The NAO UK Championships and Festival 2006
This last weekend I spent at the accordion festival in Scarborough and what a pleasure it was to see so many old friends! It’s amazing how easy it is to lose contact with people when we are all living such busy hectic lives so it was a real pleasure to have some time to catch up.
The weekend consisted of both competitions and two concerts on the Friday and the Saturday. Although it is pleasing to see so many people playing for the competitions I was a little concerned at how little performance was going on. Surely the point of playing an instrument is to play together and to make music, rather than always competing against each other. I appreciate that competitions give good focus and a goal to someone learning an instrument but I have to say it felt as if the competitions had become the only reason this weekend. I would be very curious to know what you think!
Another concern was the number of inappropriate accordions people seem to be playing. Large, heavy instruments, sometimes with 5 banks of reeds and innumerable registers, combined with 120 bass buttons these instruments do of course have their place and as such there is nothing wrong with them. However as I noticed that most people used at most two or three registers and about a third of the left hand keys I have to ask why they are carrying all the extra baggage around?! The extra weight and size can only restrict your playing and can even make playing uncomfortable. My main accordion is a 72 bass instrument and I have to say I have never run out of options! If you are looking for a change of instrument I strongly suggest you consider what you need very carefully before saddling yourself with one of these huge millstones! Feel free to ask me for advice, and of course let me know your opinion as well!
One of the reasons I was at the festival was to demonstrate the range of accordions made by Roland, namely the V-Accordion. These innovative instruments are entirely digital, not a reed in sight! I will post a full review of them in the near future but we were lucky to receive the new FR-3, Roland’s latest model. This entry level 120 bass instrument is both smaller and lighter than the previous two models and feels roughly similar to my Pigini P36-3, a 72 bass accordion! The FR-3 contains the sounds of 10 accordions, ranging from classical through Italian and French accordions to Cajun and Tex-Mex sounds. On top of this you can also play as a harmonica or even a trombone! Definitely worth a look for all modern players, come and see it at The Music Room now!
A huge highlight for me was the discovery of the best portable amplifier for accordions, both acoustic and digital. The AER Compact Mobile 2 is a 60watt amp that is both mains and battery powered! This makes it one of the most flexible units I have found, but that is just the icing on the cake. What makes this amp my amp of choice is the sound. Any accordion sounds wonderfully crisp and clear, powerful yet full of detail and the amp doesn’t add its own colour as others do. Combined with its portability this amp is ideal for all times you might need to amplify your accordion, whether it is to accompany dancers, playing at a party or as your own personal monitor on stage. A great amp and I highly recommend it!
Well that’s all for now but let me know what you think! Were you at the festival? If so what did you think of the concerts? Was there enough for you to watch? Did you enter the competitions? Will you be going next year? I look forward to hearing your thoughts!