Suggested breathing exercise

HAMMOND 44 Melodion


Melodicas were brought up on another thread Hammond XK System Demo but thought I would create a new thread dedicated to these fun little instruments.

Melodicas go by several different names; Melodion, Mouth Piano, Hooter, Piano Harmonica, etc. They all have one thing in common, they use air flow to produce sound just like a harmonica.

So the way I see it, the new Hammond 44 accomplishes several goals for Synthzone members.

• Answers the "that keyboard is too heavy" complaint. The 44 weights just over 2 pounds.
• Solves the "does it respond to root-less chords?" question, since your left hand is used to hold the instrument.
• provides an excellent means of lung exercise.
• Offers a new unique way of expressing yourself musically. Your audiences will be amazed as you play a strolling solo on your Melodion while your arranger keyboard plays smf backgrounds.
• Allows you to finally be able to carry a Hammond to gigs without the need for a van and four muscular roadies.

Dave

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Wm. David McMahan
LearnMyKeyboard
JazzItUp Band

[This message has been edited by WDMcM (edited 12-06-2008).]

Looks like a good stocking stuffer for sure !

OK. I'll start it off.

What is Hammond saying to us with a 44 key melodica vs a 76 key one?




Jerry

76 Key!?! Even I would complain that it is too big.

I have a 61 note melodica at home but it is in a big oak cabinet with foot pedals and knee levers. Really a little too large and heavy to hold with one hand.

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Wm. David McMahan
LearnMyKeyboard
JazzItUp Band

Hey, Dave. Ordered the Hammond. Been playing melodicas on gigs and in the studio for over 30 years. Have an old Hohner and a newer one with bigger keys. The Hammond will be at the dealers location next Wed or Thursday.


Can't wait!


Russ "gear head" Lay

I sell a 32 key hohner with a zippered gig bag for under $50! I wonder if GC or Ash sell any melodicas! Maybe I can find a new niche product here!

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George Kaye
Kaye's Music Scene
Reseda, California
818-881-5566
www.kayesmusicscene.com

You want to take a walk off the beaten path with the melodica (as if there WAS a beaten path ), try this guy's music...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustus_Pablo

Irie, mon!

http://tinyurl.com/5bym4c

OK, so Ash has some. At least I win in the price department! $49.95 with case, hose and mouthpiece.


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George Kaye
Kaye's Music Scene
Reseda, California
818-881-5566
www.kayesmusicscene.com

The Hammond 44 must be a different animal altogether, judging by it's price of $549 sreet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcUxNQaSQrs

Good to hear from you Dave!!

As far as the Hammond 44 goes... I get ALL the breathing exercise I need singing at the top of my lungs. Controlled breathing that is...

Hope all is well with you and your family Dave. Merry Christmas!

Best,
Mike

I'm guessing that the Hohner 32 that George is referring to is the S-32 student model which can be found online at a little under $50.00. The Hammond 44 is more equally compared to the Hohner HM-36 which is their pro version melodica. It has a street price of around $325.00.

The Hammond 44 has 8 more keys, an internal microphone, comes with three choices of mouthpieces and a very nice custom padded nylon gig bag with shoulder strap and Hammond logo. The Hohner HM-36 comes with a single mouthpiece and a padded carrying case. A lot of thought also went into the case design; it is accented with woodgrain-look end caps, a brass instrument style water valve (us trombone players call'em spit valves), strap buttons, adjustable left hand strap, on-board volume control, and the case is vented to increase the tonal response when played acoustically.

If the idea of having a melodica is of interest, you could surely by an S-32 to give it a try. But chances are you will find yourself wanting more keys, better tone, microphone, etc.

I currently use a Suzuki Pro-37 and it is a beautiful instrument. I rigged up a wireless mic for it and run it through a Zoom G2.1u multi-effects pedal. My band mates and the audiences seem to really dig it.

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Wm. David McMahan
LearnMyKeyboard
JazzItUp Band

[This message has been edited by WDMcM (edited 12-08-2008).]

Hi Mike,

How's it going? Glad to see you're still around these parts.

Easy on the vocal chords, you don't want to have a blow-out.

