Reuniendo Letras: Melodica I

Hand-drawn sketch of a melodica

What is a melodica? The melodica is a wind instrument. Following the definition of the RAE (Royal Spanish Academy), in music, a wind instrument is one that is sounded by blowing air into it.

RAE Definition: It does not have a definition for this instrument as such.

Oxford Dictionary Definition: The melodica is a wind instrument with a small keyboard controlling a row of reeds, and a mouthpiece at one end. It originated in the 1960s, evolving from the melody and patterned after the harmonica.

Wikipedia Definition: The melodica is a free-reed wind instrument, similar to the accordion or harmonica. This instrument features a keyboard on the upper side that produces sound only when blowing through a mouthpiece located at one end. Pressing a key opens a hole, allowing air to flow through a reed. It usually has a two- or three-octave keyboard. Melodicas are portable.http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mel%C3%B3dica

1960s Hohner melodica (write this directly on the image in the blog)

What is its origin? It was developed by the German company Hohner sometime between the 1950s and 1960s. Hohner is the German company that patented and popularized its name. The word "melodica" remained the generic name for this class of instrument. Missin P, 2004. A Brief History of Mouth-Blown Free Reed Instruments: Melodica Family. http://www.patmissin.com/history/melodica.html

Spartiti Diamonica melodica (write this directly on the image in the blog)

What other names is the melodica known by? Other companies produced the same instrument under other names and brand names, such as melodeon, pianica, melodihorn, orgamonica, mouth organ, pianohorn, piany, pocket piano, blow accordion, wind piano, keyboard harmonica, cassette, melodyhorn, blow piano, diamonica, or clavietta, among others. Enough to give this little instrument a massive identity crisis requiring an orchestra of therapists.

Melodeon: A brand of melodica produced by Suzuki. You can see some of these models at this link: http://www.suzukimusic.com/education/melodion/ Pianica: A brand of melodica produced by Yamaha. Its best-known models are the P-32D and P-37D, which refer to the number of keys respectively. Melodihorn: A brand of melodica produced by Samick. Melodyhorn: A brand of melodica produced by Angel Musical Instruments Ltd., which are part of Yurae Music Corporation (South Korea). Orgamonica: A brand of melodica produced by Silverton. They are rare, as they were produced in the mid-1960s. Diamonica: A brand of melodica produced by Bontempi (Italian). It is a mouth piano with 25 keys and a flexible tube for table playing. The number of keys is key for fast learning. It can also be used like a keyboard. Clavietta: A brand of melodica designed by André Borel and distributed by Paul Beuscher in Paris from the 1950s to the 1970s. This is the keyboard version of the accordina. The clavietta came in three variants: a 25-key note model called the "minor," identical in every way apart from the number of keys with plates manufactured from a single reed of stainless Swedish steel; a larger model with a plastic (instead of aluminum) 'reed guard' panel; and a model with a built-in microphone. Mouth organ: Generally referred to this way when the melodica is marketed on online shopping sites, mostly originating from China, or when referred to as a children's and youth toy. Meanwhile, when English speakers on English-speaking sites refer to a mouth organ, they generally mean harmonicas. Blow piano: A colloquial name given to the melodica, generally on Latin American and Spanish-speaking sales sites. Pianohorn: A brand of melodica designed like a horn with keys. Fun, aimed at a young and children's audience. With only 13 keys. A small instrument. It allows you to make your own music and even play chords. Alternatively, a fingering chart can be used.

Hammond BB melodica (write this directly on the image in the blog)

Types of melodicas. Melodicas are classified primarily by the range of the instrument. Melodicas with different ranges have slightly different shapes. They are divided into:

· Soprano and alto melodicas sound with a higher, shriller pitch and a thinner, finer sound than tenors. Some are designed to be played with both hands simultaneously; the left hand plays the black keys and the right hand the white keys.

· Tenor melodicas are a type of melodica with a lower pitch. The left hand holds the handle on the bottom side, and the right hand plays the keyboard. Tenor melodicas can be played with two hands by inserting a flexible tube into the mouthpiece and placing the melodica on a flat surface.

· Contrabass melodicas have a lower pitch than tenors. Larger reeds produce a bass accordion-like sound. (They are less common than the others.)

