The Melodeon

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The Melodeon

Postby Hugh-AR » 07 Aug 2019 12:50

How did we get onto The Melodeon? I had never heard of this instrument before!

First, in my post on the Chromatic "B-griff" keyboard I had said:
I had come to the conclusion that the set-up of buttons must be from the Chromatic Piano Accordion, but as I have never played one (only a Piano Accordion) I had no idea how the notes were made up.

I then had this from Den:
Hello Hugh. Just a small correction: "Chromatic Piano Accordion"?? It is a Chromatic Button Accordion. The piano is still a chromatic keyboard as opposed to a diatonic keyboard where there are only white notes and you get a different sound whether you push or pull. Saying a "Chromatic Piano Accordion" is like saying a Ford Toyota .. both are cars but wildly different. Sorry about that but I am jealous of my button accordions.

So I have corrected that now.
Conversation continued as posts, below
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Re: The Melodeon

Postby Hugh-AR » 07 Aug 2019 12:52

Hi Dennis,

Hadn't realised the significance of those three words .. Chromatic, Piano and Accordion. Thinking of your Ford Toyota, what then is a Piano Accordion? I used to have one of those (I think). It had buttons for the left hand and zebra keys for the right. And I have never come across the words 'chromatic' or 'diatonic' before. Presumably the latter is not a tonic you would take when on a diet! So what instrument has all white keys, and you get a different sound whether you push or pull? The only pushmi-pullyu I know of a fictional animal with two heads at opposing ends of its body, in Hugh Lofting's The Story of Doctor Dolittle.

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Re: The Melodeon

Postby Hugh-AR » 07 Aug 2019 13:00

Hello Again Hugh,

This is the Honher Erica diatonic. Outside row tuned in C, the inside row in C#. Many have tunings such as C/G C/Bb or other combinations. Press one button and you get one note, hold that button and pull and you get another note.

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Loved my Erica as I could play accidentals OK. See one in the pic I put in my intro on the forum with all my accordions.

Regards,Dennis.
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Re: The Melodeon

Postby Hugh-AR » 07 Aug 2019 13:04

Hi Den,

The mind boggles! I have learnt something about 'squash boxes' today (pardon the terminology .. don't want to get into trouble again!). Would love to see you playing one of those so I can see how the 'push and pull' works. Is there a YouTube clip of one of these being played?

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Re: The Melodeon

Postby Hugh-AR » 07 Aug 2019 13:21

Have found one, and discovered that the instrument you are talking about is called the Melodeon (?) .. so have changed the Subject of this topic.

Silent Night GC Melodeon Tutorial For Beginners



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Re: The Melodeon

Postby Hugh-AR » 07 Aug 2019 13:29

More on this instrument:

Drunken Sailor DG Melodeon Tutorial

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Re: The Melodeon

Postby Hugh-AR » 07 Aug 2019 13:35

And here's a Melodeon with only one row of buttons to play.

Learning To Play The Melodeon - Hohner 1040C - One Row Tunes

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Re: The Melodeon

Postby Hugh-AR » 07 Aug 2019 13:47

One final one. Love this!

Swinging Safari DG Melodeon Video Performance And Tutorial Clip



Tell me Den .. if you get different notes when you 'push' from when you 'pull', what happens if all the notes are 'push' notes and there are no 'pull' ones in the melody? Do you sort of 'run out of breath'? Or is that a silly question?

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Re: The Melodeon

Postby dentyr » 07 Aug 2019 22:01

Hello,
Tell me Den .. if you get different notes when you 'push' from when you 'pull', what happens if all the notes are 'push' notes and there are no 'pull' ones in the melody? Do you sort of 'run out of breath'? Or is that a silly question?

As you may have seen some of these instruments are tuned one row in C and the other row in G. Lots of other tuning's as well. The Honher Erica that I had was tuned in C on the outside row and C# on the inside row. When I saw Jimmy Shand and asked him the exact same question he showed me the "Change Keys". The start key (button) on the outside row "C" is a PUSH then the "D" note is a pull on the same button. But the button on the INSIDE row just below the "C" button is a PULL for the "C". Similarly for the "F" note button. By using these change keys (buttons) you can adjust your Push/Pull so as not to run out of air in the bellows. The C/C# tuning means that it is easier to play all the melodies with accidentals. ie Lara's Theme etc. Starting with the melodeon it is strange to come to terms as the upper octave changes direction! Get one and play it, You may like it. Hope this answers the question. Regards, Den.
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Re: The Melodeon

Postby Hugh-AR » 08 Aug 2019 07:10

Thanks Den. Very well explained. I think one of these melodeons must be very difficult to play if you have to think about which button to press depending on whether you are 'pushing' or 'pulling'.

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Re: The Melodeon

Postby dentyr » 08 Aug 2019 07:13

Hello Hugh, No more difficult than having to sort out which black keys to play if you are playing in 4 flats of 4 sharps. Probably easier, certainly very easy on the 5 row chromatic buttons. Regards, Dennis.
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Re: The Melodeon

Postby JohnT » 09 Aug 2019 06:42

Hi Hugh/Den. That is some instrument. In July I was in Denholm Scotland on a golfing trip. In the hotel I heard an accordion player in the other room and listened to it from the other room. The following morning I spoke to the guy at breakfast. He was on his way to a music festival in Scotland one of the original ones where he was playing. We discussed keyboards and showed him the video of Paul playing the Tyros on chromatic. He was impressed. On leaving he showed me four of his accordions in the boot of his car. Then he played a couple of them in the street. Unfortunately I didn’t have any time to listen more. He wanted me to have a go. Time was against us and I had to leave and he also left to go to the festival and play.
I wish I had more time and didn’t get his name. Surprising who you meet on your travels. All the best. John
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