Sorry for my ignorance, but here goes:

I want to buy an XD3 but how do I control the chords on the left hand as an accordionist? Since I use counterbass about 99% of the time I don't know how the XD3 would know if I was on a C chord or a G chord, for example. And would it try to change the chord every 2 seconds?!

Also, if I go with manual bass, then I am playing the bass but how does the arranger know what to do with the chords? Does this defeat the purpose of having an arranger?

I'm obviously confused.

Thank you.

Hi,

I don't know much about midi accordions (I use my Ketron module with a midi keyboard controller) or accordion playing techniques, but on "accordion mode" I think you can assign parts of the keyboard to certain midi channels.

The manual (available online at the Ketron Official site) explains this in quite a detailed way, on pages 77/78. Did you have a look at it? If this isn't enough to answer your questions, then you need help from an experienced midi accordionist!

Good luck,

-- José.

Just happened to look at the Ketron Forum.
Good question.

When I originally got an arranger (my first was an Orla module),I had assumed that I could play the bass in the same manner as when I played acoustic only and the arranger would follow - ie the sound would be an acoustic accordion backed by a "band".

Don't know if it is possible - at least I haven't figured it out! If the arranger is triggered by the bass buttons, you are correct, as soon as you play the counter bass or the 5th of the chord, the arranger assumes that you are on a new chord.

What if the arranger is triggered by the chord buttons? I use the key start/stop feature on the X4 so the arranger stops as soon as I stop pressing a left hand button. In this mode, if the arranger is triggerd by the chord buttons, it will stop playing when the bass button only is pressed. Since the usual way of playing the acoustic accordion is bass button/chord button/bass button/chord button, if you trigger the arranger with the chord button, the arranger won't start or change chords when you want it to if you play as you do acoustically. The accompaniment will also stop each time you stop pressing a chord button. What would be the result if you didn't use the key start/key stop feature?

If you don't use the key start/stop feature, the arranger stays on a chord until it gets the signal to change the chord and when you end the song you have to press stop. In this mode, if you triggered the arranger with the chord button, you could play an acoustic type bass pattern as long as you started the pattern by pressing BOTH the bass and chord button so the chord would start sounding. The chord would keep sounding when you resumed the acoustic pattern of bass button/chord button, etc. However, each time you hit the chord button, the accompaniment pattern would start again albeit on the same chord (accompaniment patterns can be as long as 8 measures before repeating, so thay sound less canned). The accompaniment ends up sounding very jerky, so this is really not satisfactory.

I have experimented with the "full keyboard" mode so the right and left hand of the accordion triggers the chord and wasn't pleased with the results. If I recall correctly, there were many times that the chord triggered wasn't correct.

So, when I play, I press both the bass and chord button and do not use the acoustic pattern. When I had the Excelsion MIDI Vox, I triggered the accompaniment with the bass or the chord button, but with the Millenium I can only trigger the acocmpaniment with the chord buttons. Haven't figured out how to trigger it with the bass buttons. I still press both bass and chord buttons because I am better able to tell where I am on the left side then if I only press the chord button.

Perhaps, the XD3 has a feature so what (I think) you want is possible. Experiment. If you come up with a solution, let me know.

All of the MIDI accordion players I have heard around here simply assign different sounds to the bass, chords and right hand and use the drum accompaniment only on the arranger module. So, they can play the normal acoustic bass pattern. The Chuck Berger video that petosa has demonstrates this very well. I prefer to use the full accompaniment.

Hope the above makes some sense. It sure took me along time to put it down.

Good luck!

RJM

RJ -

Thank you so much for such a detailed reply. I do realize that it must have taken quite a while to get that all thought out and then typed. It is appreciated.

I am still a little confused but you have helped me a great deal. I agree with you and definitely don't want to use a $2000 arranger as a glorified drum machine. I have a $200 Alesis SR-16 digital drum machine that can do that just fine.

It sounds like triggering the arranger off of the chord might be the best idea but I need to experiment with it. I have taken accordion lessons for about 15 years and don't want to waste all of that left-hand talent by simply hitting the bass and chord buttons together each time I want a chord change. Not to sound offensive, but any keyboardist could thus "master" the accordion with an arranger in this manner in about a week.

When I had an older Cordovox repaired last year the gentleman that was repairing it showed me a Solton MS-40. I played with it a little bit and then he told me that I could really play the accordion. When I asked what he meant he told me "all those guys that use those arrangers don't know how to play the accordion. They just play the right hand and the arranger does the rest." His comment stuck with me but I didn't really understand it until I read your response here.

I'm starting to get nervous that maybe I don't need an arranger at all.

Thanks again for all of the hard work on the response.

Take care.

[This message has been edited by The Accordionist (edited 03-27-2003).]

Glad that I might have been some help.

May I suggest getting the Chuck Berger video from petosa - priced at about $15 - a lot of good MIDI playing. It looks to me as if he plays the MIDI accordion using acoustic techniques. Joe Petosa (Jr.) would know what kind of equipment he uses. I have found Joe Petosa to be very helpful and gracious when U have had questions. You may be right - you may not need an arranger.

I can understand not wanting to lose your left hand technique. To be honest, I have very little technique because I am self taught and have been playing seriously for only about 8 years - no time to do the bass exercises and Hanon studies. I spend all my time trying to learn tunes, which may be counter productive in the long run.

Good Luck!

RJM