My biggest concern before a concert -- next to
the actual preparation of my program -- is with achieving the proper amplified
balance between my right hand and my left hand. This is so important
to me. I make every effort to arrive at the auditorium two or three
hours in advance of concert time, especially if I have had no experience
with the acoustics.
My preconcert time in the auditorium gives me the opportunity
to experiment with a variety of amplifier settings for volume, bass, and
treble -- exactly as required by the acoustical problems of the auditorium
in which I'm about to play.
After I've adjusted my amplifier to a reasonable degree
of satisfaction, I look for a cooperative accordion player (he isn't hard
to find!) who might be willing to play my instrument for me, using the
amplifier settings I have just worked out. Then I walk out into the
auditorium, listening to my accordion from various places, trying to "hear"
my instrument just as the audience will hear it when I play. A few
minor adjustments are usually necessary.
Even after these preliminaries, it sometimes becomes necessary
to increase the volume of the amplifier after a capacity crowd has arrived.
Each person in the audience "absorbs" a great deal of the sound our accordion
produces, and this could conceivably turn an amplified concert into one
big pianissimo. But since we want crowds ... bigger and more enthusiastic
ones all the time ... we'll just have to keep our amplifier adjustments
flexible, with a slight change here and there to maintain the level we
want.
Just before my first number, I usually play a few inconspicuous
chords, not too loud, in both hands. The audience seems to accept
this, much like a violinist tuning his instrument.
Now I'm ready to face the music!
At some concerts, I use the accordion pickup for the basses
only and use the house PA (public address system) to amplify my right hand.
This isn't often possible, because most of the PA systems offered for our
use are of very poor reproductive quality.
When available, a good PA consists of a five, or ten watt
amplifier with a high impedance microphone and two or three speakers strategically
situated throughout the auditorium. I place my accordion amplifier
to my right, about four feet away, so that it cannot "leak" into the PA
microphone.
When the room seats 200 persons and less, you'll rarely
find that the management has installed a public address system. Here
is where you'll most certainly need your accordion pick-up for both hands,
to achieve the proper balance between right and left.
Obviously, different musical selections -- with varying
musical character in the left hand especially -- will require volume adjustments
on the amplifier to maintain a consistently good balance. As an example,
let us say that I have programmed Sibelius's Finlandia, which
contains many sustained basses, to be followed by Katchaturian's Sabre
Dance and perhaps my own Accordiana. Naturally,
when beginning
Sabre Dance, I would increase my left hand volume
considerably to balance my right hand. And of course, the faster
my left hand rhythm accompaniment -- as in a polka or fast novelty -- the
greater my bass boost. Although our amplifier will do a lot for us,
it still won't do our thinking. That's our job.
Illustrations of this proper balance can now be heard
on some of my records now available.
[Editor's Note: Except in cases where incorrect
words completely inhibited understanding of the text, there has been no
attempt with this article to correct Mr. Magnante's original text misspellings,
grammar, or political correctness for any parts of this document. - Joe
Natoli]