| Handmade Cajun Accordion, Pt. 6: Assembly, Completion and a Real Acadian Jam |
| Accordion master Marc Savoy on the subjects of music, culture, cuisine, gumbo ingredients and, above all, getting the mix just right. |
From "Handmade Music"
episode DHMM-312 |
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Final AssemblyAt this final stage, each of the individually crafted components comes together with the others to form a finished Cajun accordion. And as Marc said earlier, he's like a pool player setting up his shots. Now he just runs the table. - The bellows (figure G) are an accordion's "lungs". Marc has the ones he uses shipped in from Italy. Once they arrive, things happen pretty fast.
Marc attaches the bass side to the bellows and left frame with two well-placed screws (figure H). Next he adds the treble side to the other frame attached to the bellows (figure I).
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The pieces are now ready for final assembly.
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The Proof Is In the GumboWith all the elements in the mix, and the tuning done, now everything comes together. Finally, Marc is ready to hear the "voice" of his new creation. "Voila!" he says, after playing the first few notes and chords on this newly christened accordion. "Now all it needs is a happy home." "I hope it doesn't end up on a mantle of some fireplace," he continues. "I hope somebody can get to be a better player than they were before through this instrument." Before that happens, though, Marc introduces his newest accordion at a Saturday morning jam session at the Savoy Music Center where, with some help from some friends and family, he can put his own craftsmanship and handiwork to the test on some authentic Cajun music.
In accordance with Marc's philosophy toward music and heritage, he encourages students at the Savoy Music Center to soak up the wealth of Cajun music all around them before taking their first lessons.
"You have to learn the music first," Marc Savoy says, "You get an instrument after you learn the music, and you do that by listening to a source of it — a live performance or a recording or whatever. Once you can hear [the music] in your mind, then you can play it."
RESOURCES :
Savoy Music Center
Highway 190 E
Eunice, LA 70535
www.savoymusiccenter.com
KBON, FM 101.1
Eunice, LA 70535
www.kbon.com
GUESTS :
Marc Savoy, proprietor
Savoy Music Center
Highway 190 E
Eunice, LA 70535
www.savoymusiccenter.com
| RELATED PROJECTS: | | Handmade Cajun Accordion, Pt. 1: Reed-Mounts | | Handmade Cajun Accordion, Pt. 2: Keyboard Construction | | Handmade Cajun Accordion, Pt. 3: Bass Box Construction | | Handmade Cajun Accordion, Pt. 4: Front Plate and Engraving | | Handmade Cajun Accordion, Pt. 5: Reeds, Hardware, Stops and Finish | | Handmade Gourd-Banjo, Part 1: Preparing the Gourd Body | | Handmade Gourd-Banjo, Part 2: Building the Neck | | Handmade Gourd-Banjo, Part 3: Shaping the Neck and Peg-Head | | Handmade Gourd-Banjo, Part 4: Pegs, Tail-Piece and Strings |
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| ALSO IN THIS EPISODE: | | Handmade Cajun Accordion, Pt. 6: Assembly, Completion and a Real Acadian Jam |
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