Accordina (write this directly on the image in the blog)

· The accordina is a melodica but with buttons like an accordion. The accordina, generally made of metal, uses the same mechanism as a traditional melodica. However, instead of keys, the keyboard is replaced with a button layout similar to a chromatic accordion. The accordina is a free-reed wind instrument originally invented and built in Paris by Andrew Borel in 1930 and patented in 1943. The instrument was not popular at the time because the accordion was all the rage, and it fell into decline in favor of the latter. Renaissance of the Accordina. Bords. France. Written by Rob Howard

Clarina melodica (write this directly on the image in the blog)

· The clarina melodica, melodic flute, or clarinet-type melodica is generally constructed of plastic. It is a very versatile instrument because it is very easy to play, portable, very orderly in concept (basically like a piano), and expressive like any wind instrument, where dynamics are controlled based on how strong the airflow is. It allows you to play both melodies and simultaneous notes, making it an instrument capable of accompanying others or performing as a solo instrument. Some varieties come with 13 keys. Other variants have 27 keys. The simpler ones only have 8 keys. They are ideal for introducing music to school children. Even with the 8-key ones, you can play melodies indicated in custom songbooks. Some varieties have keys in different colors for better identification and color-coding by children.

MyLodica (write this directly on the image in the blog)

· The mylodica refers to melodicas built of wood. Although most melodicas are made of plastic, some are made primarily of wood. Sound Electra Corporation designed, patented, and manufactures the MyLodica, a wooden melodica designed "...to produce a richer, warmer sound than its plastic relatives." In wooden melodicas, sound vibrations travel from the reed plates into a chamber and then resonate from the wooden cabinet, thus producing a more resonant sound.

Vibrandoneon (write this directly on the image in the blog)

· The vibrandoneon is a new instrument with an old history. In 1825, Mr. Wheatstone, who produced musical instruments in London, experimented with a wind accordion. He named his invention a Symphonium. Its technique was similar to that of the accordion. Air blown into the instrument (in the accordion through the bellows and in the wind instrument through a mouthpiece) sets reeds in motion that produce the sound. Image 8b (small size): The Symphonium, which combined a keyboard, metal reeds, and the musician's breath for the first time, was replaced in 1827 by the concertina. Image 8c (small size): In 1829, this instrument, the concertina, received official recognition as the "piano-éolien." Throughout the 19th century, several instruments evolved from the concertina, such as Jaulin's harmonicor (1861) and Hohner's melodienbläser in 1890. The Hohner instrument company was one of the precursors of the popular melodica widely used in 20th-century music education. Although the name "accordina" was first used for an aeolian accordion in 1897, in 1943 French musical instrument producer André Borel produced a prototype accordina that would be manufactured commercially starting in 1955 by Laurent Jarry and Marcel Dreux in France. The accordina has a keyboard with buttons. To this day, only one company has managed to produce this instrument with a piano keyboard: the Italian accordion manufacturer Victoria in Castelfidardo. The instrument is in a development stage, and a patent application by inventor Guido Tononi is still pending. Cees Hamelink plays one of the early prototypes of this instrument, which its Italian manufacturer christened a "vibrandoneon."

Some uncommon melodica models. Model L-37 Melodica. It features a full three-octave (37 notes) keyboard. This range allows one to play 1,000 melodies. Chords or solo lines sound great on this keyboard. Mouthpiece, flexible tube, air release button for venting. Better keyboard action for playing fast lines with strong reeds for expressive dynamics, yet light enough to hold while playing.

Model Ks2 Keytar Acoustic Keyboard. This fun instrument—not quite a melodica, made in India—has an interesting 28-note keyboard. It has 10 strings. It folds into a case. Made of compact wood harvested from the hills of India. You play the keyboard with one hand. It produces a wild, monophonic string sound (8 strings in unison). It has a tuning key and pick. Excellent for recording, musical experimentation, and ethnic vibes.

Model Bass24. This is the lowest-range wind piano ever made. Larger reeds produce a bass accordion-like sound. Mouthpiece and soft black zippered case. A pocket baritone sax!

