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Author Topic: Melodeon storage dilemma  (Read 2980 times)

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Helena Handcart

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Melodeon storage dilemma
« on: May 23, 2020, 11:57:49 AM »

Living, as we do, in a teeny Victorian cottage it can be hard to find enough places for 'stuff'.  I mentioned to my partner this morning that we really should put a couple of shelves up to store melodeons on.

His response was that perhaps I could instead put away a couple that I rarely play.

Point taken. I've put his Bouebe in its case under our bed.

How long until he asks where it is?  >:E
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Thrupenny Bit

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Re: Melodeon storage dilemma
« Reply #1 on: May 23, 2020, 02:09:16 PM »

It is indeed a cunning plan.... but I'm worried about the repercussions!
Good luck with that.....
Q
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Stotty

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Re: Melodeon storage dilemma
« Reply #2 on: May 23, 2020, 03:10:43 PM »

A plot worthy of 'Allo " Allo? With "the Meldeonista with the big Bouebe'" hidden under the bed. Will the under cover Resistance be discovered ?
« Last Edit: May 23, 2020, 03:13:02 PM by Stotty »
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Chris Rayner

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Re: Melodeon storage dilemma
« Reply #3 on: May 23, 2020, 03:28:16 PM »

We could run a sweepstake.
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Elderly amateur musician hoping to stave off dementia by learning to play the melodeon.  Main instrument a Tommy, also D/G and G/C pokerworks,  a single row 2 stop Hohner, and a new addition to the free reedery, a rather splendid Paolo Soprani four voice 120 bass c-system chromatic button accordion.  Very shiny, very loud, and about the same size and weight as a small car.  Now I’ve traded me Benny with (ahem) a cash adjustment, to a three voice 60 bass Castagnari K3.

Rob2Hook

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Re: Melodeon storage dilemma
« Reply #4 on: May 23, 2020, 09:27:46 PM »

I have one sitting by my sofa ready to pick up when a rare thought occurs - not that that happens often after two months in solitary!  I used to put the others upstairs in the box room, but was always having to carry them up and down.  So now they are all in their cases in the living room used most often as a sort of substitute coffee table.

Rob.
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John MacKenzie (Cugiok)

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Re: Melodeon storage dilemma
« Reply #5 on: May 23, 2020, 10:27:24 PM »

All of mine are in open shelving within easy reach, apart from one, which is just 2 feet to my right, on a table.  Well, one never knows when the urge will strike. I mean, I recently learned Michael Turner's Waltz, and any moment now, I might remember how it goes.

SJ
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Lester

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Re: Melodeon storage dilemma
« Reply #6 on: May 23, 2020, 10:37:52 PM »

All of mine are in open shelving within easy reach, apart from one, which is just 2 feet to my right, on a table.  Well, one never knows when the urge will strike. I mean, I recently learned Michael Turner's Waltz, and any moment now, I might remember how it goes.

SJ


You also need to learn that :"It's actually the 'Waltz from the Micheal Turner Collection' and in fact was written down earlier by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in KV 536, No. 2, 'Six German Dances' so was actually, probably stolen by Mozart from some German peasant"   :)

Rob2Hook

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Re: Melodeon storage dilemma
« Reply #7 on: May 26, 2020, 02:53:12 PM »

...probably out of copywrite by now.

Turner has as much claim as Mozart - none!  There is a long established practice of traditional tunes whose names were forgotten gaining a new name based on the person from whom it was learnt, e.g. Grandfather's Tune (aka The Sheepshearing).

I suppose to relate this to the subject of this thread, many of us give our boxes individual names rather than the model designation.  Like I said, mine are known as "coffee table".

Rob.
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Gary P Chapin

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Re: Melodeon storage dilemma
« Reply #8 on: May 26, 2020, 03:20:02 PM »

Just had a similar discussion at my house.

I don't leave my accordions out out of indolence or laziness -- I made a decision years ago, when I noticed that if instruments were out (but safely shelved or something), then I was much more likely to play every day -- even if only while waiting for other things to happen -- then if they were packed in their cases.

"Packing away instruments you don't use that often" is a self-fulfilling prophecy.

You did exactly the right thing.

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Tufty

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Re: Melodeon storage dilemma
« Reply #9 on: May 26, 2020, 03:40:34 PM »

I am looking at five boxes laid around the living room, all played over the weekend. If I put them away who knows how long it would be before I bothered to play them!
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Dick Rees

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Re: Melodeon storage dilemma
« Reply #10 on: May 26, 2020, 04:18:45 PM »

I live in an instrument storage facility.  My furniture consists of 5 folding chairs, 5 folding TV tray/tables and my bed.  I have 3 guitars, a trombone, a sousaphone, two melodicas, a dozen assorted harmonicas, 3 fiddles, a mandolin, 10-string kantele, autoharp, 3 piano accordions, 9 or 10 diatonics, a Norwegian seljefløt and an Irish tin whistle.  I've probably forgotten a few...like the 3 banjos and the Swedish bagpipe.

