Meanwhile, in Louisiana…

Looks like Herman Fuselier, writer for Lafayette, Louisiana’s The Advertiser, has a response to the same article I just blogged about:

The accordion boom is interesting news for the rest of the country. But here in south Louisiana, that’s like reporting sugar is sweet, Halle Berry is gorgeous and Peyton Manning is a pretty good football player. ...the rest of the nation should know it’s only catching up to what Louisiana has known for a long time.

Good point! Be sure to check out the full article: Hot accordions are business as usual

Accordions Declared “Hot”

Burning match

Photo credit: wikimedia commons

You and I already knew this, of course, but The Atlantic has finally noticed that accordions are making a comeback… Accordions: So Hot Right Now

“I think in general people have felt a little bit braver about what kind of music they’re creating, and more interested in stepping outside of the realm of what pop or rock music is supposed to sound like.”

The owner of Petosa makes a good point in the article that the accordion is one of the “only instruments that’s basically found in every style of music throughout the world.” Truth be told, in most of those parts of the world, the accordion never really went away. So I suppose this “comeback” is mainly a United States phenomenon.

In any case, will we ever reach the levels of the accordion’s mid-century, pre-rock-and-roll heyday here in the States? When, as the article reminds us, “some towns had as many as four accordion schools in a couple of blocks”? We shall see…

Accordion Resolutions for 2014

As she has for the last few years, Rita Barnea has posted her list of suggested “Accordion New Year’s resolutions” over on the Accordion USA website.

I particularly like the first one:  Practice every day. I know that it’s possible to carve out a few minutes each day to crack open the accordion case. It’s just a matter of prioritizing it. I know I could do a better job of that myself.

But just think of how much you could improve if you did this for a year? Especially if those few minutes were active practice, where you purposefully work on your weak spots (rather than just play through songs you already know well).

Regardless of your own accordion resolutions this year, best wishes for a happy and music-filled 2014!

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Update:  I found another good “resolutions” article posted on the JazzAdvice.com blog. Check it out!