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Author Topic: Seven key melodeon set up  (Read 1143 times)

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Peadar

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Seven key melodeon set up
« on: May 28, 2020, 04:28:05 PM »

Kimric Smyth is offering a new line of seven key melodeons which look very nice indeed.

(Check out Buy and Sell)

This is melnet so everyone has an opinion...and it turns out I'm not the only owner of a Chanson "Child Prodigy".

I favour 1st button start with a 7 key melodeon, because you get two full octaves apart from the 7th in the upper octave....others favour second button start.

Right Away Driver!
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Lester

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Re: Seven key melodeon set up
« Reply #1 on: May 28, 2020, 04:41:32 PM »

As said by others I think second button start would be best for the music I play (English/morris/Euro). First button start would badly restrict the choice of tunes from my repertoire.

Steve_freereeder

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Re: Seven key melodeon set up
« Reply #2 on: May 28, 2020, 04:57:30 PM »

Yes - what Lester said.
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Stiamh

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Re: Seven key melodeon set up
« Reply #3 on: May 28, 2020, 05:31:54 PM »

For Irish music and I suspect Scottish music too, a first-button start would be the only choice, really: it would give you the range of a tin whistle all the way (assuming we're in the key of D) from D up to high b.

One more button at the bottom end (i.e. second-button start) would stop you playing an awful lot of tunes because of the missing high b, without making more than a very small handful of other tunes available - unless you had another button below that for the low B.

Steve_freereeder

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Re: Seven key melodeon set up
« Reply #4 on: May 28, 2020, 06:41:04 PM »

For Irish music and I suspect Scottish music too, a first-button start would be the only choice, really: it would give you the range of a tin whistle all the way (assuming we're in the key of D) from D up to high b.

One more button at the bottom end (i.e. second-button start) would stop you playing an awful lot of tunes because of the missing high b, without making more than a very small handful of other tunes available - unless you had another button below that for the low B.

This is interesting, and I can see where you are coming from, Stiamh, because it perhaps highlights the different way in which ITM players and English traditional players (to perpetuate stereotypes for the moment!) think about the sorts of music they play.

A lot of English music is based around the key of G and the couple of notes or so below that are important. A 2nd button start in the key of G still gives you the high B, but of course you don't have the C# which is crucial for playing in D. Your analogy with D whistle playing is a good one.

I suppose the solution with Kimric's 7-button boxes is to decide which type of music you mostly want to play and then request either one in G with a 2nd button start, or one in D with 1st button start for Irish music.

Now, if only someone could invent an instrument which had two rows, one in D and one in G...  >:E
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Gena Crisman

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Re: Seven key melodeon set up
« Reply #5 on: May 28, 2020, 06:48:30 PM »

Having played a first button start, 7 button, one row instrument, I dunno: I must admit I've never really enjoyed it.

Stiamh is correct that the range of a D tin whistle is pretty much the ideal choice. The thing is, both a 2nd button start G melodeon and a 1st button start D melodeon start on D4, ie, the bottom end of a D whistle. But, from there on, the layouts are completely different.

I guess that's pretty much what Steve just said, but I'm slow at writing posts. How one could survive without a low pull E, however, I'll never know. I can tell you that 3rd button start isn't a great answer.

The 'toy' melodeons that so many of us own are 2 voice instruments, I'm unsure about the luxury ones that prompted this thread. However, I have no idea why they aren't 2 row, 1 voice instruments. If I was making a fancy one, that's what I'd do, left hand side be damned.
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Stiamh

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Re: Seven key melodeon set up
« Reply #6 on: May 28, 2020, 08:15:57 PM »

This is interesting, and I can see where you are coming from, Stiamh, because it perhaps highlights the different way in which ITM players and English traditional players (to perpetuate stereotypes for the moment!) think about the sorts of music they play.

Clearly you are right, because the possibility of the row being in G never crossed my mind!   ;D :|glug

Peadar

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Re: Seven key melodeon set up
« Reply #7 on: May 28, 2020, 11:20:12 PM »

Stiamh is correct that the range of a D tin whistle is pretty much the ideal choice. The thing is, both a 2nd button start G melodeon and a 1st button start D melodeon start on D4, ie, the bottom end of a D whistle. But, from there on, the layouts are completely different.

I would expect a 1st button start G melodeon to start on G3 and a 2nd button strarter to have a bottom note D3
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Steve_freereeder

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Re: Seven key melodeon set up
« Reply #8 on: May 29, 2020, 01:20:05 AM »

I would expect a 1st button start G melodeon to start on G3 and a 2nd button strarter to have a bottom note D3
Well you could, but you would be severely limiting the useful range. D3 especially is far too low to be useful. I refer you to my previous reply on the other thread
here where I suggested the layout:

[D4/F#4]  [G4/A4]  [B4/C5]  [D5/E5]  [G5/F#5]  [B5/A5]  [D6/C6]

A 3rd button start would be OK too...
[B3/C4]  [D4/F#4]  [G4/A4]  [B4/C5]  [D5/E5]  [G5/F#5]  [B5/A5]
...but that would be the absolute useful limit. I really would not want to lose any more notes at the top (knee) end by having the lower notes at the bottom end as you are advocating.
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pgroff

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Re: Seven key melodeon set up
« Reply #9 on: May 30, 2020, 05:54:14 PM »

since I haven't seen my preferred 7 button layout listed already, I'll add it FWIW.

All notes shown with chin end at the left and "press/draw" for each button

key of G:

B/E     D/F#    G/A    B/C   D/E   G/F#    B/A

this will cover the range of a whistle or flute, played in the major key of G and its modes,  from   D to B in the second octave, plus the low B. Obviously no c sharp but many tunes based around D can avoid the C#, even if they are "majory" sounding tunes.

To me the low E (actually higher in pitch than the first D) is a more useful note than the low C of Steve_freereeder's layout for the key of G (shown above).

key of F (down a full step from the above):

A/D  C/E   F/G  A/Bb   C/D  F/E  A/G

Agree with Stiamh that for the key of D, you'd want to start the complete diatonic scale on button #1

PG



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Steve_freereeder

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Re: Seven key melodeon set up
« Reply #10 on: May 30, 2020, 06:30:26 PM »

key of G:

B/E     D/F#    G/A    B/C   D/E   G/F#    B/A

this will cover the range of a whistle or flute, played in the major key of G and its modes,  from   D to B in the second octave, plus the low B. Obviously no c sharp but many tunes based around D can avoid the C#, even if they are "majory" sounding tunes.

To me the low E (actually higher in pitch than the first D) is a more useful note than the low C of Steve_freereeder's layout for the key of G (shown above).
yes, the layout with the low E on button 1 is good.
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Steve
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