I threw the following stuff together for a recent melodeon night in York.
DON'T tell me I've missed somethng out, or got something wrong ie just take it as it is, use it yourself if you think its useful, or else bin it!
Cheers
Pikey
Melodeon fact sheet- Usually called a ‘box’
- Comes with 1, 2, or 3 rows. 2/3 rows are 4th apart or semitone apart
- Keys depend on which country you’re in:
UK: D/G with some single rows in C
Germany: C/F and Bb/Eb
France: G/C
Ireland: B/C, C/C#, C#/D
Scotland B/C/C#
USA: Just about every key!
- Many different playing styles
‘Irish’
‘English’
Cajun
Tex-mex
Trikitixa
Tips and techniques- Position
Find a comfortable posit
You WILL ache until your muscles adapt
Make sure the melodeon is well braced – against your leg, or with double straps
Your right hand should be in line with your right forearm – not with a bent wris
Try and use all five fingers on the right hand , and all four on the left
- Learning tunes:
To learn a tune, practice it slowly, learning one small bit at a time
Start with simple tunes
Listen to them so they are fixed in your head
- Using the bellows
The bellows are the most important part of the box
Practice using just enough air to get the reeds sound
Keep the left end of the bellows at the same height as the right hand end
Try to keep bellows extension between 1 and 6 inches
If you’re running out of air, use the air button when you move the bellows in the opposite direction. Practice this a lot.
- Practice
Practice, practice, practice
Experiment to find different ways of playing (up and down rows, cross rows)
Scales
Arpeggios
Fast runs
Play along to tunes (Ipod, tape, LP, etc)
Try to get along to sessions and join in
Local Sessions• Maltings, Lendal Bridge: Every Tuesday. Mixed session
• Volunteer Arms, Watson Street, Holgate: Last Thursday in the month. Mixed session
• Victoria Vaults, Nunnery Lane: Every Friday. Mostly Irish.
• Golden Ball, Bishophill: Every Sunday. Mostly old time American
• Stillington Sports & Social Club: Last Friday in the month. 7-9 tuition,easy tunes,learning by ear etc,followed by full session if enough people want to stay on till 11. Beginner friendly
Useful resources: www.melodeon.net THE social website for all melodeon players
Books and videos – plenty!!
Other musicians