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[Mac Notts]

Hi all - just joined Melodeon.net so thought I would introduce myself. I do not have and have never played a Melodeon but hoping that will change soon :) I have been investigating/looking a round for a couple of months for an instrument to learn to play. Its about time I learned something having never played anything in the past and time is running out I'm now 62. I tried the Ukulele but found this to be manly a backing instrument to ones own singing - and I do not sing!! tone deaf!! I then tried the tin whistle and I'm getting on with it ok but after a month or so I'm finding the sound (tunes) a bit boring and the high notes are driving the dog crazy So -  here I am thinking about a Melodeon, why a Melodeon I hear you ask! Well; a few weeks ago I went to a folk jam session, local(ish) pub and saw and heard a concertina player - Mmmm Lets look on youtube to get a bit more exposure to concertinas. You probably guess; I ended up watching the Melodeon players and the more I trawled around youtube the more interested  I became. I then dropped on to Daddy Long Les and his fantastic Melodeon vids on youtube and I'm sold on the Melodeon just need to get one. Unfortunately due to redundancy/early retirement I have to keep an eye on the funds so I'm patently waiting until I come across a secondhand  D/G Honher. I have checked my local area, Nottingham and we do not appear to have a Melodeon dealer. so will have to keep checking the Internet for secondhand sales.

All the best

Mac

[Nick Collis Bird]

Hi Mac, well at least you've come to the right place. Everything you'll ever need to know about melodeons is on this site.
If you want to play English folk music then a D/G is the instrument for you.
If you are looking for a good box, look under shops and repairers on this forum.
The "music room, Cleckheaton" have second hand instruments and come highly recommended
I am biased however with a chap called Martyn White in Chelmsford. He has a great stock of Hohners which are his speciality , not over priced, a straight and decent fellow melodeon player, dealer and restorer. But look through the listings, our hallowed Theo, Lester, Rees , Microbot etc are bound have the instrument you are after.
A great instrument to get going with and so expressive. I'm a pensioner and still get a great buzz out of playing, although totally breathless afterwards.
Just one slight warning. DO NOT JOIN THE MELODEON LIMERICKS THREAD. You have been warned.

[Mac Notts]

Hi Nick - thanks your advice and comments. I have now got a D/G Melodeon. saw one on ebay, it said it had a "off tune note" so thought the bids it might not go too high and I got it at a price I'm happy with. It arrived last Wednesday and the 'off note' was the D row C# it was tuned to a C ( i checked with a guitar tuner) Luckily for me I have a friend who has a friend who is a Reed instrument tuner,... I got it back today with the C# back to a C# so now I'm good to go :)  Got a question thought? The tuner could not understand why the C# was a C he says you have a C on the G row so no one would re-tune it, it would not make sense in the D row. So he thinks it must have come from the factor that way. I wounder why the previous owner did not get it fixed?! Any thought on this? One other general question to all - I have only played with the box for a couple of hours so far but I have a question about fingering on the base side. I'm left handed but do not have a problem playing the treble notes with my right hand, but when I try to add the base with my left hand my fingers want to follow the right hand fingers and go up and down the buttons. I'm hoping that this is a newbie problem and not one specific to left handed players! guess lots and lots of finger training to come!

Mac

[Chris Ryall]

I'm another southpaw and think this is a newbie thing. Just persevere, it'll come 

[Etienne]

Hi Mac, and welcome !
If you play for only few hours don't worry ! Best thing to do is working right and left hand separetly at first, when you'll be convenient on a tune with the two parts (good phrasing on trebble and good rythm on the bass side) so you'll be able to TRY mixing the two. It can take some time, so be patient...
And search on the forum, there is a lot of good advices in the "teaching and learning" section.

[troman]

Hi Mac

This is definitely a newbie problem and nothing to do you with you being cuddy-wifted. Eventually you will work through it and the hands will work independently.

I am also left-handed and have had to play a left-handed guitar all my life. A great nuisance when shopping for a guitar as shops stock very few l/h guitars. However, in my opinion, the melodeon was made for left-handers. If you think about it you have to select the melody notes with your right hand while the left hand is providing the rhythm which is exactly what you have to do as a left-handed guitarist.

This is a slight over-simplification as experienced players (not me!) will tell you that there should of course be natural rhythm to to the right hand as well and any piece should have an inherent rhythm even if the left hand is not being used.

Anyway, welcome to the club and enjoy the melodeon. Once you overcome the initial coordination problem you'll be surprised how you make progress. I was 64 when I started and my old brain manged to cope so age is not a barrier either.

Good luck

Trevor

[Nick Collis Bird]

Basically Mac, just hold it in your hands and squeeze away.
I'm not a reader of music and by God I have tried. You will soon realise that tunes are appearing. eg. Twinkle twinkle Little Star, It's Mozart and Lewis Carroll added some words to it. I digress.
Having got the melody, just add the bass, umm pah, um pah. You'll be amazed how quickly it comes together. The first tune that had me playing was Ring of Bells, a morris tune, I'm pretty sure Lester will have that on YouTube, and will be well worth listening to.
Just go for it Old Bean. 

