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Photo by Brigid Chapin. |
So I got it. Officially. Paid for and everything. Had to sell two other accordions and Fender Telecaster with amp. Worth every cent. Don't expect an objective review. Rather, expect a panegyric, an encomium, an elaborate laudation. I have brought the Castagnari Nik home. Paid for it. Begun getting to know it. What a ridiculously effortless ease-of-play it has! Brigid has taken some pictures. Happy.
Happy! Don't want to appear materialistic. Acquiring this thing, being happy. But I am. The sounds that come out of the Castagnari Nik. These sounds will improve my quality of life. Unfortunately, I don't have the recording savvy to create a document that will truly communicate how wonderfully sonorous the Nik is. I will be going into a recording studio this summer. Here are two videos I shot, recently.
The first is a classic French Waltz, Belle Bergére ("Beautiful Shepherdess"). The left hand sounds a little honky on the YouTube. Sounds better in person.
The second video is another rendition of The Cheshire Waltz. I wasn't very happy with the version I shot on the Saltarelle, and then a colleague said, "Bet that would sound great on your Nik." And it does.
Is it the last accordion I'll ever buy? That's a beacon of grail shaped dimensions. This two-row, G/C, MM, no-stops box? This simple accordion ... with it's sweet sound and exquisite, unbelievable touch? Let's just say, if it were the last accordion I ever bought, I'd be quite okay.
Labels: accordion purchase, Brigid Chapin, Castagnari, Last Accordion I'll Ever Buy, melodeon.net, Recordings, repertoire, waltz, YouTube