Lesson - The Back Door - (Part II)

I’m going to pick on “The Back Door” rhythm (left hand only) first!.

(Note that the first 3 phrases repeat.  To save room, I played them only once .. you're to play them twice!  And, the same 3 phases repeat after the middle section.)

First, Left Hand at normal speed:
Just phrase one
Just phrase two
And phrase three
And phrase four
And phrase five

Let’s look at the right hand licks

Phrase one
Phrase two
Phrase three
(Repeat phases 1, 2, 3 here)

Phrase four
Phrase five
(Repeat phases 1, 2, 3 here)

Phrase six
Phrase seven

And let’s put them together

I hope that makes sense!  After a while, it gets to be second nature and quite smooth!

Keep listening to your left hand.  Even though the bellows reverses mid-stream, your index & pinky should keep "beating" that 2/4 feel, relentlessly!

I almost forgot.  Here’s the bouncing technique that Paul showed me.  I named the audio clip "Right Hand Phrase 5" and the video clip, "Right Hand Middle".  Cool, no?

Moi et la belle on a-vait ete-z-au bal on
a pas-se dans tous les hon-ky-tonks, s’ en
a rev’-nu le lende main ma-tin, le
jour e-tait a pres se cas-ser
J’ai pass-se de-dans la porte en ar-
ri-ere

Me and my girl had gone to the dance
We went to all the Honky-Tonks
We came back the next morning,
The day was breaking,
I passed in by the back door

Here's all the parts with accompaniment: 

Now, you try it!  Here's the rhythm track:
A couple of points: this progression is not "square" (i.e. not always 4-beats to the measure). 
The cymbal "crash" happens on the "1" count, and there are 3-counts between the end of one verse and the beginning of the next!

Well, I hope that is some help to someone out there in Cajun Accordion land!

Keep those cards & letters coming, and I’ll try to get some more requests posted soon!

Keep squeezin’, y’all!

--Big Nick