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Author Topic: I really need a silent melodeon  (Read 5719 times)

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Melissa Sinclair

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I really need a silent melodeon
« on: February 21, 2017, 09:24:26 PM »

I have a melodeon at work. I have times I could play it, but I do not want to be heard by anyone because a. that is annoying to others. b. it is embarrassing to me. I thought or was hoping there might be a space I could use in the building, but there isn't.

I know there is the Roland...and I asked the seller that posted today (though, my son who is showing interest in learning needs a silent one FOR SURE because he's in an apartment with 3 other people.) But I can't get quite past the sound of the Roland...

There is the Streb, but that is, IMO, like buying a grand piano for a beginning 6 year old. And there is a super long wait, regardless.

Is that it for options of those that can be used with headphones only? I could double or triple my practice time and get some stress relief at work... If you saw my post elsewhere, Last week:

Monday - 7 hours
Tuesday - 8 hours
Wednesday - day off at home
Thursday - 14 hours
Friday - 10 hours (but at home)
Saturday - Day off - so home.
Sunday - work 14 hours.

This week:

Monday - holiday - at home
Tuesday - office 12 hours
Wednesday - day off
Thursday - office 8 hours
Friday - work at home 10 hours
Saturday - day off.
Sunday - office 10 hours.

Every week I have one day a week I have a 10-14 hour day, so I usually work less on another day - like Tuesday or Friday.

I have the Hohner sitting right next to me - at this moment... no way to practice - even with an office with a door - I have work colleagues all around me and you can hear everything even with the doors closed. Even at home... I would practice right in the room with my son and husband - if I could be there and could be "silent".

Are Roland and Streb the only options?
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Winston Smith

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Re: I really need a silent melodeon
« Reply #1 on: February 21, 2017, 09:41:39 PM »

I've an old Hohner without reeds. But you may still get some clack from the unfettled buttons.
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Melissa Sinclair

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Re: I really need a silent melodeon
« Reply #2 on: February 21, 2017, 09:43:47 PM »

I've an old Hohner without reeds. But you may still get some clack from the unfettled buttons.

Hmmm... but that is SILENT to you as well, right? I need sound for me. Headphones!
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Plunking on my 1st box: Vintage burl Hohner in GC,  a lonely Hohner Liliput in CF, and a borrowed Streb to have a "silent Melodeon" and a melodeon of many keys!

Ray

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Re: I really need a silent melodeon
« Reply #3 on: February 21, 2017, 09:57:32 PM »

Those are pretty much your options for silent playing - there's a Limex solution knocking about but I've not heard much about it, though there's also merit in just learning to play out loud.
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Chris Ryall

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Re: I really need a silent melodeon
« Reply #4 on: February 21, 2017, 10:33:53 PM »

You could "baffle" it?  My wife made my practice under a duvet … which is actually a great way to teach your fingers where the note lie
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Huw Adamson

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Re: I really need a silent melodeon
« Reply #5 on: February 21, 2017, 10:57:10 PM »

There are various apps, although I wouldn't recommend them. Still, one might work for you.
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Melissa Sinclair

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Re: I really need a silent melodeon
« Reply #6 on: February 21, 2017, 11:24:38 PM »

You could "baffle" it?  My wife made my practice under a duvet … which is actually a great way to teach your fingers where the note lie

That is hilarious! And no... that won't work. :D
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Michael Eskin

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Re: I really need a silent melodeon
« Reply #7 on: February 22, 2017, 12:39:11 AM »

Well, there are my iPad and Android melodeon apps that you can use in headphones and only cost a few $$$.

http://appcordions.com/accordions/

specifically:

http://www.tradlessons.com/HohnerMelodeon.html


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Broadland Boy

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Re: I really need a silent melodeon
« Reply #8 on: February 22, 2017, 01:07:01 AM »

And you just cannot squirt as much aerosol foam into a Liliput as a Pokerwork will take Melissa  :o................

Suggestions in uncertain order of silliness

See a hypnotist, tell them you need treatment so you just don't care what others think about the noise

Turn up with a euphonium for a couple of days, its surprising just how much your colleagues and family will have grown to love the squeezebox when you revert to it.

