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[nigelr]

Hello, Simon.
I had my box for about six months without getting anywhere with it. Felt a bit like you sound. I went a had a few (I think it was four) lessons with Pauline aka Ganderbox, sometimes of this parish. By the end of them I was sorted out, wound up and ready to go. I highly recommend a few lessons with one of the teachers listed

http://forum.melodeon.net/index.php/page,teachers.html

Mine is a similar tale - I started with Mally's tutor book that I really didn't get on with, then moved on to the Ed Rennie book which was better.  However, after 6 months or so I got in contact with Mel Biggs (MelonBox on this forum) and things really started to motor then.  The thing I really like about a tutor (and Mel in particular) is the chance to get immediate feedback.  Mel is particularly adept at watching you play and pointing out those little things that you might have missed that, once corrected, unlock the next level of progress.  I think sometimes people think going to a tutor is a sign of defeat because you couldn't do it yourself.  My personal opinion is that it is the best possible way to progress and keep up the motivation.

[Thrupenny Bit]

Learning by ear is a skill you need to learn how to do, so as others have said, just poke around and get used to knowing your box and what sound comes from where.
Also the Homepage ( left hand side ) has a list of keyboard diagrams.
Check out the one you have, I found visually seeing what the keyboard layout looks like helped me when first starting up. I printed off 2 copies and went as far as to colour the buttons for a push and what ones were pull. It helped me at the start.
Getting to know your box is a great help when starting out!
Good luck.
cheers
Q