Alekseev's method of teaching how to play the button accordion. Methodological development: “Features of initial training in the accordion class
Specifics of sound production on the button accordion and accordion.
MBOU DOD DSHI v. Barda
Accordion teacher Nazarova Elvira Saitovna
Plan
Introduction
Sound production technique
Dynamics.
Thinning.
Strokes and techniques of playing the button accordion.
Types of carcass and fur science.
Conclusion
Introduction
Compared to the piano, organ or symphony orchestra instruments, the button accordion and accordion are young instruments.
Every year, the features of academicism begin to appear more and more clearly in the performance of the button accordion and accordion. This movement is not a departure from national traditions, nor a rejection of the past of the button accordion and accordion. What we are seeing today is a logical continuation of what was done by talented performers, teachers, composers, designers during the 20s - 30s and, especially, the 50s - 90s. This previously unprecedented activity of enthusiasts in the shortest possible time radically changed the bayan and accordion itself and the idea of it.
It is not surprising that today the button accordion and accordion are both a mass instrument of folk culture, pop, folk (folklore), and academic instrument.
To a certain extent, a different approach is possible in determining the directions of development of the button accordion and accordion. In this case, there will be three of them: folklore, pop and academic, when the first will include the use of the button accordion and accordion in folk art of the oral tradition.
The process of academization of the button accordion took place with particular speed in the 50s. This is primarily explained by the emergence of the highest degree of education for musicians in this specialty: the opening in 1948 of the department of folk instruments at the Moscow Gnessin State Musical Pedagogical Institute, and later the creation of a whole network of universities where accordionists and accordionists studied.
It was not accidental, but quite natural, that the thinking of performers, conductors, and teachers reached a qualitatively new, higher level. In a relatively short period, “breakthroughs” occurred in the field of pedagogical and methodological thought, the repertoire changed fundamentally, and solo performance took unprecedented steps forward. At the same time, one of the most important issues in the development and formation of each musical instrument - the issue of sound production - could not be resolved with sufficient completeness. Many outstanding accordion players (for example, I. Ya. Panitsky, P. L. Gvozdev, S. M. Kolobkov, A. V. Sklyarov and others) intuitively solved this problem in their work. Many researchers (B. M. Egorov) made discoveries in the field of methodological thought.
However, not fused together, the achievements of performance and theory of radical change could not give: steadily increasing, the level
training of the bulk of accordion players (students) in the field of sound production techniques and currently does not yet meet the requirements of academicism.
Sound production technique
Sound is the main means of expression. Highly skilled musicians make even simple, technically uncomplicated works sound extremely attractive. This is the result of a lot of work on sound culture.
The work on sound is varied and specific to each instrument. For example, on a button accordion and an accordion it is easy to refine the sound, since the instruments have a large supply of air in the bellows, but on these instruments it is not possible to distinguish chord sounds of different strengths.
Working on sound involves mastering timbre, dynamics, and strokes.
Changing the timbre on button accordions and accordions is carried out using registers. If they are not there, work on sound comes down to mastering dynamic and line subtleties. They also form part of the technical means of musical performance, no less important than such elements of technique as fluency, chord technique, leaps, etc.
When performing cantilena works, it is necessary to strive as much as possible to bring the sound of button accordion and accordion closer to singing, to the human voice.
Dynamics
Dynamics is the change in sound intensity. It is imperative for the performer to develop the ability to sense both gradual and sudden changes in sound strength. While working on dynamics, you should simultaneously develop the habit of pressing the keys with the same force on both the forte and the piano. Many button accordion and accordion players, when playing forte, instinctively press the key with greater force than required by the resistance of the spring, and this restricts the freedom of movement of the hand and prevents the fluency of the fingers.
Before you start working on dynamics exercises, you need to carefully study the volume of dynamic capabilities (dynamic scale) of your instrument, that is, its sound from the most delicate pianissimo to maximum fortissimo. It is important that throughout the entire dynamic scale the timbre of the sound does not lose its colorfulness. If you demand from an instrument a forte for which the sound is not designed, it will begin to detonate and lose its characteristic sound - timbre. It is therefore necessary that the student knows the maximum fortissimo for his instrument at which the sound does not detonate, as well as the maximum pianissimo at which the instrument would respond.
Simultaneously with the development of auditory sensation, it is necessary to develop a sense of the strength with which the left hand should work the bellows. It is impossible to calculate exactly with what force it should compress or stretch the bellows on the border between detonation and pure fortissimo sound, as well as at the moment of the most delicate pianissimo. Therefore, you need to leave a dynamic reserve, in other words, a spare dynamic shade on the side of the minimum and on the side of the maximum sound. The working dynamic scale of the instrument should begin with a slight deviation from the maximum pianissimo and end slightly short of the maximum fortissimo.
Let us denote conditionally the limiting pianissimo for a given instrument by the sign ppp, and the limiting fortissimo at which the instrument does not detonate by fff. These extreme spare shades in the dynamic scale (ppp and fff) seem to warn against using such pianissimo when the instrument cannot sound, and such fortissimo when the instrument begins to detonate. A student who has already acquired a sense of the beginning and end of the working dynamic scale should begin to develop the feeling of the three main dynamic shades - piano, mezzo forte, forte. It is recommended to do this first on a separate sound, then on a chord. Once the student has mastered this skill, it must be reinforced by playing scales with both hands in unison or with double notes separately, first on the piano, then on the mezzo forte and finally on the forte.
This skill can be strengthened even better if, after such exercises, you play scales with mixed strength. You can do this, for example, like this: play the piano four sounds with release and four with compression, perform the next four sounds with release and four with compression in mezzo-forte, then with compression and release-forte. In the future, during exercises, you should try to vary the comparison of dynamics in one scale as much as possible in order to acquire the skill of auditory sensation of dynamic shades and forceful sensation of them in the left hand.
Mixed dynamics exercises are very helpful in acquiring the skill of pressing the fingers of your right hand evenly on the keyboard when changing dynamics. When performing them, you need to control the pressure of your fingers.
In addition to the main dynamic shades, the dynamic scale also has intermediate ones: pianissimo, mezzo-piano, fortissimo.
So, the entire dynamic scale, including spare shades, consists of eight steps: ppr, pianissimo, piano, mezzo - piano, mezzo - forte, forte, fortissimo, fff. The lower step will be the pianissimo reserve (ppr), the upper step will be the fortissimo reserve (fff). Each of these steps must be carefully worked out in the student’s auditory perception.
In order to acquire the skill of feeling the force with which the hand pulls the bellows at each dynamic stage, the dynamic scale should be worked out sequentially in an ascending order - from pianissimo to fortissimo, and then in a descending order - from fortissimo to pianissimo, as well as in various variations. The feeling of dynamic steps is strengthened better if distant dynamic steps are compared in exercises. If, for example, you are asked to play fortissimo and fff (dynamic reserve). If you are asked to play mezzo - forte, mezzo - piano and piano, you need to check whether pianissimo and ppr (reserve) are left in the instrument. If you are asked to play fortissimo and piano, you should check whether mezzo - piano, mezzo - forte and forte will fit in this dynamic interval.
Thinning
Simultaneously with mastering the dynamic scale, you need to work on thinning out individual sounds, double notes and chords. Filing is a combination of crescendo and diminuendo on one note or group of notes. On the button accordion and accordion, this technique does not present any difficulties, since the large supply of air in the instrument allows you to fillet notes from the finest pianissimo to fortissimo, and vice versa, several times in a row, without even changing the direction of the bellows. You must first learn thinning on a separate sound or chord. You can, for example, take a sound up to half its duration at a moderate tempo. The first quarter is to perform a crescendo from piano to mezzo forte, the second quarter is to perform a diminuendo from mezzo forte to piano. In the same way, thinning is done from mezzo-forte to forte and back.
The next exercise is to fillet a whole note from piano to forte. In this case, it is divided into four fused quarters. In the first quarter they make a crescendo from piano to mezzo-forte, in the second - from mezzo-forte to forte, in the third and fourth quarters - diminuendo from forte to mezzo-forte and from mezzo-forte to piano.
