Students at a music school founded by Andres "El Turco" Gil, an accordion legend. The school is located in the Colombian city of Valledupar. (John Otis/GlobalPost)

Becoming an accordion king

In Colombia, some youngsters dream of accordion fame.

By John Otis - GlobalPost
Published: April 30, 2009 05:41 ET
Updated: May 12, 2009 17:27 ET

VALLEDUPAR, Colombia — Vallenato is the most popular form of traditional music in Colombia. The songs, which can be meloncholy tales of heartbreak or rousing calls to party, are dominated by the accordion. They're all over Colombian radio.

Rather than aspiring to be guitar gods, many Colombian children dream of striking it rich with the accordion, a bulky instrument that seems to be the result of a keyboard mating with a cash register. Many youngsters in the northern city of Valledupar — the cradle of Vallenato — get their start at a music school founded by Andres "El Turco" Gil, himself an accordion legend. He takes in children as young as 3, offers them scholarships, loans them instruments and begins the long, arduous process of forming the next generation of squeeze box stars. Some of the best will be featured at Colombia's annual Vallenato music festival that runs from April 28 to May 2.

Read more about accordions:

For Which It Stands: Afghanistan, an accordion journey

Comments:

9 Comments.

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Posted by gloryforixseal on June 25, 2009 16:15 ET

I found lots of interesting information here. The post was professionally written and I feel like the author has extensive knowledge in the subject. Keep it that way.
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Posted by earthpost on August 26, 2009 16:41 ET

According to Cajun folklore, if you bury the umbilical cord (nom-bril) of a newborn under a rose bush the baby will become a musician. While this is not a custom I’m aware of taking place today, it does make you wonder. Louisiana does have its’ fair share of Cajun musicians. The early Cajun French music pioneers are legendary. When people today speak of late great Cajun musicians, the ones who came before, there is one accordion player extraordinaire that stands out. link building services

Posted by timesharedepot on September 28, 2009 11:37 ET

Really? Damn thats pretty nasty. I hope they aren't doing stuff like that any more. I blows my mind some of the odd traditions and customs of certain cultures. There are these great little pets called black throat monitors that started gaining some traction in the US but now they are hard to come by because some shaman in africa decided that drinking the blood of their young could cure aids so now they are being hunted to the point of extinction. So sad. Anyway.. love the accordian video.. very informative!

Posted by engedi05 on September 13, 2009 13:57 ET

Vallenato literally means "born in the valley".

Its three traditional instruments are:

1.The caja vallenata: a small drum held between the knees and played with bare hands. It was used by the African slaves brought by the Europeans. Similar to a tambora drum.

2.The guacharaca: a wooden, ribbed stick similar to a sugar cane, accompanied by a fork that when rubbed together emits a scraping sound. It's about 18 inches (45 cm) long and one inch (3 cm) in diameter. It was used by the Indians to imitate the song of the guacharaco, a bird from the region, to hunt and perform dancing rituals.

3.The accordion: three-line button, German-origin accordion. It has 3 reed per note and it comes in different tones, ADG, GCF, BbEbAb "5 Letras". Accordions in Colombia and Panama sometimes have custom made tones especially made for Vallenato and Cumbia

Happy REading.

Posted by jimmy choo on September 21, 2009 04:57 ET

It was perhaps what Ramon felt had just happened to him, but it was an omen too--for his estranged partner. As with every good love story, Cornelio eventually came back, after his career as a soloist took a serious dive. Ramon, ever the compassionate one, invited him on a series of reunion tours, and the two even recorded an album, Juntos Para Siempre (Together Forever), in 1995, almost a quarter century after their breakup. Two years later, Cornelio died of liver damage, from drinking too much.
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Posted by Alice on October 6, 2009 14:45 ET

This is a nice instrument with a harmony so enticing with a band. At least the children are hooked into playing this rather than be in front of the computer more often. Playing the accordion is healthy. hampers

Posted by jimb12345 on November 6, 2009 14:26 ET

this is so good to see that kids have a dream. Instruments are a good way to start. Keep the dreams coming.

Posted by Martha on November 17, 2009 00:16 ET

This is an interesting article about the youngsters dream of accordion fame.It is nice to hear that the youngsters are stepping forward for improving the tradition music.Accordion is one of the oldest musical instrument and was invented by Cyrill Damian in 1829.As author mentioned,i was quite surprised about the youngsters to go for a traditional music rather going for the rock music.This is definitely a good sign for the future generation and for the cultural.Music is a powerful language,which connects the peoples across the globe.Lets unite and play music.broadband

Posted by seogene on November 19, 2009 02:09 ET

Good story about common people who play common music that consist only love, goodness and happy. They doen't warry about crisis, financial situation while playing. It's very good for soul. They become natural and full of love. The question of money is not there. It is in big cities where almost everyone search for the money and if feel lack of them they apply for payday loan online.

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