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[Montana Melodeon]

Hi all!

There has been a lot of discussion on playability and on the merits of the b/c and c#/d systems. Depending on the key one wants to play the bellows work on each would be slightly smooth or slightly bouncy.

My first question is: Do melodeons play "better" or "faster" on the pull or on the push? 
Second: Are the popular session keys D/G/A played on the push or on the pull on the two semi-tone systems?
Third: Is the dominance of push versus pull technique what makes a person choose between one system (B/C) and the other?(C#D).  (if a person likes Eminor tunes on the D row on a DG does that mean a preference for B/C or C#D)

On the D/G we have push in D and G on the main rows, we have pull on the minors, and pull on pipe tunes in A.
On single row melodeons we have push in the major, pull on the minor and pull on the cajun style.

Thank you everyone!

Eric in Montana

[Stiamh]

Hi Eric!

There has been a lot of discussion on playability and on the merits of the b/c and c#/d systems. Depending on the key one wants to play the bellows work on each would be slightly smooth or slightly bouncy.

This seems a good moment to revive something I posted on the old forum shortly before it folded. It's a (pretty crude) computer analysis of the minimum numbers of bellows changes required to play 1624 Irish tunes on both B/C and C#/D. The results show that, yes, most of the tunes involve fewer bellows changes on B/C, but the overall tally is closer than you might think. An average of 13 bellows changes on C#/D for every 10 on B/C.
 
http://www.rogermillington.com/steam/alltunes_abd2.txt

My first question is: Do melodeons play "better" or "faster" on the pull or on the push? 
Second: Are the popular session keys D/G/A played on the push or on the pull on the two semi-tone systems?
Third: Is the dominance of push versus pull technique what makes a person choose between one system (B/C) and the other?(C#D).  (if a person likes Eminor tunes on the D row on a DG does that mean a preference for B/C or C#D)

First question - I don't know. People seem to think pulling is easier, and it might be, because you are helped by the weight of the bass cabinet. The main reason B/C is thought to be faster is that a whole run of notes in the middle of the scale of D (A-B-c#-d-e) are in one direction. It happens to be the draw...

Second: mainly as follows but depends on the passages that predominate in the tune

Code: [Select]

Key    B/C    C#/D
------------------
D      Draw   Press
G      Press  Draw
A      Draw   Press

Third: I doubt it. But Em (and more particularly E dorian) is possibly the easiest, most natural feeling key on C#/D - all on the pull, just as on your D/G. Am is similarly fluid on B/C, definitely on the draw. All this is probably why Paddy O'Brien (B/C) composed lots of (great) flowing reels in Am, and why B/C players don't seem to favour tunes like Joe Cooley's reel (E dorian) to anything like the extent that C#/D players do.

Hope this helps.
Steve in Montreal

[smiley]

An interesting little bellows exercise to try on a DG box is to play a D tune on the G row and feel the difference to playing the same tune just on the D row. You're playing mostly on the draw, and I've found it easier to sound more fluid or smoother on jigs and reels played up to speed. Try the Silver Spear reel on the G row or the Lark In The Morning 3-part jig on the  G row to see what I mean. It works for me anyway!