Jazz Theory and Improvisation Studies for Accordion

 

Jazz Theory and Improvisation Studies for Accordion, 2^nd Edition, by Ralph Stricker. Editing by Frank Marocco. Special Arrangements by Frank Marocco and Eddie Monteiro.

 

164 pages. Soft cover. Spiral Bound.

Review by Henry Doktorski

 

Ralph Stricker and I go way back. It must have been 1963 (over 40 years ago) when I began my first accordion lessons at his music school on route 18 in East Brunswick, New Jersey. Ralph was, and still is, a serious musician. He has fine taste and appreciates those who recognize art in music. He quoted Bernard Peiffer in his book: "Music is next to God. I wouldn't lower God, so why music."

 

On the other hand, he has little tolerance for those who have bad taste. In the mid-1960s when accordion enrollment declined (not just in his studio, but throughout the nation) and students wanted to learn how to play rock 'n roll guitar, he decided to sell his music business rather than cater to the lowest common denominator and teach what he considered the epitome of degradation: banal songs which consisted of only three chords.

 

Stricker's book, Jazz Theory and Improvisation Studies for Accordion, shows how to become a competent jazz accordionist and actually create beautiful and fascinating chord progressions to accompany a melody. He takes you through the basics, beginning with scales, modes, chord structure, altered chords, inversions, with an emphasis in the beginning on developing left hand technique through exercises. I consider the section on ear training especially important, and here Ralph's humor becomes apparent. He wrote, "The object of this exercise is to be able to have the chromatic scale sounding on the 12 water tumblers. This will take time and patience and you may eventually flood your kitchen, but it will be worth the time. I suggest you do this when no one else is around as they may call for the men in white coats to take you away."

 

Dispersed throughout the book are arrangements of standard jazz tunes such as My Funny Valentine, Just Friends, Emily, How About You, The Touch of Your Lips, Gershwin's Summertime, Ellington's Prelude to a Kiss, and others in accordion arrangements by the author, Frank Marocco and Eddie Monteiro. Of particular interest to me was an analysis of a Chopin Nocturne revealing the altered chords.                                                                        

 Selected Table of Contents

Study Outline	Transposing by Numbers
Bass Chart	Developing the Ear
Left Hand Bass Exercises	My Country tis of Thee
Scales (Left Hand)	The Seventh Flat Nine Chord
Arpeggios	Major Seventh and Minor Ninth
Major Scales	Two-Note Chords
Twelve Major Scales from One Position	How About You
Chord Structure	Turnarounds (Endings)
Altered Chords	All The Things You Are
Chord Inversions	How About You
Chord Chart	Time to Reflect
Relative Minor Chords	There are no New Chords (Nocturne)
Relationship of M7 and m9	Learning How to Write Bass Lines
Bass and Treble Independence	Super-Imposing Arpeggios
Chord And Bass Proximity	Scale Substitution (7th Chord)
Bass and Chord Combinations	Plethora of Ideas
Relative Minor Chords	Embraceable You
Resolving the IIm & V7	Embraceable You (Advanced ideas)
IIm7 and V7	Polychords
Lover	Just Friends
Resolving IIm11 V7 IM7	Just Friends - Bass line
Chord Substitutions	Emily
Blue Bossa	Ballad For Anne
Triste	Touch of Your Lips
Progression using the 4th Interval	Touch of Your Lips - (Advanced Bass Line)
Examples of Playing on the IIm V7	Yours is My Heart Alone
My Funny Valentine	Prelude to a Kiss
Blues 12 Bar	Never Let Me Go
Blues Voicing (2 note)	Love is for the Very Young
Blues Voicing (3 note)	Summertime
Scales for Blues in Key of F	Home Again
Alternate Blues Voicing	Easy to Love
Now is the Time	Kathie
Blues in F	Remembering Michael

PLEASE READ

Dear eBay Customer,

Overseas shipping by USPS Priority Mail International will be about $15.95 for most countries. No insurance permitted at this rate. Customer must accept responsibility if package is damaged or lost during transit. For insurance, add about $11.00.

Thank you for your business. I hope you enjoy your bidding and shopping on eBay. Please visit my eBay Store for many more interesting items.

Sincerely,