Having learned to thin out a long note and chord, they move on to thinning out scales. A group of notes specified in a scale can be milled either by moving the bellows in one direction or by a combination of squeezing and releasing.
Let's say you need to play six notes on a bellows cut from piano to forte. This task can be performed like this: play the first note with piano, the second with mezzo-forte, the third with forte, the fourth with forte, the fifth with mezzo-forte, and the sixth with piano. The crescendo goes from the first note to the third, on the third and fourth notes it is fixed at a given strength, and from the fourth there is a diminuendo, which ends on the last, sixth note.
If a given phrase of six notes needs to be cut from piano to forte by compressing and releasing the bellows, the bellows is changed after the third note.
Having learned to mill on the main dynamic shades, they move on to mastering thinning on the entire dynamic scale, including intermediate shades.
The teacher should also teach the student to perform crescendo and diminuendo from any dynamic level, checking the correct ending of the crescendo and diminuendo with the extreme steps of pianissimo and fortissimo.
Strokes and techniques of the game. Types of carcass and fur science.
The most important issue in the interpretation of the category “strokes” - through the efforts of B. M. Egorov (partly F. R. Lips and others) was developed convincingly and significantly contributes to the emergence of new, promising ideas.
Let me remind you of the formulations of B. M. Egorov and F. R. Lips. According to Egorov: “Strokes are characteristic forms of sounds obtained by appropriate articulatory techniques depending on the intonation and semantic content of a musical work. Lips: “A stroke is a sound character determined by specific figurative content, resulting from a certain articulation.”
In his work, P. A. Gvozdev was the first to systematically outline the types of accordion touching and fur science. B. M. Egorov supplemented and clarified them.
Types of touches and removals.
Pressure - release.
Push - withdrawal.
Impact - rebound.
Sliding is a breakdown.
Methods of fur management.
Accelerated.
Slow motion.
Fur jerking.
Tremolo bellows.
Dotted lead.
“The most important theoretical generalization of practical performing experience is the technique of incomplete (partial) opening of the valve recommended by P. Gvozdev for various types of touches. Its essence lies in the fact that the zone of influence of the touch on the characteristic of the stationary part of the sound will be in the range from the maximum - the full opening of the valve (the finger presses, hits, pushes the key all the way), to the minimum - the smallest level of opening (lifting) of the valve (the finger presses, strikes, pushes a key a small part of the full amplitude of the keyboard lever stroke).
In the zone of this technique there are dozens of intermediate gradations; we also find a brief mention of this technique in another famous accordion player and teacher N. Rizol.”
Considering the topic of strokes on the button accordion and accordion, playing techniques, types of touches and mechanics, the authors see the need for at least a brief reflection on some objective and subjective factors in performance. This is necessary for a specific and accurate understanding of the purely technical tasks facing the accordion player and accordion player.
Conclusion
Finishing the text part of the work, I in no way believe that all the issues presented on the pages have been fully resolved. Taking this topic seriously, I clearly understand the degree of complexity of the work that performing musicians do, but which can only be completed through the efforts of many, many accordionists, teachers and, of course, students.
Some topics are touched upon in the work only partially, others - very briefly: the desire to focus on the main problems in sound production on the button accordion and accordion did not allow me to expand its scope.
Literature
I. Alekseev “Methods of teaching playing the button accordion.” Moscow 1980
F. Lips “The Art of Playing the Accordion.” Moscow 1985
V. Pukhnovsky “School of Fur Science and Articulation for Accordion.” Krakow 1964
B. Egorov “On the issue of systematization of accordion strokes.” Moscow 1984
B. Egorov “General principles of staging when learning to play the button accordion.” Moscow 1974
A. Krupin, A. I. Romanov “Theory and practice of sound production on the button accordion.” Novosibirsk 1995
A. Krupin “Issues of music pedagogy.” Leningrad 1985
M. Imkhanitsky “New about articulation and strokes on the button accordion.” Moscow 1997
M. Oberyukhtin “Problems of performing the button accordion.” Moscow 1989
V. Zavyalov “Bayan and issues of pedagogy.” Moscow 1971
V. Motov “On some techniques for producing sound on the button accordion.” Moscow 1980
A. Sudarikov “Performing technique of an accordion player.” Moscow 1986
RECOMMENDED READING
Akimov Yu. “Some problems of the theory of accordion performance.” ed. Soviet composer. M. 1980
Alekseev A. Methods of teaching piano playing. M. 1981
Methodical collection “Accordion and accordion players.” Vol. No. 1, No. 5.
Issues of professional education of an accordion player. M. 1980
Barenboim L. “The path to playing music.” L. 1979
Shatkovsky G. Magnetic recording of a speech at a seminar of teachers of children's music school in Angarsk. January 5-9, 1978
Pankov O. About the accordion player’s work on rhythm. M. 1986
Issues of music pedagogy. Vol. 6.
Teplov M. Psychology of individual differences. M. 1985
READY-SELECTIVE BAYAN IN THE INITIAL PERIOD OF TRAINING
Despite the obvious progressiveness of the invention of the elective keyboard, the elective button accordion made its way into life with great difficulties. In heated debates between the “old” and the “new”, not only truths were born, but also misconceptions.
“Most people play either double-row or ready-made button accordions. Now it’s time to leave both of them and move on to playing elective button accordions, since only they are suitable for transmitting musical works without any distortion, with all the features with which the musical work came out of the hands of the composer,” wrote the section chairman State Institute of Music Science, Professor A. Rozhdestvensky in 1929. The “old” for a long time did not want to give in to the “new”.
“Mastering the technique of playing the elective button accordion on the left keyboard presents significant difficulties, which is why the elective button accordion has not become widespread,” writes Az. Ivanov in the “Initial course of playing the button accordion” (Published “Music” L. 1967).
Two extremes are obvious here, because on the one hand, it was impossible to ignore the invention, which opened up great prospects for accordion players; on the other hand, it was impossible not to take into account that the finished button accordion had already gained great popularity among the people by that time, had qualified teachers, performers, special methodological literature and an original repertoire. In this regard, the craftsmen found a compromise version of the instrument - a ready-made button accordion.
However, the future of the button accordion with ready-made chords was in doubt. S. Chapky writes: “Actually, the elective-ready instrument in the future will, in all likelihood, become a purely elective button accordion, free from elements of the ready-made button accordion, switches, complications that burden the instrument and the technique of playing it and slow down the process of transition of musical performing culture to a higher level" (S. Chapky. "School of playing the elective button accordion." Kyiv, 1977, p. 5).
It turns out that if previously the elective keyboard was a hindrance to performance improvement, now the ready-made button accordion has become an obstacle to the development of performance.
Currently, no one doubts the availability of technical means of an elective keyboard, because the era of an elective button accordion in music schools has long begun.
The disputes subsided over time and now, the published educational and methodological material is presented with the expectation of studying ready-elective button accordion
This is correct for two reasons:
There is still a problem of the original repertoire for the elective button accordion. Accordionists widely use transcriptions of works for piano, organ, etc., however, it is quite natural that the basis of the repertoire of any instrument should not be transcriptions and transcriptions, but original compositions. The problem of original educational repertoire in music schools is especially acute. The finished-elective button accordion has more stimulating opportunities for creating original compositions.
In conditions of repertoire deficiency, it is simply inappropriate to talk about a finished accordion in terms of its shortcomings. It is also necessary to take into account the fact that the button accordion is a folk instrument, it is not only a soloist, but also an accompanist, an instrument for pop and everyday life, therefore a keyboard with ready-made chords is indispensable here.
Another question: when should you start learning on the optional keyboard?
Modern methods do not exclude the advisability of studying an elective button accordion at the initial stage of training. However, according to A. Onegin, this work “requires preliminary study of the basics of playing the instrument and the acquisition of certain musical theoretical knowledge.” (A. Onegin. “School of playing the ready-made button accordion.” Publishing house “Music” M. 1979, p. 90).