Model The Andes. This unique instrument looks like a melodica but sounds like a recorder. It is a wind instrument, but it creates a recorder sound using resin-clumped reeds. However, unlike a recorder, The Andes allows the player to play chords. The Andes features 25 keys. It includes a short mouthpiece, a tube mouthpiece, and a strap. Truly the first of its kind on its own.

Oddities. An ingenious percussionist musician named Christina tells us on her webpage that back in 2008 she bought a "ridiculously cute" pink melodica, but one morning when she tried to play her favorite songs after going for a run, she found herself dizzy and out of breath. She kept forgetting to breathe and realized that way there was no sound, no music came out, and she lacked air. She took a much deeper breath to try to continue as expected, but it was no use—she had to blow enough air, otherwise it wouldn't function properly. Then she remembered bagpipes. And she decided to create a homemade device using common items plus the addition of a foot-operated air pump. The result of this handcrafted creation is what you see in the following image: Image 9: Melodica with air pump (Write on the image: “Blow Keyboard with foot pump! By Christina”) To see instructions on how she made it, visit the following website: http://www.cutiefulchristina.com/2008/01/blow-keyboard-with-foot-pump.html

Stagg melodica Comparison with traditional wind instruments. Melodicas are unusual because, unlike most conventional woodwind instruments, they use a piano keyboard instead of a specialized fingering system using holes and/or buttons. This allows the player to use a single finger to play any note within the instrument's range, rather than requiring multiple fingers to play individual notes, as is the case with most wind instruments. The player can play chords by using their remaining fingers to press additional keys, thereby sounding additional notes. In other words, while most wind instruments, such as saxophones or clarinets, are monophonic when played by trained musicians, the melodica is polyphonic. As an appealing feature, its sound is not as metallic as in other small keyboards. These factors give the melodica an unusual degree of flexibility and contribute to its widespread use in music education. Additionally, for a beginner, playing accidentals is easier on a melodica than on a woodwind instrument, which might require key combinations or cross-fingering to reach any note outside its key.

Melodica with book (do not reduce size) Music Education. Melodicas have been very popular in music education, especially in Asia. In some children's music teaching texts, we find examples like the following:

"The melodica band. To the percussion band, we can also add other melodic-percussion instruments, such as the marimba; string instruments, like the guitar; and wind instruments, such as the recorder, melodica, and pianica, thus enriching the sound quality and obtaining variety in the activity. In addition to keeping the beat, accent, rhythmic line, and rhythmic ostinatos, we can add melodic ostinatos, which can be played by the aforementioned instruments. All these activities that the student has carried out are helping them make more meaningful music, to experience songs intensely, because they are not just playing an instrument or singing for the sake of singing, but learning to understand music with its many possibilities. These activities are excellent for stimulating students to offer their own suggestions and to create novel rhythms or rhythmic patterns." (Chapter III. Musical Instruments. Pages 96 and 97) Music Teaching for First and Second School Cycles Written by Lucy Barquero Trejos

Horn melodica Professional use of the melodica. Although many manufacturers—and even many people—view them merely as a toy, the melodica is viewed and judged as a valid instrument by professional musicians. The melodica is used in pop, alternative, and electronic multi-instrumental genres, among others. To see an exhaustive list, check out the following blog post: http://reuniendoletras.blogspot.com.ar/2015/01/melodica-iii-uso-profesional.html To see a brief course on learning to play the melodica, check out the following blog post: http://reuniendoletras.blogspot.com.ar/2015/01/breve-curso-de-melodica-introductorio.html

Bibliography:

· Missin P, 2004. A Brief History of Mouth-Blown Free Reed Instruments: Melodica Family.

· Music Teaching for First and Second School Cycles, written by Lucy Barquero Trejos.

· Renaissance of the Accordina. Bords. France. Written by Rob Howard.

Bibliography Links (Consulted January 2015):

· http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melodica

· http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mel%C3%B3dica

· http://www.patmissin.com/history/melodica.html

· http://undibujodiario.blogspot.com.ar/2010/08/12-agosto-2010-melodica-discola.html

· http://www.melodicaworld.com/

· http://www.suzukimusic.com/education/melodion/

· http://www.accordions.com/news.aspx?d=08-Feb-2013&lang=es