Some Blues Scale Fingerings for Russian Reversed Free Bass

Here are three suggestions for the Blues Scale. There are some awkward moments, I'll edit this if I come up with some better fingerings.

Blues scale Fingerings for Russian Reversed Free Bass.

 Click for printable version.

Russian Reversed Freebass Fingerings Maj. Scale

Here are the three row fingerings that I managed. There is a lot of tucking fingers beneath each other, which is not like the English concertina at all. Not that I expected a similarity, but it feels completely different.

Click for printable PDF

Down to business on scale fingerings

After some meditative thought on the Bayan free bass system, I realized in an out-of-the-box moment that if I aligned my fingers parallel to the buttons rather than perpendicular to the side of the accordion, fingerings may be easier. I investigated and many images of Bayan player do this. Here's Mr Fredrich Lips (He literally wrote the book on Bayan playing). Note his fingers are at an angle similar to the button diagonals. There are images of Bayan players with the fingers pointing down, as well. I suppose the angle of the hand is adjusted according to the position of the arm and also the fingering that's required. I wish I could get a copy of Mr. Lips' book, it's out of print in the US. Here's a link to Stanley Fefferman's photograph in it's original context.

I had much 'real' work to do today so I am just sitting down now with the instrument. I did make a fingering chart, which could be useful to other chromatic players. It's below- click on the image for a full size version..
More on the fingerings when I figure them out.

Chromatic 3-row fingering chart. Click to enlarge.

A day's progress

What a day. Learning this will be a big project. My first observations are as follows:

• It's not just a free bass, it's a converter, so I will be able to play tunes that use a Stradella bass, too. 
• It is heavy and I need better straps. It seems to aggravate my left shoulder. 
• The action of the treble feels very solid. A few sticky keys on the bass. 
• The arrangement of the free bass is that of a Reversed, Russian, or Bayan free bass system, depending upon who you talk to. The other two bass set ups are B-Griff and C-Griff, which is apparently most common (see image below, Rubin is of the Bayan system on the right). The treble is a B-Griff treble layout.
• The major scales seem to finger quite naturally for the right hand, but the left is very awkward. I am not sure if the Russian/Reversed system is just awkward or if it is that I am not left handed. In any case, the learning curve will be steep indeed. 
• The instrument gets a nice big sound, especially in the lower registers. The higher notes seem relatively mousy.

I successfully can do scales on each hand, but am nowhere near running both hand simultaneously. I think the next step is determining some fingerings for the scales. There will be three sets for the right hand, to accommodate scales with notes starting on each of the rows. For the bass I am not sure. The free bass system has more rows than the treble, so I may be able to incorporate some alternate fingerings that are more comfortable.

There isn't a lot on the web about the reversed bass system, maybe there is, but it's in Russian and not showing up on my searches.

Tomorrow, I will work on the fingerings.

Image, below, of Free Bass Systems.

Rubin has arrived.

I picked up the bayan at the post office this morning. It came well-wrapped in styrofoam and cardboard. Tape was applied over the buttons to keep the action from shifting. It was in great shape. The accordion is of better quality than I expected. It seems tightly manufactured and feels sturdy. There's a lot a bad words about Russian accordions on the web, but for a beginner like me who wants to get a feel for the instrument, this is definitely of acceptable quality.

 

Any day when a package comes with Cyrillic is an exciting one. And here's my vocalist, Sparky, giving a sultry look by Rubin, the Bayan.

Today's goal is to manage a major scale up and down on both hands simultaneously.

My new bayan arrives tomorrow!

Thanks for stopping in. The beast is a 3-row B-system free-bass (maybe converter) from Russia. I'm not expecting much in quality, but I am hoping that it's playable enough to learn. It's a used instrument from an eBayer in Ukraine. My fingers are crossed on a safe delivery!

I'll be working first on scales and familiarizing myself with the layout. I'll chart my progress here as it is made.