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Lavonne Knapp plays her concerto at a recent Monday gathering of the Accordion Club of Roseburg.
GREEN —The sound escaping through the cracks of the Green Community Church on a recent Monday evening belonged to only one instrument.
Made famous on the Lawrence Welk show, misunderstood by many and celebrated by clubs around the world — it was, you guessed it, the accordion.
The golden age of the accordion, nicknamed the squeezebox, was from 1910 to about 1960, until the advent of a blue-eyed Tennessee boy with a knack for the guitar. Elvis Presley hit the stage in the mid-1950s, popularizing the stringed instrument and leaving the accordion to collect dust.
Today, if you ask Lavonne Knapp, the president of the Accordion Club of Roseburg, the instrument is making a comeback.
Increasing use of the accordion by classical composers and rock bands such as the Canadian group Arcade Fire and the punk/Irish band Flogging Molly may just be proving Knapp right.
Among common misconceptions of the accordion is the assumption that the instrument can only be used to play polkas. She said if people are not familiar with polkas or dislike the genre of music, they might automatically shun the instrument.
“The accordion can play all kinds o f styles of music,” said Knapp. “I played one funeral and two weddings this year. I can play love songs.”
Made famous on the Lawrence Welk show, misunderstood by many and celebrated by clubs around the world — it was, you guessed it, the accordion.
The golden age of the accordion, nicknamed the squeezebox, was from 1910 to about 1960, until the advent of a blue-eyed Tennessee boy with a knack for the guitar. Elvis Presley hit the stage in the mid-1950s, popularizing the stringed instrument and leaving the accordion to collect dust.
Today, if you ask Lavonne Knapp, the president of the Accordion Club of Roseburg, the instrument is making a comeback.
Increasing use of the accordion by classical composers and rock bands such as the Canadian group Arcade Fire and the punk/Irish band Flogging Molly may just be proving Knapp right.
Among common misconceptions of the accordion is the assumption that the instrument can only be used to play polkas. She said if people are not familiar with polkas or dislike the genre of music, they might automatically shun the instrument.
“The accordion can play all kinds o f styles of music,” said Knapp. “I played one funeral and two weddings this year. I can play love songs.”
So you know...
The Accordion Club of Roseburg meets at 6:30 p.m. the third Monday of the month at Green Community Church, 3777 Carnes Road, Roseburg.
All accordion players are welcome. There will be solos, duets and group playing. Information: Lavonne Knapp at 784-3574. |
The 61-year-old accordion aficionado has been practicing since she was 7. Knapp was 5 or 6 when her parents said she could start music lessons and asked if she wanted to learn to play the piano or the accordion. She chose piano, but accordion lessons were scheduled nonetheless.
Today, she takes the instrument very seriously; her flashy creme concerto with gold trim — a $17,000 accordion handmade in Castelfidardo, Italy, with digital electronics designed and manufactured in the United States — offers proof.
According to an employee at Petosa Accordions in Seattle, depending on what the musician requests, an accordion can put an even bigger dent in the wallet.
“Depending on what the artist wants, they can go as high as $30,000,” said Laurie Trautwein.
However, potential accordionists should not be deterred by the staggering numbers. Knapp said with the variety of sizes and models of the instrument, there is a price range for everyone; a used accordion might sell for less than $200.
Knapp and her husband moved to Douglas County in 1999 and the former elementary music teacher joined a Eugene accordion club. But because her husband was weary of her traveling to meetings in the dark, he suggested she start a local chapter.
“I did it to appease him, but I still go to Eugene,” said Knapp chuckling.
Slightly more than a year ago, she posted flyers in music stores and around town, advertising the idea for an accordion club. The response was overwhelming. At the most, the club has had 30 members with at least 15 people generally showing up to the monthly meeting in Green. But the size of the club is unimportant. Knapp said that the group’s mission statement — to promote the playing of the accordion for the enjoyment, fun and fellowship of the members and audience — is the primary focus.
“It doesn’t matter how many people we have,” Knapp said. “If we have six accordion players and we like playing music together, then that’s great.”
She doesn’t, however, condone the nickname “squeezebox” or mocking the instrument. Practicing before performing is crucial. Knapp said people who play poorly give the accordion a bad rap.
“No one wants to hear a song that’s massacred,” she said.
The musician wishes people wouldn’t belittle the “legitimate, versatile instrument.”
Knapp is hoping the adults in the Roseburg accordion club will encourage their children or other young people in the community to play. Her goal is to raise awareness that there are accordionists, and they’re here to stay.
“I don’t think the instrument’s going to die at all,” said Knapp. “In fact, I think it’s kind of having a rebirth.”
• You can reach reporter Cara Pallone at 957-4208 or by e-mail at cpallone@nrtoday.com.
Today, she takes the instrument very seriously; her flashy creme concerto with gold trim — a $17,000 accordion handmade in Castelfidardo, Italy, with digital electronics designed and manufactured in the United States — offers proof.
According to an employee at Petosa Accordions in Seattle, depending on what the musician requests, an accordion can put an even bigger dent in the wallet.
“Depending on what the artist wants, they can go as high as $30,000,” said Laurie Trautwein.
However, potential accordionists should not be deterred by the staggering numbers. Knapp said with the variety of sizes and models of the instrument, there is a price range for everyone; a used accordion might sell for less than $200.
Knapp and her husband moved to Douglas County in 1999 and the former elementary music teacher joined a Eugene accordion club. But because her husband was weary of her traveling to meetings in the dark, he suggested she start a local chapter.
“I did it to appease him, but I still go to Eugene,” said Knapp chuckling.
Slightly more than a year ago, she posted flyers in music stores and around town, advertising the idea for an accordion club. The response was overwhelming. At the most, the club has had 30 members with at least 15 people generally showing up to the monthly meeting in Green. But the size of the club is unimportant. Knapp said that the group’s mission statement — to promote the playing of the accordion for the enjoyment, fun and fellowship of the members and audience — is the primary focus.
“It doesn’t matter how many people we have,” Knapp said. “If we have six accordion players and we like playing music together, then that’s great.”
She doesn’t, however, condone the nickname “squeezebox” or mocking the instrument. Practicing before performing is crucial. Knapp said people who play poorly give the accordion a bad rap.
“No one wants to hear a song that’s massacred,” she said.
The musician wishes people wouldn’t belittle the “legitimate, versatile instrument.”
Knapp is hoping the adults in the Roseburg accordion club will encourage their children or other young people in the community to play. Her goal is to raise awareness that there are accordionists, and they’re here to stay.
“I don’t think the instrument’s going to die at all,” said Knapp. “In fact, I think it’s kind of having a rebirth.”
• You can reach reporter Cara Pallone at 957-4208 or by e-mail at cpallone@nrtoday.com.
