Tango as a phenomenon

Tango originated towards the end of the 19th century in Argentina, in the Rio del Plata area around the towns of Montevideo and Buenos Aires. Its roots go back to the music played by dock workers, but its beginnings around 1890 are connected with brothels. Continue reading

A Popular Accordionist’s Journey

I’ve always liked the accordion. You can play just a little and still make a lot of fun. And I’ve always wanted to play to entertain people and enjoy myself in company. How to do that? What do you need for an accordionist’s coming out? Pull at the bellows, keep pace, play the basses with your left, sing, play the melody with your right hand, and most importantly – pretend it’s nothing all the time! Continue reading

Funeral March

There are compositions that you can recognize by the first chord. One of the most famous pieces of classical music – the Funeral March by Frederic Chopin – is one of them. You can hear sadness, desperation and melancholy in this music. Continue reading

To Me, You Are Lovely

Should you ever happen to get near any dixieland band, most probably you’ll hear evergreens such as “When the Saints Go Marching In”, “Hello Dolly”, “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” nebo “Mackie Messer”, but also another merry tune bearing an exotic title: Bay Mir Bistu Sheyn. Continue reading

Autumn leaves

A gate to the world of jazz – Autumn Leaves. Originally a melody from a French musical play by Joseph Kosma, it is one of the best known and most beautiful jazz standards I know. Would you like to start playing jazz? It’s easy… First you play the theme, then you improvise over the chords, then you play the theme once more. Or is it not so easy at all?
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Lowlands

A search after one’s favourite song can turn into an investigation difficult enough even for Sherlock Holmes. This time, it’s gonna be thrilling: accordion, Russia, legionaries… Do you even know what „raskosha“ is?
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Indifférence and Mike Wolk

It’s 11:00 AM Saturday morning. The air is very chilly by the stone wall below the Vodocet at Vyton. I’m now into the trio of Tony Murena’s “Indifference” and coins have been dropping into my case at a steady rate. My fingers feel pretty sluggish from the cold, but I’m getting through the difficult parts without too much trouble and people are obviously enjoying it. Continue reading

Best Known Czech Pub Songs

Do you also feel that even if you have found loads of sheet music on our website, some basic Czech songs are still missing? Today, I’ll try to set it right! I’ll show you three very popular songs that are a must-know for every accordion player. Continue reading