“The finished button accordion is the main instrument in the initial period,” stated A. Surkov (Collection “Bayan and button accordion players,” Issue 2. M. 1974, p. 48). In his “Manual for initial training on a ready-made button accordion,” he wrote, apparently with a focus on future professionals: “The study of an elective button accordion should be carried out in parallel with classes on a ready-made button accordion and students should be involved in it who have good musical abilities and successfully cope with the program." (M. 1973, p. 3).
In relatively new publications (for example, V. Nakapkina) it is proposed to extract the first sounds on the right keyboard, and then perform the same musical material with the left hand on elective keyboard.
“School” by P. Govorushko opens with pieces for accordion with an elective scale; “it is advisable to begin studying standard accompaniment as soon as the student is ready to master musical notation in the bass clef” (Page 2).
G. Stativkin also suggests starting with exercises to extract individual sounds on the right keyboard, then the same music. use the material (as in V. Nakapkin) to study the elective keyboard of the button accordion. One detail from G. Stativkin attracts special attention. An exercise is performed with the right hand (to extract individual sounds) “with passive movement of the fur,” i.e. without the participation of the left hand, only using the weight of the left half-body of the button accordion (p. 11).
Back in 1978, V. Semenov wrote that there were new trends in mastering the elective keyboard during the period of initial training, but “immediately after mastering the right keyboard” (Collection “Bayan and button accordion players” Issue 4. Page 43). It is difficult to understand the author here, because in the same work we read above: “The “separation” of the bellows operation from the work of the fingers on the selectable keyboard is of particular importance. Difficulties in the game often arise from the inability to operate the various groups of arm muscles sufficiently independently of each other.” (Ibid. p. 77).
If “separation” takes on special meaning, then you should start classes with the left hand, so that the child’s attention does not become overloaded from the multifunctionality of the muscles of both hands, because when playing the button accordion with one right hand, both hands are used.
G. Stativkin takes this circumstance into account and therefore suggests first focusing on one right hand with passive movement of the fur. This is where the state of passivity confuses, i.e. actual uncontrollability of sound. How, in this case, should we deal with the “formation of the initial musical and artistic hearing ideas on what, in fact, the author’s “Primary Training...” is based?
Many, back in 1974, were the work of B. Egorov. “General principles of staging when learning to play the button accordion” convinced me of the need to start learning with the left hand, because “along with performing your part... the most important function of the left hand is to control the movement of the bellows... This requires the most careful attention to the positioning of the left hand.” (Collection “Accordion and accordion players”. Issue 2 Page 34).
If this is so, then wouldn’t it be easier to start classes, directly from the select keyboard?
You should also not put off learning the keyboard with ready-made chords for a long time, because... “this deprives the student of access to a truly accordion repertoire, reduces interest in amateur music-making.” (P. Govorushko. “School of Play...”, p. 2).
It should be added to this that the issue of dosage of educational material for ready-made and elective button accordion in primary education should be considered by the teacher on the basis of the dialectical unity of the keyboards, and not from the point of view of their separation.
LIST
Akimov Yu. “Some problems of the theory of accordion performance.” M. 1980
Barenboim L. “The path to playing music.” L. 1970
Ivanov Az. "Beginner course on playing the button accordion." Ed. “Music” L. 1967
Chapky S. “School of playing the elective button accordion.” Kyiv. 1977
Lips F. “Let's talk about the button accordion.” Magazine "Musical Life" No. 13, 1976
Onegin A. “School of playing the ready-made button accordion.” Ed. "Music". M. 1979
Surkov A. “A manual for initial training on a ready-made button accordion.” Ed. "Soviet composer". M. 1973
Akimov Y. “School of playing the ready-made button accordion.” Ed. "Soviet composer". M. 1977
Shulpyakov O. “Technical development of a performing musician.” Ed. "Music". M. 1973
Savshinsky S. “The pianist’s work on technique.” Ed. "Music". L. 1968
Zach Ya. “Articles.” Materials. Memories". M. 1978
Belyakov V., Stativkin G. “Fingering of a ready-made button accordion.” M. 1978
Govorushko P. “Primary school of playing the button accordion.” L. 1988
Nakapkin V. “School of playing the ready-made button accordion.” M. 1985
Stativevkin G. “Initial training on an elective-ready button accordion.” M. 1989
Methodical collections “Accordion and accordion players” No. 1 – 6. 1970 – 1984.
FINGERING
IN THE INITIAL PERIOD OF TRAINING
Is the five-finger fingering system, called “positional”, applicable in the initial period of learning?
The issue of button accordion fingering, one way or another, touches on many issues of button accordion technology, including setting up the gaming machine.
N. Rizol rightly believes that at this stage of development of button accordion technology, both four and five fingered ones have the right to life
fingering system, but not everyone agrees with him that the staging should be different for each system.
For example, V. Semenov says that from the first lessons he held a five-row button accordion in his hands, so he did not know the problem - what setting and fingering to play.
A. Dmitriev, known for his impeccable performance technique, already as a student at the conservatory, retrained to the five-finger system and believes that there is no point in mastering both systems.
In teaching aids you can read that the finger located behind the fingerboard is the “fulcrum” of the player, a “landmark”. At the same time, in practice, many modern accordion performers calmly do without this “landmark” and “fulcrum point”, leaning their entire hand on the fretboard, while brilliantly demonstrating the magnificent technical capabilities of the button accordion.
S. Chapky writes: “The thumb behind the fingerboard is “the player’s fulcrum, without which accurate and clear play is unthinkable.” (S. Chapky. “School of playing the elective button accordion.” Kyiv. 1980).
It can be noted with irony that everyone who now does without this “peculiar guide” is associated with “evil spirits.”
Contradictions sometimes arise on the pages of a manual by one author.
In 1980, “The School of Playing the Accordion” by Yu. Akimov was published, in which on page 19 we read that when the thumb is taken out from behind the fingerboard, “the contact of the hand with the keys is broken, ... the right hand is turned off from the process of controlling the bellows position the instrument becomes less stable." And suddenly, on the same page, “the use of the first finger contributes to the development of the accordion player’s technique”!!!
Many accordion teachers write about the inappropriateness of using the thumb in the initial period of training. In particular, N. Rizol: “As experience shows, it is better to use the thumb in grades 1-2, when the student has not yet acquired the skills to navigate the keyboard, when the button accordion is not yet firmly on his knees, when, while working with the bellows, the student loses the keys – using the thumb at this stage would be premature” (N. Rizol. “Principles of using five-finger fingering on the button accordion.” M. 1977, p. 229).
Why, then, in the educational and methodological literature for the button accordion, in the methodological sections on planting and setting, is there no mention anywhere of the thumb of the right hand, which performs the function of supporting the instrument, and what does this have to do with the work with the bellows, which is actually performed by the left hand?
P. Gvozdev called the four-finger performance “a natural button accordion.” It is easy to doubt this. “Nature, whose pedigree goes back centuries, has preserved a number of innate and extremely inert mechanisms that are extremely harmful when developing gaming techniques. One of them is the grasping reflex” (O. Shulpyakov. “Technical development of a performing musician” M. 1973, p. 39). It is this reflex that is triggered very often when a student makes a sound for the first time using a “natural accordion” production. As a result of further work, the child acquires a number of subconscious skills that are easily automated, but not easily realized, and “to get rid of them requires special and, moreover, difficult work. (S. Savshinsky. “The pianist’s work on technique.” L. 1968, p. 67). But in childhood, the main way to acquire skills is subconscious, so changing the position of the hands is fraught with great difficulties.
The history of music pedagogy knows many examples when many things were affirmed that were in conflict with elementary anatomical and physiological norms. For example, violinists from the 18th century to the mid-20th century had an elbow extended to the right to the limit. To some extent, this is justified by the fact that the methods of developing technology were discovered in the process of practice empirically, without relying on the natural sciences (physiology, for example), because these sciences themselves were poorly developed.
Accordion players began to receive professional musical education relatively recently. Self-taught people, or “nuggets” as they were called, could have only a weak idea of the psychophysiological nature of game movements.
Isn't history repeating itself for accordionists in our time?
Nowadays, there are more and more accordion musicians who base their performing technique on a five-finger setup using all the possibilities of the natural weight of the hand, which is largely limited by the thumb located behind the fingerboard. Due to the location of the keyboards on the button accordion in a vertical plane, the problem of using natural
hand weight and contact with keyboards has not been sufficiently studied, but it “has long been solved by famous accordion players, and our task is to delve into the technology they use and use it in working with students.” (Methodological collection “Bayan and accordion players”, issue 2, p. 29).
So is “positional” fingering applicable in the initial period of learning?
The concept of “position” is taken by V. Belyakov and G. Stativkin from the practice of playing string instruments: “this is a position on one or another section of the keyboard.” (V. Belyankov and G. Stativkin. “Fingering of a ready-made button accordion” M. 1978).
When applied to the button accordion, this formulation is not entirely accurate, because unlike stringed instruments, the button accordion has keys, each of which must be “known” by a certain finger in any position of the hand on the keyboard. N. Rizol’s definition is more suitable here: “The accordion position should be understood as certain hand positions that allow cover a group of notes (keys) so that each of the fingers remains in place (N. Rizol. “Principles...” p. 199).
This definition contains the entire practical meaning of “positional” playing the button accordion:
It (“positional” game) makes it possible to memorize individual musical patterns.
“Expands the scope of activity of automatism, which underlies performing technique” (Ibid. p. 54).
There are more opportunities for choosing a rational and artistically justified fingering.
It has a beneficial effect on the development of fingering discipline, which is learned not in numbers over notes, but in the child’s thoughts about the placement of fingers, as a kind of “instrumentation” of a piece. (Ya. Zak. Articles. M. 1980, p. 39).
There are also other difficulties, due to which most teaching aids are presented as a basic four-finger system of play, with occasional use of the first finger.
G. Stativkin (and he is not alone) considers it advisable to immediately form a modern style of performance. Here is his version of the initial moment of sound production: “On the right keyboard, sounds are produced by simultaneously pressing the thumb and middle finger (first + middle). The children aptly called this technique “playing with the beak.” The proposed method of sound production, in contrast to playing with only the second or third finger, creates a more stable support and, most importantly, perfectly shapes the student’s hand. As a result, the correct position of the right hand is achieved
in the most simple and natural way." (G. Stativkin. Manual... p. 13). And then it turns out that within one position (without adding or transposing) you can learn a lot (in the sense of sound production) and play a lot of good music (see “Note Appendix”).
The ease of mastering the material with the help of “positional” play allows a student already in grades 2-3 to limit himself to rare fingering instructions, and by grades 4-5 he can do without numbers in the musical text. Of course, it is always useful to discuss any fingering problems with the teacher, but the need for petty supervision naturally disappears.
Using “positional” fingering, it is easier to transpose and sight read, and what makes it especially attractive in the initial period of learning is the opportunity to master the simplest types of improvisations.
And finally, in order not to create, albeit temporary, but a serious psychological obstacle to mastering five-finger fingering and production, Yu. Yastrebov recommends listening to the following opinion: “For those who, from the first sounds on the button accordion, develop the skills of interaction of all fingers, the question of using the thumb, perhaps, does not stand up in its entirety in comparison with those who introduce it into the game, having already had sufficient performing experience in four-finger staging.
If for the former, the techniques of using the thumb on the keyboard are the basics, a self-evident action, then for the latter, it is sometimes an insurmountable obstacle that remains for many years “a thing in itself” (Yu.G. Yastrebov, Publishing House, Vladivostok, 1984). , page 88).
Everything that has been said is not a recommendation for action; everyone has the right to agree or disagree with something. Currently, the five-finger version is undergoing “laboratory tests” and it is very important “that as many performers and teachers as possible participate in these tests.” (N. Rizol. “Principles ..." p. 216).
RECOMMENDED READING
Rizol N. “Principles of using five-finger fingering on the button accordion.” Ed. "Soviet composer". M. 1974
Chapky S. “School of playing the elective button accordion” Kyiv. 1980
Semenov V. “Modern school of playing the button accordion.” M. 2003
Akimov Yu. “School of playing the button accordion.” M. 1980
Shulpyakov O. “Technical development of a musician-performer.” M. 1973
Savshinsky S. “The pianist’s work on technique” L. 1968
Belyakov V. and Stativkin G. “Fingering of a ready-made button accordion.” M. 1978
Zach Ya. Articles. M. 1980
Methodical collection “Accordion and accordion players.” Vol. 2. M. 1974
Game in one
positions: 1,2,3 fingers
Game in one
positions: 1, 2, 3, 4 fingers
Game in one
positions: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 fingers
Introduction……………………………………………………..3
Three main methods…………………………….……………4
Musical abilities and their development…………………...8
Ready-elective button accordion in the initial period of training......15
Fingering in the initial period of training……………....19
Note appendix to the chapter “Fingering”……………….23
This work is an attempt to help teachers of playing the button accordion in solving some methodological issues and a number of tasks on which the teacher’s attention is most focused in the process of practical work. The basis for it was the results of thirty years of activity of the class of folk instruments and the department of folk instruments of the Kyiv Order of Lenin Conservatory. P.I. Tchaikovsky, led by Honored Artist Professor M.M. Gelis. Here, practical solutions were found to such issues as planning educational and educational work, positioning of hands with extensive use of the thumb of the right hand in fingering, the use of two belts, working with fur, strokes, etc.
The book consists of an introduction and four chapters.
The introduction talks about the role of the button accordion in our lives, about the growth of the culture of playing it.
The first chapter traces the origin and development of the button accordion as a Russian folk instrument, which has become one of the most beloved. The history of the development of the button accordion is important for the correct coverage of teaching methods, in particular for solving one of the main issues - the question of formulation.
The second chapter briefly outlines the basic principles of Soviet pedagogy and outlines the ways of their application in the practice of an accordion teacher.
The third chapter is devoted to the most important issues of organizing the educational work of a teacher with students in a button accordion class.
The last, fourth, chapter examines the technical capabilities of the button accordion, the difficulties encountered when playing this instrument and ways to overcome them.
The author does not set out to provide a complete, generalized methodology for teaching the button accordion. He only strives to help the accordion teacher to at least to some extent improve the teaching system.
In working on the book, the author received creative assistance from the head of the department of folk instruments at the Kyiv Order of Lenin State Conservatory named after P. I. Tchaikovsky, Honored Artist of the Ukrainian SSR, Professor M. M. Gelis. The author expresses his sincere gratitude to him.
The author asks everyone who is interested in the methods of teaching the button accordion to send their comments and suggestions, which he will gratefully take into account in future work.
Chapter II
Basic principles of training
The purpose and tasks of a button accordion teacher.
Principles of education
General issues of accordion player training
Planning of educational and educational work
Development of student's creative initiative and independence.
Teacher's authority
Individual approach to the student
Chapter III
Organization of the teacher’s work in the accordion playing class.
Preparing the teacher for the lesson.
Lesson planning
Lesson structure.
Teaching methods.
Working on a piece of music
The importance of repetition of repertoire
Stage excitement.
Chapter IV
Development of technical means of musical performance
Tool quality
General principles of teaching the technique of playing the button accordion.
Hand placement
Left hand technical equipment.
Starting position of the left hand
Functions of the left hand
Left hand positions
Execution of scales
Playing arpeggios, rehearsed basses and chords. Substitution of fingers
Performing intervals and tetrachords
Right hand equipment
Features of placing the right hand
Clamping errors
Performing scales and exercises
Sound production technique
Dynamics
Thinning.
Strokes
Horse racing
Independence of hands
Working on sketches
additional education for children
Ogudnevskaya Children's Art School
Shchelkovsky municipal district, Moscow region
Essay
on the topic of:
«
Methods of playing the button accordion, accordion
F.R. Lipsa»
Compiled by:
accordion teacher
Pushkova Lyudmila Anatolyevna
Introduction
The art of playing the button accordion is a relatively young genre that received widespread development only in Soviet times. The system of music education for performers of folk instruments began to take shape in the late 20s and early 30s of the 20th century. This important initiative was warmly supported by major figures of public education and art (A.V. Lunacharsky, A.K. Glazunov, M.I. Ippolitov-Ivanov, V.E. Meyerhold, etc.). Talented musicians of various specialties unselfishly passed on their professional experience to performers on folk instruments and in a short time helped them enter the world of great music; At present, thousands of specialists - performers, conductors, teachers, methodologists, artists of musical groups - are successfully working in the field of folk instrumental art; Therefore, practical successes in performance and pedagogy gradually created the basis for generalizing the accumulated experience in educational and methodological manuals.
It should also be noted that the introduction into practice of the most progressive type of instrument - the ready-made button accordion - significantly influenced the entire process of training accordion performers: in a short period of time the repertoire changed radically, the expressive and technical capabilities of the performers expanded disproportionately, and the general level of performing culture noticeably increased. Significant changes began to occur in the methods of training and educating a new generation of button accordion players; The criteria that began to be applied to pedagogical and methodological developments have also grown: the leading principles for them have become the principles of scientific validity and close connection with practical activities (for example, to date, a number of dissertations have been defended on various problems of music pedagogy, psychology, history and theory of performance in the field of folk instrumental art: thus, significant achievements of musical and artistic practice and pedagogy receive a solid scientific and theoretical basis, which in turn stimulates their further development).
Honored Artist of the RSFSR, laureate of international competitions, associate professor at the State Musical Pedagogical Institute named after. Gnesinykh Friedrich Robertovich Lips himself is the best example of a modern accordion player - an erudite, educated musician, brought up in the best traditions of domestic and foreign musical culture. Based on the best achievements of the Soviet accordion school, a leader in the international arena since the 70s of the last century, and thoughtfully summarizing his extensive personal and collective performing experience, the maestro was able to examine in detail the central problems of the accordion player’s performing skills - sound production, performing technique, issues of interpretation of a musical work and the specifics concert performances - in his “The Art of Playing the Accordion”, which has deservedly become one of the main recognized methods for training young performers.
F. Lips's methodology is distinguished by continuity, careful preservation of the best and most valuable, the development of progressive trends, views, directions and the closest connection with performing and pedagogical practice: for example, when considering the problems of sound production, he refracts the experience of musicians of other specialties in accordance with the specifics of the button accordion (especially when performing transcriptions), warning against blind imitation of the sound of other instruments - with a different nature of sound formation. Performance technique (a set of performing means that every musician - ideally - should master in full), according to F. Lips, is not an end in itself for the teacher/student, but is aimed at embodying a particular musical image by extracting a sound of the appropriate nature. To do this, you need to have a good understanding of all the components of this complex, practically feel and consolidate the finest gaming skills, and develop your own individual artistic technique based on general principles. Such elements of the complex include staging skills (landing, installation of the instrument, hand positions), elements of button accordion technique, and fingering.
The important provisions of the methodology also include the following:
staging as a process unfolding over time;
creative approach to working on elements of button accordion technique;
the principle of weight support when playing the button accordion (accordion);
principles of artistic conditioning of fingering.
The extensive personal experience of the musician-performer and teacher is visible in the attention that F. Lips pays to the development of the artistic taste of the accordion player, because the embodiment of the composer’s concept in the real sound of the instrument is the most important, responsible and difficult problem for any musician: almost everything is concentrated here the tasks of performing art - from a deep study of the text, content, form and style of the work, careful selection of the necessary sound-expressive and technical means, through the painstaking implementation of the intended interpretation in everyday polishing to concert performance in front of listeners. Constant reliance on the high principles of art, determination and search for something new, artistically valuable, expansion of means of expression and comprehension of the intricacies of style, content and form, improvement of skill and deepening of professionalism - these are the main tasks that every musician should face.
The methodology itself is distinguished by the clarity of the organization of the learning process, brevity, which, however, includes many techniques for stimulating the student’s creative searches, leaving room in the creative field: the student, beyond his desire or readiness, finds himself in a situation of unexpected excitement from the tactful but persistent tasks of the teacher: “think”, “try”, “take a risk”, “create”, etc. (thus a “provocation” to improvise is created); The student always feels the creative energy of the lesson, in which he is required to be able to give his game originality and originality. Semantic emphasis is placed on strokes, techniques, and nuances, while minor flaws of the student are ignored. This art of creating creative dynamics and clearly keeping the main idea (goal) allows students to believe in themselves, to feel at least for a moment the state of a musician “without an Achilles heel,” without which real miracles of self-knowledge and self-display are impossible - the true goals of the educational process.
Formation of sound expressiveness
As you know, art reflects real life through artistic means and in artistic forms. Each type of art has its own means of expression. For example, in painting one of the main means of expression is color. In musical art, from the entire arsenal of expressive means, we will undoubtedly single out sound as the most important: it is the sound embodiment that distinguishes a work of musical art from any other, “sound is the very matter of music"(Neuhaus), its fundamental principle. There is no music without sound, so the main efforts of the performing musician should be aimed at developing sound expressiveness.
For successful performing and teaching activities, each musician must know the specific features of his instrument. Modern button accordion and accordion have many natural advantages that characterize the artistic appearance of the instrument. Speaking about the positive qualities of the button accordion/accordion, we, of course, will first of all talk about its sound advantages - about the beautiful, melodious tone, thanks to which the performer is able to convey a wide variety of shades of musical and artistic expressiveness. There is sadness, sadness, joy, unbridled fun, magic, and sorrow.
Means of articulation
The process of sounding each extracted sound can be divided into three main stages: the attack of the sound, the direct process within the sounding tone (leading the sound), and the end of the sound. It must be borne in mind that the real sound is achieved as a result of the direct work of the fingers and the bellows, and both the ways of touching the keys with the fingers and the movement of the bellows constantly complement each other, which should always be remembered.
We can give a brief summary of the three main ways of such interaction (according to V.L. Pukhnovsky):
Press the desired key with your finger, then move the bellows with the necessary force (the so-called “articulation with bellows” - in Pukhnovsky’s terminology). The cessation of sound is achieved by stopping the movement of the bellows, after which the finger releases the key. In this case, the attack of the sound and its end acquire a smooth, soft character, which, of course, will change depending on the activity of the fur.
Move the bellows with the required force, then press the button. The sound stops by removing the finger from the key and then stopping the bellows (finger articulation). Using this technique of sound production, we achieve a sharp attack and ending of the sound. The degree of sharpness here will be determined along with the activity of the fur, the speed of pressing the key, in other words, the feature of the touch.
With bellows-finger articulation, the attack and ending of the sound are achieved as a result of the simultaneous work of the bellows and the finger. Here again it should be emphasized that the nature of the touch and the intensity of the bellows will directly influence both the beginning of the sound and its ending.
It is extremely important for the accordion player to ensure that during the connected playing of the finger, the force necessary only to press the key and fix it at the stop point is used. You should not put pressure on the key after feeling the “bottom”. This will only lead to unnecessary stress on the hand. It is very important that this situation is taken into account by all teachers at the initial stage of education - after all, clenched hands do not suddenly arise in schools and conservatories.
Push, like pressing, does not require swinging the fingers, however, unlike pressing, “the finger quickly plunges the key all the way and pushes away from it with a quick wrist movement (these movements are accompanied by a short jerk of the bellows).” Using this method of sound production, staccato-type strokes are achieved.
Hit preceded by a swing of the finger, hand, or both. This type of ink is used in separate strokes (from non legato to staccatissimo). After extracting the desired sounds, the gaming device quickly returns to its original position above the keyboard. This quick return is nothing more than a swing for a subsequent strike.