Double your efforts and you may find they club together to build you either A) a soundproofed workspace / room or B) as A but padded and secured from the outside.

Ring Scott April 1st and ask him if he can turn the volume down for you if you send it / them back

Find & rent your nearest cold war bunker (filtered / conditioned air and a vast supply of just add water snacks often included as a bonus)

Feign deafness

Claim immunity or exemption from normal behaviour due to suffering from a recognised illness - (they'd never dare expect you to stop swearing if you had developed Tourettes instead of MAD)

Eat foods that cause chronic flatulence, (there has to be good mileage in just about anything which makes the squeezebox an apparently attractive alternative)

While you can practice playing quietly but there is still a pretty large gap between quiet and silent with free reeds - taping off one set of reeds reduces the volume and eliminates the musette so it may seem quieter or not carry so far.

Otherwise you are in a large club who must balance playing & enjoyment against the risk of physical injury, as you improve, the weight, hardness & sharpness of thrown objects diminishes proportionally  ;)







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stevejay

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Re: I really need a silent melodeon
« Reply #9 on: February 22, 2017, 01:18:31 AM »

Practice at home, or wait for warm weather so you can go outside somewhere?
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AirTime

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Re: I really need a silent melodeon
« Reply #10 on: February 22, 2017, 02:52:46 AM »

I would seriously consider a Roland.  It will allow you to practice silently & additionally play in any key. If playing silently is that important, I'm not sure that the sound is that important compared to those advantages. For those who have a Roland - is it not possible to program it for a variety of different kinds of sound: drier, Castagnarish, as well as wetter Hohnerish?
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Melissa Sinclair

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Re: I really need a silent melodeon
« Reply #11 on: February 22, 2017, 03:14:21 AM »

Practice at home, or wait for warm weather so you can go outside somewhere?

Practicing at home if I've been away from the house for 12-15 hours (it's a 30-45 minute commute each way) is not going to happen. And, for spring and fall playing outside can work... sort of... but summer is a sauna - bad for the instrument and horrible for me. Humidity from hell.

Though, I was at work/commuting for 12 hours today and I practiced a bit this morning and will this evening... But see, like right now, my son is wanting to watch a part of a movie... I could go to a different room, but I do like to be with him... We're kind of a family that is "be together" but doing separate thing kind of family.
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Plunking on my 1st box: Vintage burl Hohner in GC,  a lonely Hohner Liliput in CF, and a borrowed Streb to have a "silent Melodeon" and a melodeon of many keys!

george garside

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Re: I really need a silent melodeon
« Reply #12 on: February 22, 2017, 09:14:55 AM »

a 'streb' is by far the best electronic melodeon. The roland is in my opinion far from brilliant!

george
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stevejay

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Re: I really need a silent melodeon
« Reply #13 on: February 22, 2017, 12:23:18 PM »

It does seem that an electronic melodeon is your only answer if you can afford it.

Even the quietist melodeon is fairly loud compared to playing a guitar or mandolin softly.
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Grumpy

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Re: I really need a silent melodeon
« Reply #14 on: February 22, 2017, 12:40:28 PM »

Speaking as an FR-18 owner of several years I would make the following observations. The FR-18 is IMHO not a melodeon it is a "Roland" I purchased mine as I have dificulty in remembering tunes without the dots before me (so far has not helped in this!). If you accept the Roland for what it is and are happy with the tones and sounds produced for private practice then go for it its great for learning fingering etc without disturbing the household. If however you expect a true melodeon sound (sounds) then stay clear as you will be disappointed. Having looked at a couple of Strebs before purchasing the Roland I would agree that they produce far nearer a melodeon sound, but, again IMHO they have the appearance of having the exterior made from odds and ends and if offered as a reeded instument would fall far below budget standard. I of course agree that the Streb electronics are magic. There would appear to be a market for a smaller, lighter two row electronic perhaps only producing true melodeons sounds without the addition of all the bells and whistles of either the Streb or Roland
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Re: I really need a silent melodeon
« Reply #15 on: February 22, 2017, 01:21:33 PM »

"Odds and ends"? Are you sure it was one of my instruments you saw?
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Steve C.

