This is a tutorial on playing traditional Bulgarian dance melodies on the accordion.
Introduction: Intent, scope and metholodogy.
June 2019: This tutorial has gone through several rewrites (2014, 2017, 2018) as my ideas have evolved. I was mid-way through the 2018 update when I came to some road blocks. After uncomfortable banging my head against them for a while I decided to take a break. I am, at present, on hiatus from the tutorial while I explore some ideas relating to Bulgarian ballad playing. This leaves the tutorial (below) in an uncomfortable midway state between the 2017 and 2018 versions, neither of which I find completely satisfying. The 2018 version has been started but is largely incomplete. The 2017 version, while mostly complete, expresses ideas are farther from my current ones than those in the 2018 version. Both the 2017 and 2018 versions are provided below for those brave enough to venture into the incompleteness.
The pages in this section apply to the 2018 (current) version of this tutorial. Each lesson page will (eventually) be accompanied by a practice page, enabling practice of the concepts from the lesson. Things are very incomplete and provisional at this point, but will (hopefully) be fleshed out in the next few months.
The pages in this section apply to the 2017 version of this tutorial. I will retain the links on this page until the 2018 rewrite is mostly complete. At that point, these will be moved to an archive page.
The pages below are unlikely to change much between the 2017 & 2018 versions of this tutorial.
Copyright 2015 Erik Butterworth. All rights reserved.