Slip(glissando) is another type of touch. Glissando is played from top to bottom with the thumb. Due to the fact that the keys of the button accordion on any row are arranged in minor thirds, a single-row glissando sounds on a diminished seventh chord. By sliding along three rows at the same time, we can achieve a chromatic glissando, which has its own attractiveness. Glissando up the keyboard is performed using the 2nd, 3rd and 4th fingers. The first finger, touching the pad of the index finger, creates a comfortable support (it looks like sliding with a bunch of fingers). In order to achieve chromatic rather than random sliding, it is recommended to place your fingers not parallel to the oblique rows of the keyboard, but slightly at an angle and with the index finger in a leading position.
Techniques for playing with fur
The main techniques for playing with fur are squeezing and squeezing. All others are basically built on various combinations of expansion and compression.
One of the most important qualitative indicators of an accordion player’s performing culture is the skillful change of direction of movement or, as they say now, fur change. At the same time, it must be remembered that musical thought should not be interrupted during the change of bellows. It is best to change the bellows at the moment of syntactic caesura. However, in practice it is not always possible to change the bellows at the most convenient moments: for example, in polyphonic pieces it is sometimes necessary to change the bellows even on a prolonged tone. In such cases it is necessary:
a) listen to the duration of the note until the end before changing the bellows;
b) change fur quickly, avoiding the appearance of caesura;
c) ensure that the dynamics after changing the bellows do not turn out to be less or, as happens more often, more than necessary according to the logic of the development of music.
It seems that small movements of the performer’s body to the left (when expanding) and to the right (when squeezing) can also contribute to a clearer change of bellows, helping the work of the left hand.
In academic music making, fur control should be strict; when unclenching, the fur is moved to the left and slightly downward. Some button accordion players “raise the bellows” by describing a wavy line with the left half-body and moving it to the left and up. Besides the fact that it looks aesthetically unattractive, there is also no point in lifting a heavy semi-hull. It is better to change the fur before the downbeat, then the change will not be so noticeable. In adaptations of folk songs, there are often variations set out in sixteenth notes, where sometimes you can hear a change in bellows not before the downbeat, but after it. Obviously, accordionists in these cases are keen on bringing the passage to its logical peak, but they forget that the strong beat can be extracted by jerking the bellows in the opposite direction, while avoiding the subsequent unnatural gap between sixteenth notes.
It is known that playing the button accordion requires great physical effort. And, if G. Neuhaus constantly reminded his students that “the piano is easy to play!”, then in relation to the button accordion we can hardly exclaim something similar. It is difficult for an accordion player to play loudly and for a long time, since holding the bellows takes a lot of strength, especially when playing while standing. At the same time, by approaching Neuhaus’s aphorism creatively, we will come to the conclusion that when playing any instrument, you need a feeling of comfort, if you want comfort, moreover, pleasure. One must constantly feel freedom, and freedom, so to speak, aimed at realizing specific artistic goals. The effort required when working with bellows sometimes, unfortunately, causes pinching of the arms, neck muscles, or the entire body. The accompanist needs to learn to rest while playing; when working some muscles, say, to release, you need to relax the muscles that work to compress, and vice versa, and you should avoid static stress on the gaming machine during the performance, even when you have to play while standing.
Harmonists have long been famous in Rus' for their masterly playing of bellows. Some types of harmonics produced different sounds when the same key was pressed; playing such instruments required great skill from the performers. There was also such an expression: “shake the bellows.” By shaking the bellows, the accordion players achieved a unique sound effect that anticipated the appearance of the modern bellows tremolo. It is curious that in foreign original literature the bellows tremolo is denoted in English words - Bellows Shake, which literally means: “shake the bellows”. Nowadays, it has become fashionable among accordionists to compare the role of the bellows with the role of the violinist’s bow, since their functions are largely identical, and the art of violin has always had a lot of characteristic strokes performed precisely with the bow.
Strokes and methods of their execution
Musical performance includes a whole complex of strokes and various sound production techniques. Among accordion players, to this day, unified definitions of strokes and playing techniques have not yet been formed; there is confusion as to whether there is a difference between the method of playing and the technique, between the technique and the stroke. Sometimes they even put an equal sign between these concepts. Without pretending to be categorical, let’s try to define the concepts of stroke, technique and method. A stroke is a sound character determined by specific figurative content, resulting from a certain articulation.
Let's consider the characteristic features of the main strokes and methods of their execution.
Legatissimo– the highest degree of coherent play. The keys are pressed and lowered as smoothly as possible, while overlapping sounds should be avoided - this is a sign of undemanding taste.
Legato- connected game. Your fingers are placed on the keyboard; there is no need to lift them high. When playing legato (and not only legato), you should not press the key with excessive force. The accordionist must remember from the first steps of learning that the strength of the sound does not depend on the force of pressing the key. The force that overcomes the resistance of the spring and holds the key in a resting state is quite sufficient. When playing the cantilena, it is very important to sensitively touch the surface of the keys with your fingertips. “The key needs to be caressed! The key loves affection! She only responds to it with the beauty of sound! - said N. Mettner. “...the tip of the finger should, as it were, grow together with the key. Because this is the only way to create the feeling that the key is an extension of our hand” (J. Gat). There is no need to prick with hard, hard fingers.
Portato- a connected game in which the sounds seem to be separated from each other by a slight finger push. This touch is used in melodies of a declamatory nature, most often performed with a light finger strike.
Tenuto– maintaining sounds exactly in accordance with the specified duration and dynamics; belongs to the category of separate strokes. The beginning of a sound and its ending have the same shape. Performed with a blow or push while driving the fur evenly.
Detache- a stroke used in both connected and incoherent games. This is the extraction of each sound by a separate movement of the fur to expand or compress. The fingers may remain on the keys or move away from them.
Marcato– emphasizing, highlighting. Performed with an active strike of the finger and a jerk of the fur.
Non legato– not coherent. It is performed by one of the three main types of touches with smooth movement of the fur. The sounding part of the tone may vary in duration, but not less than half the specified duration (i.e., the sounding time must be at least equal to the non-sounding time). This stroke acquires evenness precisely in the case when the sounding part of the tone is equal to the artificial pause (non-sounding part) that occurs between the sounds of the melodic line.
Staccato- sharp, abrupt sound. It is usually removed by swinging a finger or hand while moving the fur evenly. Depending on the musical content, this touch may be more or less sharp, but in any case, the actual duration of the sound should not exceed half the note indicated in the text. Fingers are light and collected.
Martele– accentuated staccato. The method of extracting this stroke is similar to that of marcato, but the nature of the sound is sharper.
The marcato and martele strokes should be given more attention in the work, since they are important means of expression for the accordion player. Unfortunately, one often hears smooth, inexpressive fur play, and there is no mobility when playing various strokes and techniques with fur.
Staccatissimo– the highest degree of sharpness in sound. It is achieved with light blows of the fingers or hand, while it is necessary to monitor the composure of the gaming machine.
Registers
You should always remember that registers are not a luxury, but a means to achieve a more impressive artistic result. They need to be used wisely. Some button accordion players switch them literally every one or two bars, while the phrase and thought are fragmented, and registration turns into an end in itself. Everyone knows how skillfully the Japanese select lovely bouquets of several flowers, which looks much more attractive than the tasteless combination of many flowers into one bouquet. I think that to some extent you can compare the art of arranging bouquets with the art of registering.
Some accordion players always use registers with octave doublings (most often - “accordion with piccolo”). However, when a melodious folk melody or a recitative theme is played, it is appropriate to use single-voice registers, as well as unison.
The “tutti” register should be reserved for climactic episodes, for pathetic, solemnly heroic sections. It is best to change registers at some important or relatively important key moments: on the edges of a form section, when increasing or decreasing the number of votes, changing the texture, etc. Particular rigor should be used when selecting registers in polyphony. The fugue theme in the exposition, as a rule, is not played on the tutti register. It is better to use the following timbres: “bayan”, “bayan with piccolo”, “organ”.
Dynamics
Almost every musical instrument has a relatively large dynamic range, which extends roughly within ppp – fff. Some instruments (organ, harpsichord) do not have the ability for flexible dynamic nuances. A number of wind instruments in certain tessituras are dynamically slow, since they can only produce sounds, for example, with the nuance f or only p. Bayan was lucky in this regard. It perfectly combines a relatively large dynamic amplitude with the finest sound thinning within the entire range.
