Description
Music CD $15 (plus postal shipping)
PDF Book Download $15
Music Download $10
PDF & CD $25 (plus postal shipping for disk & instant download of book)
PDF & Download $20
Button Box Karaoke is a 3-part project by Fred Ziwich. The goal of this project is to entertain, plus help teach the Button Box player at the same time.
There are 2 segments on the Music CD/Download. First, The 15 songs are presented with the whole band. Then, those songs are repeated without the Button Box in the mix, so that you can play along with the band.
An important facet of this project is the 74 page book of music and fingerings for the songs on the recording. Each song will have standard Accordion/Piano Music, plus a fingering chart under each note. This way, a beginner can hear the song on the recording and then see the fingerings and the music in the book. Then as time goes on, be able to play along with the 2nd half of the recording. Songs included in the collection: Top of the Hill Polka, Little Eddie’s Polka, Evening Waltz, Tony’s Polka, I Wanna Call You Sweetheart, Daj Daj Srcek Nazaj (Give My Heart Back), Ohio Polka, Little People Polka (Gremo na Dolenskjo), Orpahn Waltz (Ja som Sirota), Old Timer’s Polka, Polka Express Polka (Med Brajdami), Snow Waltz (Schnee Walzer), Terezinka Polka (Tear The Sink Out!), and Kamnik Polka.
As opposed to most other instruments, there has never been a standardized way of teaching the Button Box. But there have been several different methods over the years. This method takes a little from each of those predecessors but has the elements of Fred Ziwich’s Button Box Style.
Fred’s accomplishments on the Button Box are well known as he has won the “Button Box Individual Award” 4 times as voted by the members of the National Cleveland Style Polka Hall of Fame. Several of Fred’s previous recordings that feature the Button Box have been very well received. For instance, the 2005 recording “Fred Ziwich plays the Music of Slavko Avsenik on the Button Box” was the Polka Hall of Fame “Recording of the Year.” His 2006 recording “Button Box Champ” features 10 of his original songs along with his most requested selections. And his most recent recording that features the Button Box is called “Button Box at Christmas” which also features the Cleveland-style Polka Illuminaries.
The songs chosen for this package are generally the easier, better known, chosen to play at jam sessions type songs. Nevertheless, the playing of the backup band still has all the drive and precision you would expect from a professional recording.
The Music CD, download, and book are available separately or in a bundle for a discount price.