Mélodica

The mélodica is a Musical instrument with wind, more precisely with free sheer. It is connected in its operating process with a Harmonica, but with the difference of this one, it comprises a keyboard, which can have a range of a octave and half with three octaves. The sound is obtained into blowing in the mouth of the instrument, located on the side of the keyboard. The pressure of a key then makes it possible the air to pass through the corresponding Anche and to obtain a note.

The name mélodica itself is deposited by the mark Hohner which popularized the concept. Other marks produced the same instrument under other trade names, like mélodion , pianica or clavietta . The word mélodica remained like generic name for this kind of instrument.

There are two types of mélodicas: those with buttons and those with keyboard.

The mélodicas with keyboard are most frequent. They exist with keyboards of various extents, to approximately 36 keys. The left hand holds the mélodica by a handle while the right hand plays on the keyboard. One can also place a pipe specific to the mouth of the mélodica. In this case, the mélodica being posed, the user can make use of his two hands to carry out agreements.

The mélodicas with buttons are manufactured only by Hohner, as a Soprano and an Viola. They are finer than those with keyboard and are conceived to be played with the two hands: the right hand plays on the diatonic keys (the white keys of the piano) and the left hand on the chromatic keys (the black keys of the piano). However the recent methods of the mark Hohner do not illustrate any more this type of behavior of the instrument.

The accordina is a very similar instrument with a keyboard with buttons like an accordion in the place of the keyboard of the piano type.

The musician Augustus Pablo popularized the use of this instrument through the Reggae.

External bonds

Web page which presents different photographs of several mélodicas

Random links: