) Hyde, and they are in the keys of C/F, and tuned
to be in synch with each other so that the tuning is different with each one,
but played together makes it sound like there are more than two
accordions. We also play festivals and private parties and give workshops on
all sorts of different themes. Both of us are self taught, and just enjoy
playing a lot. To my way of thinking - there is no music better than
accordion music.
Kindest regards, Kay. Here's the tune..
Where's Jarle (1.4 Mg mp3) Street Squeeze also has a website---
http://www.streetsqueeze.com
an online article about me...http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2004/01/23/entertainer/nitelife/nite01.txt I used a Hohner Student 40 with a Shure dynamic lavalier mic mounted inside
the bellows, recorded straight to the
board. I played the drums, accordion and harmonica in one
live take, then overdubbed the mandolin and rubboard. It is
a Clifton Chenier tune called Zydeco Cha Cha.........ZydecoChaCha
(810K wma file)
Links to Other areas of Interest
Phoebe Senger's "Accordiona" Page
"Lark in The Morning" Musical Instrument Catalog
Fred Dunne's Accordion Web Site
Want to know how to "bend" notes on your accordion to get that bluesey harmonica type sound? Tom Tonon has invented a way to do this! Have a look at his page complete with soundfiles.... Tom Tonon's Bluesbox Page