I know it may sound odd, but I am having the best time with my Melodion. I bought it because the band I am in does a few reggae/Caribbean type songs and I thought it would make a nice addition to our sound, which is does. But the first gig that I played it at was with my jazz quartet. I decided to do Black Orpheus (Day in the life...) and ask the drummer to use brushes and start a medium bossa beat and told everybody else to lay out until the second chorus. The effect was very cool, the entire club went silent and watched because it was such an unusual sound. I ended up using the Melodion several more times that night.

Keep on playing and singing and have a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year!

Best Regards,

Dave

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Wm. David McMahan
LearnMyKeyboard
JazzItUp Band

[This message has been edited by WDMcM (edited 12-08-2008).]

Speaking of Hohner wind-blown instruments, I think the Hohner Claviola would be really fun to own. Unfortunately Hohner only made them for less than a year. Didn't catch on, but what a cool sound. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBqSLNr87Q4

[This message has been edited by FAEbGBD (edited 12-08-2008).]

Hi Rory,

Thanks for the link. Yes, the Claviola is a very neat instrument. I wish I could find one of those.

Dave

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Wm. David McMahan
LearnMyKeyboard
JazzItUp Band

[This message has been edited by WDMcM (edited 12-08-2008).]

After watching thsi stuff.....
And you people laugh at a Chicken Hat?

Donny, the guy is a dufus, for sure. Guess, it's all part of his silly little French show.

The act does nothing but piss me off, but it IS a demo of someone using a melodica. A chicken hat is probably the perfect adder...certainly wouldn't hurt the act.


(Sorry to be in such a "fowl" mood)!

"Cluck, cluck...cluck, cluck"!

Russ "Chicken Shack" Lay
(Sorry, Jimmy)

Yes, the S-32 Student Hohner for under $50 is the model. It does come with a mouthpiece and a long flex hose and it comes in a very nice padded zippered case. It really is a good value for someone just wanting a mouth piano to have some fun with.

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George Kaye
Kaye's Music Scene
Reseda, California
818-881-5566
www.kayesmusicscene.com

Agreed, goofy, but perhaps not for the audience intended. Got to admit, they were both musically talented.

OK, so the performer wasn't all he should be, but it's the only vid I knew of with a good claviola example in it. There are a few other vids out there but the claviola is kind of in the background. I found the instrument to be kind of cool, doing different amounts of pitchbend on chord clusters; it's using pipes, not reeds, things like that. OR maybe everybody else here already knew all about the claviola so it took second place to opining about he who played it.

I thought the Claviola was pretty neat, especially the pitch bending...cool!

Actually the Claviola uses reeds just like a Melodion. The difference is the way in which the reeds are mounted on the reed plate and the placement of pipes above each reed.

A harmonica responds to blowing and drawing right? Well, when you blow into a harmonica the reeds that respond are mounted on top of the reed plate and when you draw in air, it is the reeds on the bottom of the plate that respond. In other words, the sounding reed(s) move into the reed plate while producing sound. And on a harmonica it is the players hands, air pressure and constricting throat muscles that produce pitch bend.

In essence, the Claviola is designed with the reed plate mounted backwards so that when air is blown into the instrument, the reeds move away from the reed plate. Pipes are placed over each reed and when air flow is restricted at the open end of these pipes, it is similar to when a harmonica player constricts his throat muscles lowering the pitch of the note being played. In fact, each pipe has a tuning slider to make fine adjustments to the instrument.

Now here is a windblown keyboard instrument that does not use reeds. It is called the Suzuki Andes Recorder-Keyboard. It is basically a recorder whose tone holes are opened via a keyboard. Very unusual sounding. Andes Recorder-Keyboard

Dave

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Wm. David McMahan
LearnMyKeyboard
JazzItUp Band

[This message has been edited by WDMcM (edited 12-10-2008).]

Thanks Dave for the specific info on the Claviola. interesting stuff. And that Andes Recorder thing: UGG! I don't think I'll ever own one of those. Didn't care for that sound at all.

No problem. Yes, the Andes Recorder-Keyboard is an acquired taste. The player can make a huge difference in how it sounds. That video is just one that I found quickly, but I'm sure there are others. If you have ever played a recorder, you will know that they are very sensitive to air pressure and if you do not have the tone (air) holes completely closed, the pitch will be atrocious. The player in the video link does make very good use of half-key technique to add pitch bend to several notes. To make the Andes Recorder sound in tune you need to apply very consistent air pressure and press (and release) keys quickly or the pitch will be all over the place.

Dave

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Wm. David McMahan
LearnMyKeyboard
JazzItUp Band