As you know, in the process of sound formation on the button accordion, the most important role belongs to fur. If we draw an analogy between a piece of music and a living organism, then the bellows of the button accordion performs the function of lungs, breathing life into the performance of the piece. Fur, without exaggeration, is the main means of achieving artistic expression. Do all button accordion players know the dynamic capabilities of their instrument down to the subtleties, do they all have sufficient flexibility and mobility in mechanics? It is unlikely that we will be able to answer this question in the affirmative. A sensitive, careful attitude to sound must be instilled in students from the first steps of learning. Every button accordionist must know all the intricacies of his instrument and be able to use dynamics in any nuance, from pp to ff. If we press a key and move the fur with minimal effort, we can achieve a fur control mode in which the fur diverges (or converges) very slowly and there is no sound. In accordance with the apt terminology of G. Neuhaus, in this case we will get “some zero”, “not yet sound”. By slightly increasing the tension of the bellows, we will feel and hear the origin of the sound on the button accordion. This feeling of the edge, after which the real sound appears, is extremely valuable for an accordion player. A lot in this case depends on the demands of auditory control, on the musician’s ability to listen to silence. If the artist has a blank sheet of paper or canvas as the background for his drawing, then the performer has silence as the background for his music. A musician with a sensitive ear can create the finest sound recording in silence. The ability to listen to pauses is also important here. Filling a pause with content is the highest art: “The intense silence between two phrases, itself becoming music in such a neighborhood, gives us a presentiment of something more than a more definite, but therefore less extensible sound can provide” 1. The ability to play pianissimo and keep the audience in suspense always distinguishes true musicians. It is necessary to achieve the flight of sound with minimal sonority, so that the sound lives and carries into the hall. The stagnant, deathly sound in piano will touch few people.
In the chord texture, you need to ensure that all voices respond with minimal sonority. This is especially true for the last chord in any slow piece, which should sound morendo. The accordion player should hear the end of the chord in its entirety, and not drag it out until the sounds fall silent one by one. You often hear a disproportionately long sound of the last chord in pieces, both on f and p. The final chords must be “pulled by the ear”, and not depending on the supply of fur.
By increasing the tension of the bellows, we will get a gradual increase in sonority. With the fff nuance, there also comes a point after which the sound loses its aesthetic appeal. Under the influence of excessive pressure of the air stream in the resonator holes, metal voices acquire an excessively sharp, shrill sound, some of them even begin to detonate. Neuhaus described this zone as “no longer sound.” The accordion player must learn to sense the sonic limits of his instrument and achieve a full, rich, noble sound in fortissimo. If you demand more sound from an instrument than it can produce, the nature of the button accordion, as already mentioned, will “revenge”. It is useful to carefully follow the sound from its inception to fortissimo. In the process of increasing sonority, we will be able to hear a huge wealth of dynamic gradations (common designations: ppp, pp, p, mf, f, ff, fff - in no way give a complete idea of the diversity of the dynamic scale).
We must learn to use the entire dynamic amplitude of the button accordion, but students often use dynamics only within the mp - mf range, thereby impoverishing their sound palette. It is also typical to fail to show the difference between p and pp, f and ff. Moreover, for some students f and p sound somewhere in the same plane, in the average dynamic zone - hence the dullness and facelessness of the performance. In similar cases, K.S. Stanislavsky said: “If you want to play evil, look for it. Where is he good! In other words: if you want to play forte, show a real piano for contrast.
On this occasion, G. Neuhaus said: “Maria Pavlovna (mp) should not be confused with Maria Fedorovna (mf), Petya (p) with Pyotr Petrovich (pp), Fedya (f) with Fyodor Fedorovich (ff).”
A very important point is also the ability to distribute crescendo and diminuendo over the required length of musical material. The most typical shortcomings in this regard are the following:
The necessary crescendo (diminuendo) is performed so sluggishly, limply that it is almost not felt.
Strengthening (weakening) the dynamics is not done poco a poco (not gradually), but in jumps, alternating with even dynamics.
Crescendo is played smoothly and convincingly, but there is no climax; instead of a mountain peak, we are offered to contemplate a certain plateau.
It is necessary to always remember the goal (in this case, the culmination), because the desire for it presupposes movement, a process, which is the most important factor in the performing arts.
We often use the expressions: “good sound”, “bad sound”. What is meant by these concepts? Advanced pedagogical thought in the art of music has long come to the conclusion that there can be no “good” sound in the abstract, without connection with specific artistic tasks. According to Ya. I. Milstein, K. N. Igumnov said: “Sound is a means, not an end in itself, the best sound is the one that most fully expresses the given content.” We find similar words and thoughts in Neuhaus and many musicians. Hence the conclusion that everyone needs to make: it is necessary to work not on the sound in general, but on the correspondence of the sound to the content of the piece being performed.
The main condition for working on sound is a developed auditory perception - “pre-hearing”, which is constantly corrected by auditory control. There is a close relationship between sound production and hearing. Hearing controls the sound being produced and gives the signal for the subsequent sound to be produced. It is very important to constantly listen to yourself and not let go of your attention for a moment. He weakened his attention and auditory control - he lost power over the public. A musician's hearing is formed by working on sound; the ear becomes more demanding. There is also a feedback here: the finer the hearing, the more demanding the ear is for sound, and, accordingly, the higher the performer as a musician.
About phrasing
Any musical work can be associatively imagined as an architectural structure, distinguished by a certain proportionality of its component parts. The performer is faced with the task of combining all these parts, including the melody of the vocals, into a single artistic whole, building the architectonics of the entire song. It follows that the execution of a motive, phrase, etc. depends on the general context of the work. It is impossible to play a single phrase convincingly without taking into account what happened before it and what will happen after it. Competent phrasing presupposes expressive pronunciation of the components of a musical text, based on the logic of development as a whole. There is a great similarity between a colloquial phrase and a musical one: in a colloquial phrase there is a reference word, in a musical one we have similar components: a reference motive or sound, and its own punctuation marks. Individual sounds are combined into intonations and motifs just like letters and syllables into words, and these words (words) can be pronounced with many different intonations: affirmative, plaintive, pleading, enthusiastic, interrogative, joyful, etc. and so on. The same can be said about the pronunciation of the motives that make up a musical phrase. Each phrase cannot be thought of locally, in isolation: the performance of a given particular phrase depends on the previous and subsequent musical material and, in general, on the nature of the entire piece as a whole.
A motive, a phrase is only a minimal part of the overall development in a work. Those performers who play with a clear sense of perspective and purpose make people listen to themselves. Without seeing (hearing) the perspective, performance stands still and causes inexpressible boredom. We should never forget the well-known truth: music as an art form is sound process, music is evolving in time. However, with a constant desire to unify musical speech, one should also achieve its natural logical division with the help of caesuras. Correctly realized caesuras bring musical thoughts into order.
It is useful for instrumental musicians to listen to good singers, since the phrase performed by the human voice is always natural and expressive. In this regard, it is useful for accordionists (and not only them) to sing some themes in the work with their voices. This will help identify logical phrasing.
Technique
What do we mean by the concept of “technology”? fast octaves? Openwork, lightness? But we know that bravura in itself never guarantees a highly artistic result. On the contrary, there are many examples where a musician who does not show himself to be a record holder at super-fast tempos. He made an indelible impression on his listeners. In our dictionary there is such a concept - craft. This concept includes the entire complex of technological means-skills of a performing musician necessary to realize his artistic intentions: various techniques of sound production, fingers, motor skills, wrist rehearsal, techniques for playing the button accordion with bellows, etc. When we talk about technology, we have mind spiritual a craft subordinated to the creative will of the performing musician. It is precisely the inspiration of interpretation that distinguishes the playing of a musician from the playing of a craftsman. It is not without reason that they say “bare technique” in connection with the fast, but thoughtless, empty running on the keys, not organized by clear and logical artistic intentions.The highest manifestation of technical excellence in the musical and performing arts, as well as in any sphere of human activity, is called skill.