[AirTime]

Its about time I learned something having never played anything in the past and time is running out I'm now 62. I tried the Ukulele but found this to be manly a backing instrument to ones own singing - and I do not sing!

You have got this exactly right (IMO). The melodeon is an ingeniously designed instrument, that is lightweight, portable, powerful, expressive, (relatively) easy to play, & providing both the melody & accompaniment, making singing "unnecessary"! 

You are going to enjoy it! 

[Lost Alamos]

HI Newbie, Only one suggestion?  Don't make it an obsession or you
you might go MAD! 
 Lost

[t-tone]

Hi Mac, I'm another beginner struggling to prevent both hands doing the same thing. I haven't got there yet, but for me the answer is breaking the problem down into manageable chunks using a couple of simple tunes (twinkle twinkle, bobby shafto and shepherd's hey) and learning them one phrase at a time. You'll be amazed at how you can struggle one day then pick the box up a few days later and it just happens. Another point is you can only concentrate on one thing at a time, so knowing the tune well on the right hand is essential. Similarly it's probably not a good idea to worry too much about the air button or changing chords.
Cheers,
Tony
p.s. as another cack-hander I agree the instrument was designed for us!
p.p.s my first proper post - been waiting for something to say, but enjoy listening as always - great forum!

[deltasalmon]

Hi Mac, I'm another beginner struggling to prevent both hands doing the same thing. I haven't got there yet, but for me the answer is breaking the problem down into manageable chunks using a couple of simple tunes (twinkle twinkle, bobby shafto and shepherd's hey) and learning them one phrase at a time. You'll be amazed at how you can struggle one day then pick the box up a few days later and it just happens. Another point is you can only concentrate on one thing at a time, so knowing the tune well on the right hand is essential. Similarly it's probably not a good idea to worry too much about the air button or changing chords.
Cheers,
Tony
p.s. as another cack-hander I agree the instrument was designed for us!
p.p.s my first proper post - been waiting for something to say, but enjoy listening as always - great forum!

I agree. When I'm playing a tune with an Oom-pah like bass, especially when you have some dotted notes that give it a little syncopation, I always just practice it one measure at a time until I get it.


Putting the box down and coming back later also surprises me with it's results.

[Chris Ryall]

Tip 1 - left end sounds better if you mix in some silence with the om pah's. A monotonous |: om pah pah :| can be particully wooden. Basically 'mix it'. The sooner you start this the better as you can get stuck in a rut later

Tip 2 - when you learn a new tune, sing it (really) and accompany with a suitable bass line. Once that's working fit, the tune round the bass line.  Sounds wrong way round, but you are actually going with the instument's design in this. You may need to change direction of C or D chords, or subsitute Em for G to make the direction work, but actually most left hand notes are in both directions on the 2 rows and the box is designed to flow western music tunes against chords. 

People who work out a detailed right hand line for a tune and then try to add chords often can't find them . It works for me, and a few others here have said the same. This is for D/G obviously, B/C etc are very different.

[Theo]

most left hand notes are in both directions on the 2 rows ...

Really?

(for DG)  standard 8 bass G A B E only on one direction, C D both directions

or on the treble end GABF# on both directions  DECC# only on one direction

[Earbrass]

(for DG)  standard 8 bass G A B E only on one direction, C D both directions

or on the treble end GABF# on both directions  DECC# only on one direction

Just one of the reasons I'm loving (but haven't yet learned to fully exploit) my new ADG 

[Chris Ryall]

Surrender. I was silly to post that from work when I didn't have a box by me. 

1 Theo.is correct, as ever

2. As per Earbrass, i have a third row. Makes a lot of difference to note availability "other way"

3. Even on a standard 2 row the G or soft/relative/'modal E minor scale (they use same notes)  are nearly all there on pull. Only D is missing

4. In D or the brighter Dorian Em scale (same notes again) same applies - just use the D row C# instead of inner row C

So what I "should" have said was to explore pulling for a run of notes in a tune if the push feels awkward. Basically keep exploring as you learn new tunes, above all enjoy your new instrument.

[Rob2Hook]

It's quite notable just how many good (or better) box players are left handed and most of them play "right handed".  It isn't a disadvantage for most and some seem to find it a benefit.  Certainly it seems to make it easier to play a more adventurous bass line, though it probably helps if your brain works faster than mine (sob).

Rob.

[Nick Collis Bird]

It's quite notable just how many good (or better) box players are left handed and most of them play "right handed".  It isn't a disadvantage for most and some seem to find it a benefit.  Certainly it seems to make it easier to play a more adventurous bass line, though it probably helps if your brain works faster than mine (sob).

Rob.

I'm left handed and left footed but play the box as intended. I feel this is an advantage because that side of my body (left) is much stronger, perfect for pulling and pushing the bellows.

[911377brian]

That's always been my take on it Nick...