Charles
Magnante Speaks On:
[Reprint from the Accordion Review 1952]
Compliments of Steve Navoyosky School of Accordion
(330)332-1111
"Position Is Important"
I consider the position of the right and left hands very
important at the very early stages of accordion playing. The fingers
of the right hand should be well rounded and at all times parallel to the
keys.
Make a careful study of the position of the fingers of
the right hand. The parallel position must be maintained as much
as possible when playing in low, middle and high registers.
In playing in the high register it is particularly difficult
to try and maintain this position, but I tend to overcome this by lowering
my shoulders.
"The Right Hand"
In working on a mechanical study, I strongly approve
of closing the bellows so no tone is produced, holding five white keys
down and then raising one finger at a time, striking the key down about
twenty times without moving the other fingers off the keys. This
exercise should be practiced with each finger in turn. The only way
you can be sure you are getting the most satisfaction from these particular
studies is when you get an ache throughout the entire arm. Then it
is time to relax by dropping the arm to your side. While that arm
is resting, you can take up the same procedure for the left hand.
"The Left Hand"
The fingers of the left hand should be well rounded even
more than the right hand, and I make a point of ensuring that the
second joint of the thumb is on the edge of the casing near the diminished
chords. When you achieve this, then you can be quite sure that the
position of the left hand is correct throughout. In the case of the
left hand, of course, the thumb cannot be used. In doing these exercises,
the individual fingers must be lifted as high as is physically possible.
It doesn't have to be fast - just slow, even beats.
"Finger Nails"
Personally, I feel that it is important that the right
hand finder-nails are just the right length -- not too short and not too
long. They should be cut in a more or less straight style manicure
and certainly not pointed. This gives you a more solid touch.
For the left hand, I prefer to have my nails a little
more on the short side.
"The Fingers"
When one begins the study of the physical make-up of
the hand, it will be noticed that each finger, when lying flat, is naturally
of a different length and weight. Just as soon as you attain the
position of well-curved fingers, you will immediately notice that they
line up and form one straight line of even lengths, which is conducive
to very even playing.
I would like to stress the importance of the correct amount
of weight applied on the keyboard with each individual finger. In
other words, if it were possible to register the amount of pressure applied
on each finger, in terms of weight per pound, each finger should bear down
with the exact amount of weight almost to perfect precision.
"The Thumb"
The tendency is for the thumb, being of larger construction,
to carry more weight than the fourth and small fingers. This must
be overcome by applying a lot of conscientious practice, not alone with
the fingers but with scientific application.
For example, play the C Major scale from C to G and back
again with five fingers and try to work out the equal pressure on each
key, I advise playing legato at first for this.
It is not necessary to raise the fingers more than a half-inch
or so off the keys. In order to feel the equal pressure on every
one of these keys, to provide this perfect legato that we are striving
for, the hand and fingers must be completely relaxed. The feeling
under the individual finger must be as if it were holding up the complete
weight of the hand.
In order to prove this being perfectly correct, lay your
left hand flat, palm down and, with the right hand, play your five-finger
exercise on your forearm and note if the pressure of the individual fingers
is equal.
(Now you will be able to
tell everyone that you have had lessons from the great Charles Magnante)