Staging
You need to sit on the front half of a hard chair; if the hips are positioned horizontally, parallel to the floor, then we can assume that the height of the chair corresponds to the height of the musician. The accordion player has three main points of support: support on the chair and support with his feet on the floor - for ease of support, it is better to spread his legs slightly apart. However, if we almost completely feel our weight on the chair, then we will achieve a heavy, “lazy” position. You need to feel one more point of support - in the lower back! In this case, the body should be straightened, the chest should be moved forward. It is the feeling of support in the lower back that gives lightness and freedom to the movements of the arms and torso.The instrument must stand steadily, parallel to the accordion player’s body; the fur is located on the left thigh.
Practice shows that the most acceptable adjustment of the shoulder straps should be considered one in which the palm can be freely moved between the accordion body and the performer. In recent years, a belt connecting the shoulder straps at the lumbar level has become increasingly widespread. This innovation can only be welcomed, since the belts now acquire the necessary stability and do not fall off the shoulders. The operating strap of the left hand is also adjusted to allow the hand to move freely along the keyboard. At the same time, when opening the edge and squeezing it, the left wrist should feel the belt well, and the palm should feel the body of the instrument.
The main criterion for the correct placement of hands is the naturalness and appropriateness of movements. If we lower our arms along the body in free fall, the fingers will take on a natural half-bent appearance. This position does not cause the slightest tension in the area of the hand apparatus. By bending our elbows, we find the starting position for playing the button accordion and accordion. The left hand, of course, has some differences in position, but the feeling of freedom of the half-bent fingers, hand, forearm and shoulder should be the same for both hands. The shoulder and forearm create good conditions for finger contact with the keyboard, they should help the fingers and hand work with minimal effort.
It is important to pay attention to the fact that the right hand does not hang limply, but is a natural extension of the forearm. The back of the hand and forearm form an almost straight line. Equally harmful are static hand positions with a curved or concave wrist.
Fingering
The variety of music requires an infinite number of finger combinations. When selecting fingerings, we are primarily guided by the principles of artistic necessity and convenience. Among the fingering techniques, the following can be distinguished: placing and replacing fingers, sliding, replacing fingers, using all five fingers in a passage, performing a passage with only two or three fingers (or then one), etc. The desire for competent fingering should be inherent in DMSh.
To select fingerings, it is advisable to play some fragments at a tempo, if possible, since the coordination of hands and fingers at different tempos can be different. If the finger sequence is fixed, but after some time its flaws become clear, then the fingering must be changed, although this is not always easy.
The choice of a four- or five-finger fingering system should depend not only on the personal preferences of the accordion player himself, but mainly on artistic necessity. These days, the typhoon of controversy surrounding one or another fingering system seems to have passed. However, sometimes during creative meetings the same question is asked: is it better to play with four fingers or five? Actually, the problem has been solved a long time ago. Players today mostly play with all five fingers, with more or less use of the first finger. Using the five-finger system blindly is a tribute to fashion. Of course, sometimes it is more convenient to place all five fingers in a row, but will this fingering help the accordion player in his artistic intentions? We must take into account the fact that by nature the strength of each finger is different, so it is necessary to achieve rhythmic and stroke evenness in the attack with any finger. In fast passages that should sound like glissando, you can use all fingers in a row, thereby expanding the boundaries of the position.
The structure of the hand in relation to the right accordion keyboard is such that it is more natural to use the thumb on the first and second rows. The remaining fingers work freely across the entire keyboard.
Questions of interpretation of a musical work
The highest goal of a musician is a reliable, convincing embodiment of the composer’s plan, i.e. creating an artistic image of a musical work. All musical and technical tasks are aimed at achieving an artistic image as the final result.
The initial period of work on a musical work should be associated, first of all, with defining artistic goals and identifying the main difficulties on the way to achieving the final artistic result. In the process of work, a general plan of interpretation is formed. It is quite natural that later, during a concert performance under the influence of inspiration, many things may sound new, more spiritual, poetic, colorful, although the interpretation as a whole will remain unchanged.
In his work, the performer analyzes the content, form, and other features of the work, and interprets this knowledge with the help of technique, emotions and will, i.e. creates an artistic image.
First of all, the performer faces the problem of style. When identifying the stylistic features of a musical work, it is necessary to determine the era of its creation. It seems that there is no need to prove that the student’s awareness of the difference, for example, between the music of French harpsichordists and the music of today will give him the most important key to understanding the work being studied. An important help should be familiarity with the national affiliation of a given author (remember, for example, how different the style of two great contemporaries - S. Prokofiev and A. Khachaturian is), with the peculiarities of his creative path and the images and means of expression characteristic of him, and finally, close attention to the history of the creation of the work itself.
Having determined the stylistic features of a musical work, we continue to delve into its ideological and figurative structure, into its informative connections. Programming plays an important role in understanding the artistic image. Sometimes the program is contained in the title of the play: for example, “Cuckoo” by L.K. Daken, “Musical Snuffbox” by A. Lyadov, etc.
If the program is not announced by the composer, then the performer, as well as the listener, has the right to develop his own concept of the work, which must be adequate to the author’s idea.
Expressive, emotional transmission of figurative content should be instilled in students in their very first lessons at a music school. It’s no secret that often working with beginners comes down to pressing the right keys at the right time, sometimes even with illiterate fingering: “we’ll work on the music later”! Fundamentally incorrect installation.
It is necessary, however, to immediately note that the teacher’s performance of the studied compositions in class is by no means always useful. Performing too often or having to play every new piece can hinder the development of a student's initiative. It is necessary to take into account exactly how and during what period of work on an essay it is useful for the student to play it.
The question of how to play in class can be answered in general terms: perhaps better. Good performance will enrich the student with vivid artistic impressions and serve as an incentive for further independent work. When playing, a student must, however, always take into account his capabilities.
The performance of a work before starting work takes place mainly in children's schools and, moreover, in the lower grades. This often brings great benefits, since it is sometimes difficult for a child to independently understand some essays, and studying them without prior familiarization proceeds slowly and sluggishly. Nevertheless, even in the lower grades one should not use this method of work exclusively. From the very first steps of learning, it is necessary to give students systematic tasks to independently familiarize themselves with the work in order to develop their initiative. Gradually, the number of such tasks should increase, and preliminary execution by the teacher should become an exception. In high school, and especially in college, it should almost no longer take place.
Along with performing a piece in its entirety, teachers often play it in excerpts; this is especially useful when working with a student in the middle stage of studying a piece.
e) TASK AND MARK
You must be sure that the student clearly understands not only the volume of material that needs to be learned, but also the nature of working with it. For this purpose, as well as to consolidate in the child’s memory the most significant of what was said to him, it is useful to ask relevant questions at the end of the lesson. Diary entries serve the same purpose. Some teachers, when working with children, write in large letters so that the child can read the assignment himself; this teaches from the first steps greater independence and helps improve the quality of homework.
Given the great educational significance of grades, the teacher must be sure that the student understands why he received a particular score.
3. CONCLUSION
The teacher is obliged to pay constant attention to how the student distributes his time and how fruitfully his homework is. He must develop his initiative, independent work skills, must have a constant desire to enliven the lesson, interest the student, awaken him to activity in everyday work.
To summarize all of the above, the teacher must realize that the realization of the wide possibilities of the button accordion can only be achieved through persistent overcoming of artistic and technical difficulties. Therefore, in his practical activities, he must direct attention to the comprehensive development of the student’s technical skills simultaneously with the development of his musical abilities.
4. LITERATURE USED:
1.Alekseev I.D. Methods of teaching playing the button accordion. M.: 1960.
2. Medushevsky V.V., Ochakovskaya O.O. Encyclopedic dictionary of a young musician. M.: Pedagogy, 1985.
3. Rakhimov R.R. Kurai. Ufa, "Kitap" 1999.
4. Suleymanov G.Z. Kurai. Ufa, 1985.
5. Notes on the “Methodology”.