How to Play the Accordion

The accordion is one of the most interesting instruments, a combination of a piano keyboard, with pull and push to get the sounds out of the according. It takes strength and patience to play, but once you learn, you will enjoy it. This is one instrument that can easily be taken with you to all party functions...and makes a great accompaniment for sing-a-longs.

Stand behind the accordion so that the piano keys are on your right, facing away from you. Slip your arms into each strap so that the accordion is well supported on each shoulder.Once you are wearing the accordion, slip your left hand underneath the smaller strap on the left side of the accordion. Now you are in position to play
Undo the safety buckles (one on top and one on the bottom). Do not push or pull on the accordion yet.
While pressing down a key on the piano keyboard let the accordion fall open, supporting it with your left hand. (The right side of the accordion does not move).

It is possible to play music and even perform knowing this much. If you ever had piano lessons as a kid and you know your way around the keyboard you are ready to go. Try playing without looking down at your right hand. From this angle it doesn't help much to look anyway, so try to get comfortable with playing by feel, sort of like typing without looking at your fingers.

Feel under your left hand, the bass and chord buttons are organized in rows parallel to the floor. Find the bass C button. It will have a slight indentation and will be on the second row from the bellows. Some models have multiple buttons with indentations. If yours is one of them, the C is located in the middle of the bass panel, again, on the second row from the bellows.
Hold down this button, play a C scale with the right hand. You'll notice that the accordion falls open much quicker than before and ultimately you will have to push with the left hand to continue to play. After some practice this will become second nature. Eventually, you won't have to think about pushing or pulling at all.
Understand that the bass and chord functions in the left hand are a bit more complicated and require a simple knowledge of chord structure and theory.

The rows of buttons move up in fifths and down in fourths. This makes it simple to play a song with a 1-4-5 progression. For example, F and G are the buttons directly below and above (respectively) the middle-C button.There are six buttons in each row. Each row of buttons contains, in order: the third, the root, the root chord with the fifth in the base, a minor third chord, a dominant seventh chord and a diminished chord.

Play around with these until you get comfortable with each key, their respective chords and moving from row to row. Listen to different styles of accordion music to hear how the left hand is played. For instance in a waltz it is common to alternate (in the key of C) between C and G on the down beats with the two upbeats being on the C chord button with G in the root (the button immediately following middle C).

How to Play Piano in Less Than One Hour

If you're looking for a way to quickly play the piano, you're going to love this. Most of you already know that the quickest way to play the piano is by learning chords.
Learn the chords. There are triads, seventh chords, diminished chords and thousands more.
Remember that there are closed position chords and the open position chord. With this chord you will be able to create your own music in less than an hour!
Become a piano player immediately, and enjoy playing your favorite songs. Start out with open position chords, you'll immediately sound like a professional!
Try the seventh chord because it's a modern sounding chord:
All this means is that the seventh note of the scale is used, along with regular triad notes to give it a more contemporary sound.
Jazz musicians use it all the time.
It covers more than 2 octaves of the keyboard, giving you a very nice "open" sound. If you love contemporary stylings, you'll be playing them in no time with it.
Last but not least, you use both hands right away to create with! In fact, the chord is so wide open that you can literally create music without moving your hands around at all.

While you might be able to easily and quickly play a song, you are not learning about piano techniques, scales, or chord study. You will not be a real pianist, but you will enjoy playing songs and having fun.
Any method that does not have your hands moving around, is not teaching how to play piano. The beauty of playing this instrument, is how nimble your fingers become, by learning scales, and moving your hands up and out, fast and quickly.

Remember, that anything worth learning, takes time. If you wish to really become a pianist, play the classics, enjoy performing and understanding music and how chords are created, it is suggested you take piano lessons, and learn by a master teacher.

How to Play Fur Elise

"Für Elise" is the popular name of "Bagatelle in A minor", one of the most famous solo piano pieces, by Ludwig van Beethoven. It seems that everyone who learns how to play the piano always plays this piece. It sounds extremely impressive when played, but many musicians are tired of it because it is played much too frequently, learned by almost every classical music student, and often played poorly.
Get the sheet music for Für Elise.
It begins in 3/8 time with a right-hand theme accompanied by arpeggios in the left hand; the harmonies used are A minor and E major.
Learn that the next section maintains the same texture, but broadens the harmony to include C major, which is A minor's relative major, and G major, C major's dominant key.
Notice that a faster section follows, written in the key of F major, then a few bars in C major. This section is one that many pianists, who easily play the opening, are forced to either skip, or spend a lot of time developing the necessary coordination to play. Next the piece moves into D minor with a theme set over a pedal point. After a modulation back to A minor and a gauntlet of arpeggios, the main theme returns, and the piece quietly ends in its starting key of A minor, with an authentic cadence.
Start out by playing through the piece with just your right hand then once you have that down, play through the piece with you left hand.
Practice playing it with both hands. It probably won't sound very good the first time you play it, but keep practicing and you'll get it. Practice it slowly; never rush when learning.
Add in dynamics, musicianship, and you passion (which should be evident) to the mix.
The tempo of the piece is Poco Moto, which means with a little motion. This means you need to play it with a little speed and you need to keep the piece moving.
Don't be intimidated by the sixteenth notes or the sixteenth note triplets. They seem fast at first glance, but because of the time signature, they are more like eighth notes (to a quarter note).
It has never been known who Elise was, whom the piece was dedicated to. One theory is that Elise was a name generally used to describe a sweetheart and this was written to all and for all sweethearts. It might have been the love for a woman that inspired him to write this piece without them ever meeting but it is left entirely to the imagination.