Most are within easy reach.  And if anyone has a nice 28-30 button Anglo I'd be interested.
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Andrew Kennedy

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Re: Melodeon storage dilemma
« Reply #11 on: May 26, 2020, 04:20:20 PM »

One by the armchair, one (actually two at the moment) by my desk (for thinking pauses) and the rest on open shelving, and all on an unsystematic rotation basis.  When I had a melodeon cupboard there were one or two that got neglected for years, but no longer.

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Emily Peabody

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Re: Melodeon storage dilemma
« Reply #12 on: May 26, 2020, 07:49:05 PM »

One Sandpiper with very stiff bellows is being played every day in hopes of loosening it up a bit. One really nice box on loan from a friend also gets played every day. The pokerwork I usually play with my Morris side is within easy reach for when I get fed up with the Sandpiper.
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Lester

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Re: Melodeon storage dilemma
« Reply #13 on: May 26, 2020, 08:04:20 PM »

One Sandpiper with very stiff bellows is being played every day in hopes of loosening it up a bit.


Try this https://youtu.be/iigObdMdK6I

hickory-wind

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Re: Melodeon storage dilemma
« Reply #14 on: May 26, 2020, 10:58:54 PM »

I rescued a nice pew 48 years ago (age 18) from a church down the street slated to be demolished and dragged it to our garage. Soon after my practical father took a circular saw and converted it from 24' to 6' in length so it would fit in a house. I've ended up with it and it makes the perfect practice site with cushion, music stand and 4 boxes at the ready. As in the picture our ancient cat Mindy can be found in her 'Narnia' basket beneath the pew at times.

Scott

« Last Edit: May 27, 2020, 12:27:06 PM by hickory-wind »
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Stockaryd

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Re: Melodeon storage dilemma
« Reply #15 on: May 26, 2020, 11:47:17 PM »

I live in an instrument storage facility.  My furniture consists of 5 folding chairs, 5 folding TV tray/tables and my bed.  I have 3 guitars, a trombone, a sousaphone, two melodicas, a dozen assorted harmonicas, 3 fiddles, a mandolin, 10-string kantele, autoharp, 3 piano accordions, 9 or 10 diatonics, a Norwegian seljefløt and an Irish tin whistle.  I've probably forgotten a few...like the 3 banjos and the Swedish bagpipe.

Most are within easy reach.  And if anyone has a nice 28-30 button Anglo I'd be interested.

Hmm    . . I can see,      You must buy a Swedish  "nyckelharpa"
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Dick Rees

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Re: Melodeon storage dilemma
« Reply #16 on: May 27, 2020, 12:20:58 AM »

I live in an instrument storage facility.  My furniture consists of 5 folding chairs, 5 folding TV tray/tables and my bed.  I have 3 guitars, a trombone, a sousaphone, two melodicas, a dozen assorted harmonicas, 3 fiddles, a mandolin, 10-string kantele, autoharp, 3 piano accordions, 9 or 10 diatonics, a Norwegian seljefløt and an Irish tin whistle.  I've probably forgotten a few...like the 3 banjos and the Swedish bagpipe.

Most are within easy reach.  And if anyone has a nice 28-30 button Anglo I'd be interested.

Hmm    . . I can see,      You must buy a Swedish  "nyckelharpa"

Nei, heller Volvo.
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Steve_freereeder

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Re: Melodeon storage dilemma
« Reply #17 on: May 27, 2020, 02:01:59 AM »

One Sandpiper with very stiff bellows is being played every day in hopes of loosening it up a bit. One really nice box on loan from a friend also gets played every day. The pokerwork I usually play with my Morris side is within easy reach for when I get fed up with the Sandpiper.


Try this https://youtu.be/iigObdMdK6I

Emily - try Lester's/Marc's method for easing stiff bellows. It generally works very well.

However, sometimes what people perceive as stiff bellows is actually more to do with excessive air resistance due to poor quality or poorly set-up reeds, and/or air vents in the reed block and pallet board ('fondo') which are too small.

To test whether your bellows are truly stiff, try working the bellows with the air button and a few treble buttons held down. If your bellows work more easily in this situation, then the 'stifffness' fault is most likely to do with excessive air resistance as noted above. If this is the case, a melodeon fettler may be able to improve things a bit by adjusting the reed setting and maybe enlarging the air vent holes.
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Emily Peabody

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Re: Melodeon storage dilemma
« Reply #18 on: May 27, 2020, 07:47:38 AM »

Emily - try Lester's/Marc's method for easing stiff bellows. It generally works very well.

However, sometimes what people perceive as stiff bellows is actually more to do with excessive air resistance due to poor quality or poorly set-up reeds, and/or air vents in the reed block and pallet board ('fondo') which are too small.

I tried Lester's excellent suggestion a while back, and I did see an improvement, but it is still troublesome. You may be right about the air resistance. It's more difficult to pull than to push.
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John MacKenzie (Cugiok)

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Re: Melodeon storage dilemma
« Reply #19 on: May 27, 2020, 08:55:07 AM »

I have a Hagstrom, which, after I have done my Charles Atlas impression, and pulled the bellows out (with air button open), I can then put it down on the carpet, and watch it close up all by itself.  :||: :||: :||:

Sir John

(I have tried the Lester method, several times)
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