Here’s a little bit of background information. I began learning accordion a little over a year ago and I began learning to ride the unicycle this year. Since I have gotten my new 26" Nimbus Oracle, I have been making great progress with distance. My new personal best distance is 10.05 miles in one hour and forty minutes. From the moment I started riding the unicycle, I have wanted to try playing the accordion while riding because I think it would be fun.
I know I am not even close to ready to try this but I wanted to ask if there are any people in this forum that can do this. Are there any skills I should make sure I know before attempting it? I’m panning on finding a beat up but playable accordion so I don’t damage my good ones. A couple things I imagine are necessary is not needing to use arms for balance and knowing how to idle. I know I am not close to achieving this, but I would like to work toward it. All advice or criticism is appreciated.
It’s great to hear that you can ride a unicycle, and combining it with the accordion is a great idea. A unicycle would definitely be good if you can do it, and you can ride safely in a straight line without having to balance with your arms. It’s best to practice letting your arms hang down at your sides while riding. If you can do that, you can also play the accordion on the unicycle. I hope I’ve been able to help you and wish you lots of fun practicing and improving.
Being able to ride without needing to use your arms to balance is definitely up there in terms of skills that’ll help. When I got a handle bar for my big wheel I feel like I made a lot of progress towards not needing my arms to balance. You don’t need a bar of course, resting your hands on the saddle handle works just as well for a place to put your hands. Letting my arms dangle didn’t quite work for me, though that could just be me
I wouldn’t trust myself with an accordion on a unicycle… I imagine myself silently riding up behind someone then start playing something dramatic or ominous Dun dun dun dun dun dun
Yeah, today while riding home from school, I definitely noticed how I didn’t have to use my arms at all and how easy it was. When you start to notice that it means you can start to do other tricks, perform better, have better posture and have more fun riding. An accordion on a uni definitely sounds fun.
Kris Holm has said that he asked for a unicycle after seeing a street performer playing a violin on one – so you are in good company having musical unicycle aspirations… I think I have seen a segment in a video of him doing that but I can’t remember in what video that is, but he mentions it in a few interviews.
You’ve probably found that there are a few violin/fiddle unicycle videos on YouTube and at least a couple of people playing accordions while riding. I would think that playing a violin (ignoring the actual skill needed to play it in the first place) would be easier given the higher position and lighter touch, and I would think it would have a whole lot safer since you can get rid of it and the bow more easily if need be (and not end up with a bunch of broken ribs, sternum etc. if you fall off badly with an accordion and can’t get it clear of your body.)
I only started riding a uni late last year and i have all ready learned to play guitar and sing whilst riding, i am currently learning to juggle on my uni which seems way harder but i am well on the way,i am 48 in May. Once it “clicks” you will be playing your Accordian effortlessly, when there is no wind and the road surface is flat! All the best man!
Juggling while idling or riding one footed works well, I did that for a short time with up to 5 balls in both disciplines. Diabolo is much easier, but in my experience playing with the diabolo doesn’t really fit to the movement and idling frequency of a unicycle. So not everything that should work really works well on unicycles.
this reminds me of the flaming bagpipe unicycle guy in washington state
things i’d probably practice?
holding a large ball with both hands out front, beach ball to start, work up to something as heavy as the accordian… perhaps wear a backpack in front filled with books
practice those dismounts, mounts, and such with weight up front, as hands free as possible
given how an accordian has those shoulder straps, i’d worry that if you feel forward, and put your arms out, the accordian might (would) shoot off your body, and “goodbye buddy” - perhaps a better strap system so that it CANNOT fall off (like a carabiner connecting on the back?)
Ill ask my daughter to film me, when I play Irish tin whistle while riding unicycle. A tin whistle is easier to hold than an accordion, but it does require 2 hands at least.
Please do something like bunny hops or something else: the videos above are to demonstrate different riding techniques (while playing some music). I was too lazy to search for hops f-bounce:
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