Saving the ER with the accordion!

Hey Mom and Dad!

So remember when my car overheated? Well.. now so did I! Aren't you thrilled!?

One of the scariest and traumatizing things that I have ever experienced happened to me last Friday. I came down with heat exhaustion and had to get my cast mate to drive me to the ER where I spent 4 hours having fluids pumped in to my arm, and my blood pressure monitored.

Tell me I need to drink more water, go ahead, tell me.

For those who know me well know that I treat my body like a temple, and condition it like an athlete. A basic mantra: treat yourself well, and you'll feel well. Water, electrolytes, proper nutrition, exercise - I think the YMCA staff know me by name.

Playing the accordion takes a lot of core strength, strong arms, and plenty of endurance. Accordionist's of the WORLD! How strong are our bodies!?? How heavy are our accordions!?

I'd like to thank the ER staff at the Dr. Phillips hospital for taking such great care of me, and for being so interesting to talk with. "Nice meeting you, hopefully we won't see each other ever again".

My doctor knew I was a musician but was puzzled as to what my instrument could be, that he was usually able to guess by looking at the person. He was able to narrow down that it was probably a woodwind. I replied with a coy "Yes...it's a woodwind". He was still unsure, and I tried to give him a clue with showing him my 'massive' arm muscles. He asked "the bassoon?" FAIL. He asked "One or two reeds?" and I told him "Oh, more than two reeds!"

He gave up and I told him "THE ACCORDION!"

We had a great chat about my European heritage, and how I came to be with this multiple reeded, bellowed instrument. He also charmed me with letting me know he's visited my home city of Victoria BC several times, and knew how lovely and majestic the west coast is.

 

I discovered a helpful site, by someone that is actually living in Florida, detailing temperature care for an accordion. This is a HUGE concern for me and my instrument, luckily I keep my most prized accordion at home safe in a temperature controlled apartment, but the one I use outdoors these days is considered a 'beater' and boy does it get hot, and you can feel a difference when you're playing. Kind of a weird heavy putty-like feeling, along with weird shrill squeaks of off-notes.

Here is a link to the helpful site: http://www.irishdancemaster.com/heatandhumidity.html

Things are definitely heating up in Florida, hopefully I won't have any reed blocks melting out of place and I'm keeping a close eye on my accordion at work since having to get an accordion tuned is very expensive!

I'd love to hear any feedback about any heat horror stories, or what you find works for you and your squeezebox in higher temperatures!

Room to SQUEEZE!

Did you know an Accordionist needs their space?

Well it's true for me, for my mental health and happiness, but also as an accordion player you need almost a full arms length of space to be able to play.

Out goes the dinner table manners of keeping your elbows off the table and inwards to the body, while holding your utensils: accordion players must practice the etiquette of spreading their elbows out far and wide! This is also for optimal control while playing - the right elbow should be out straight allowing your forearm to glide up and down the keyboard, pivoting from your elbow - taking away any potential stress to your wrist.

So with that, you play with your fingers, but your arm has full control of where your hand moves.

On the left side your bellows are opening and closing, taking up space - loud, reedy, harmonic space! So the next time you see an accordion player, respect their space and give them plenty of squeezing room!

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An important safety announcement from the Accordion Girl: 

If you touch my accordion, I will bite you. The impulse to remove ones fingers comes from many interactions with drunken 'fans' getting too 'close' - if you know what I 'mean'. 

 

Biting has been the most common reaction in most Accordionists whose instruments get man-handled.

Feeling frisky and bold is a common mistake in the average party-goer, but let me remind you that no musician is happy when you touch their instrument without permission. Our instruments are an extension of our bodies, and no one wants to be poked with sticky fingers (or do they?).

The best way to avoid finger removal is to politely ask "You're so incredibly talented and your playing has changed my life, may I polish your accordion so you can see your beautiful face in it?"

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I did it, I finally finally finally DID IT. I got mics installed in to my Guerrini accordion!

This is a HUGE deal for me, you have no idea how many years I have been waiting for this, how many gigs I've done with incorrect amplification, how many clip-on mics I've borrowed and been somewhat pleased with, and how hard I've had to pump my bellows at a condenser mic.

I had the installation done at Accordions & Keyboards, in Clearwater FL, and had a nice time meeting with the owner, John Gaunt.

I haven't had the opportunity to plug in and rock out yet, but a wireless router is on my 'want' list :)