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Re: I really need a silent melodeon
« Reply #16 on: February 22, 2017, 01:26:27 PM »

I could not disagree with Chris more.
Unless you get really close, the Streb looks like most any mid-price box, cherry casework, nice joinery, good hardware, etc.
Get close and you do see that it has a few switches, plugs and rheostats... (but very few, very discrete, to my eye)
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Melissa Sinclair

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Re: I really need a silent melodeon
« Reply #17 on: February 22, 2017, 01:48:11 PM »

I contacted Streb yesterday. :-)

THis is what I notice of my own behavior. Maybe it's just my personality. (probably) or maybe it's my history, but I cannot and will not "play out" when I know people can hear me while practicing.

In my horn past, My sister said I sounded like a dying cow while practicing (middle school). The last clarinet who sat next to the horns in band said to me in middle school that the horn sounded awful (and remember, she was LAST clarinet in middle school out of about 20... her sound was less than spectacular). I grew up the oldest of four children in always a too small house, and any praticing drove the family nuts. The kicker, when I was in university and was on a half tuition music scholarship, so practicing WAS a necessity, I was recently married (last year of university) and we lived in an apartment. I would go to the corner of the apartment, use a mute, turned away from any neighbor walls, but our closest neighbor (a Chicago public school teacher) would rant and rave when I would practice any time. She screamed at my husband using all kinds of foul language about having to listen to that monstrosity, etc... The school didn't have enough practice rooms and so practicing at home was a necessity.

Practicing a piece is always painful to listen to. ALWAYS. You don't practice what you already know. You practice what you don't know. It means repetition, repetition, repetition and missed notes and bad rhythm and starts and stops. It's not pleasant to listen to.

So, what I have been doing, and it's not helping me, is that I'm trying to play quietly... I sometimes don't give enough air to the instrument to voice the notes. It's almost definitely not leading to good habits of bellow playing either.  Essentially, I don't feel free which dampens my ability to practice more frequently and without worry of offending people I live with - my husband, my 11 year old son, my 81 year old mother-in-law, and when my college aged son is home, too.

It would only be something to practice on, probably. A Streb would be lovely (no idea of pricing), but if I can get the fingering the same on a Roland as I would on my hohner, and I can keep it silent, that will work for "learning"... however, if their bellows, fingering, etc is way off, that will just add confusion.

I obviously have the desire to learn if I sit down with this thing nearly every day and even lug it to work, but only TWICE did I play at work and tried to play so quietly, it was ridiculous... and that was only when one other person was in the office... normally there are 3 others. And there is no "silent" space at home either. It can be quieter in different rooms, but not silent... and "my" room (we have a spare room that is "mine") - it's right over my mother in law's bedroom and I often times only have time to practice when she's already in bed.

So, I'm trying to find ways to be more successful about finding practice time... having the instrument be quiet makes it SOOOOO much more likely I'll practice more often. Like I KNOW I will double practice time - at least!

It's how my son can practice piano in his apartment. He has a decent keyboard in his room. He puts on his earphones and practices - disturbing no one. First thing he did when he came home last weekend was to go to the piano (still digital, but with weighted keys, etc) and play the piece he's been working on to hear how it sounds in the open, on a truer feeling instrument.
« Last Edit: February 22, 2017, 01:55:13 PM by Melissa Sinclair »
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Helena Handcart

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Re: I really need a silent melodeon
« Reply #18 on: February 22, 2017, 01:49:30 PM »

"Odds and ends"? Are you sure it was one of my instruments you saw?

I'm with you Steve - the Streb is very well made and offers an experience much closer to a real melodeon than the Roland which I found heavy and very plastic.  Mine's an old one and has had a full and active life (to say the least) so is not as pretty as the newer ones but still a lovely piece of kit.
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malcolmbebb

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Re: I really need a silent melodeon
« Reply #19 on: February 22, 2017, 01:59:03 PM »

Yes, very tidy looking. However, Melissa's problem (apart from cost, maybe) would be the lead time.
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