Slovenian ‘Oberkrainer’ accordion rhythm technique for waltzes

For a brief historical explanation of the technique and a video on how to use this technique in polkas, click on the article below. Waltzes in the Oberkrainer accordion rhythm technique (Slo: tresanje or spremljavo, Ger: begleitung) involve playing chords in quavers (eighth notes) repeatedly and smoothly in 3/4 time, with no bellow shaking. Below […]

Slovenian ‘Oberkrainer’ accordion rhythm technique for waltzes Read More »

Slovenian popular folk ‘Oberkrainer’ vs. American-Slovenian ‘Cleveland style’

If you’re new to Slovenian popular folk music (from Slovenia) or American-Slovenian style polkas (from North America), you might get confused between the two (I sure did), so in this post I try to clear it up with the sort of information I’d love to have had available several years ago.

Slovenian popular folk ‘Oberkrainer’ vs. American-Slovenian ‘Cleveland style’ Read More »

How to play basic Slovenian Oberkrainer guitar polka rhythm

Vilko & Slavko Avsenik’s ensemble from Slovenia were the creators of the ‘Oberkrainer’ sound and genre which took off in the alpine parts of central Europe. A typical band in this genre, following Avseniki, has three main parts: the vocal, melodic and rhythm sections. The rhythm section in the band is usually made up of

How to play basic Slovenian Oberkrainer guitar polka rhythm Read More »

Accordions played by Slavko Avsenik

The sound of Slavko and Vilko Avsenik’s ensemble (Slo: Ansambel bratov Avsenik, Ger: Slavko Avsenik und seine Original Oberkrainer) had many moving parts that contributed to the legendary sound which evolved throughout their career spanning from the 1950s to the 1990s. Technique, band members, advancements in sound engineering, arrangements by Vilko Avsenik and combinations of

Accordions played by Slavko Avsenik Read More »

Slovenian ‘Oberkrainer’ accordion rhythm technique for polkas

Slovenian/Oberkrainer style accordion rhythm is a technique used by Slovenian and Austrian alpine style accordionists to complete the rhythm section in a trio or quintet, by playing chords repeatedly as semiquavers in polkas, or quavers in waltzes. In Slovenian it’s known as ‘tresenje‘ (shaking), for its ‘shaking’ sound, and ‘spremljavo‘ (accompaniment). In German it’s called

Slovenian ‘Oberkrainer’ accordion rhythm technique for polkas Read More »

Scroll to Top