This is my new Irish DanceMaster accordion. I love it! Michael is a terriffic guy and very easy to work with. If you are looking for a reasonably priced box, you should really check them out. What I got:

23 Treble, 8 Bass Dry tuned B/C with the Joe Burke Bass arrangement. It really sounds and plays great.

This is my first attempt at playing accordion, and I think that this was a good choice for me.

TM

Congratulations! A well-made instrument is a treat. It looks very nice and I hope you'll consider posting a sound clip sometime as you go along with it.

Best to you,
Brian

Hey there,
I am waiting for my accordion from Michael and I couldn't be more excited. It will be in grey but with the same reeds and set up as yours. The only teacher I know of is about three hours away so I won't be able to visit every week. Can anyone here recommend a good tutor? I already play a G/C for French and Italian music so I guess in some ways I am not a beginner. The accordion I ordered is in B/C since that is what my teacher plays.
Kurt

Hi Kurt,
I know how you feel! I was like a kid on Christmas Eve! Did you get the Joe Burke bass set-up? It really made more sense to me than the other arrangements. Basicly, I am lazy, and it will be easier to remember where the G-D keys are if they stay in one place! I do know that you won't be disappointed with your instrument. Michael takes great pride in his workmanship. I can now play tunes from the dots, and I figured out Southwind by ear in D. So I think that I am doing pretty well for playing for only four days. I am playing melody only without basses or ornamentation, but it is starting to sound similar to music.

I bought P.J. Hernon's DVD "Learning to play the B and C button accordion" as well as Peter Browne's "Irish Button Accordion Techniques". These are my "tutors" since I must be the only button accordion player in North Georgia.
Peter Browne's DVD concerns right hand technique only, and P.J. Hernon's starts at the beginning, and moves to using basses, and some ornamentation.

Good Luck with your new instrument.

TM

Thanks Brian. I don't play well enough to post a clip yet, but I will.

Thanks
TM

This is my new Irish DanceMaster accordion. I love it! Michael is a terriffic guy and very easy to work with. If you are looking for a reasonably priced box, you should really check them out. What I got:

23 Treble, 8 Bass Dry tuned B/C with the Joe Burke Bass arrangement. It really sounds and plays great.

Congratulations, Taylor! It's a great looking accordion. I'm envious because I was ready to place an order when my car started giving trouble. Now I have to save up a bit more for a box of my own.

This is a dumb question, but as another new player, I don't know the answer - What is the Joe Burke Bass arrangement? In our beginning class, we didn't deal with the bass buttons at all, and I'm trying to figure out how to start practicing with them. Is the Joe Burke arrangement a good one for beginners?

Jenny

Hi Jenny,
It really isn't a dumb question at all. The normal bass arrangement is
Top of the instrment
A = A Chord
a = a bass
in/out in/out

E/A G/D
e/a g/d
C/F C/G
c/f c/g

The Joe Burke arrangement

E/A D/D
e/a d/d
C/F G/G
c/f g/g


This arrangement gives me a G and D in both bellows directions, and has them on the same buttons and eliminates the duplicate C on the push by substituting a D there. This is different than the MacComsky arrangement where the Ds and Gs are on different buttons.

Have I confused you yet? I hope that you get your transportation sorted out.

TM

normal bass arrangement is
Top of the instrment
A = A Chord
a = a bass
in/out in/out

E/A G/D
e/a g/d
C/F C/G
c/f c/g

The Joe Burke arrangement

E/A D/D
e/a d/d
C/F G/G
c/f g/g


This arrangement gives me a G and D in both bellows directions, and has them on the same buttons and eliminates the duplicate C on the push by substituting a D there. This is different than the MacComsky arrangement where the Ds and Gs are on different buttons.

Have I confused you yet?

Thanks for the explanation, Taylor. Having the two arrangements together helped me compare and understand. I do know from messing with the bass buttons on my rented student accordion that not all of them are in working order.

Jenny