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[mansfieldmick]

I understand about the stop which removes the 3rd in the chord and the concept of modal tuning,but would like to know what preferences people have and why?

[mansfieldmick]

I understand about the stop which removes the 3rd in the chord and the concept of modal tuning,but would like to know what preferences people have and why?

[Gary P Chapin]

I tend to remove the third for more celtic-ish stuff, or medieval stuff.  My true preference, though, is for the full chords.

[Lester]

For dancing I have the thirds in (well mostly played on a box with no stops :) ) but for more lyrical stuff I take the thirds out.

[mglamb]

About the only time I remove the thirds is when the tune calls for a major or minor chord that the box doesn't have, such as B minor or A minor.

[Tufty]

Having spent years with Hohners that did not have this facility I was rather baffled when I bought a new box with the stop. After a month of trial and error I find that I really like the sound without thirds for French tunes and solo morris tunes, while I prefer the full sound for most other English tunes. I cannot give any technical explanation for this, it just seems to sound "right" to me.

[mansfieldmick]

Yes i've tried experimenting with various  tunes ,some seem to work really well with it out and others don't,horses for courses i guess

[Marje]

I suppose it depends on the sound you're after. Many players like the "spare" sound of the open 5ths, while others like the fuller sound of the full chords with 3rds in.

I usually keep the 3rd out, because sometimes I want a minor chord (say Am or Bm) and can achieve a compatible effect by playing an open 5th. I know (before someone tries to tell me) that you can make chords with the right hand too, but if you have a major 3rd in the bass, it's not going to work as a minor, no matter what you do with the right hand.

The open 5ths often sound better with French tunes, or with really old English tunes, whereas I think sometimes the relatively modern tunes such as polkas and waltzes can be enhanced by the sweetness of the added 3rd. That's just my opinion, and I'm sure others have different preferences.

[Marje]

Woops, this thread seems to have reappeared and I have just reponded to its doppelganger. I've now found this earlier version and am gratified to see that others seem to agree broadly with what I have said.

Can some techical wizard combine the two threads?

[Steve_freereeder]

I usually keep the 3rd out, because sometimes I want a minor chord (say Am or Bm) and can achieve a compatible effect by playing an open 5th. I know (before someone tries to tell me) that you can make chords with the right hand too, but if you have a major 3rd in the bass, it's not going to work as a minor, no matter what you do with the right hand.

If your melodeon has a B major chord and you want B minor, play Bm7 instead: push B bass with push D chord. It works in most cases.