My guitarist son startled me at the weekend by telling me he is thinking of trying a melody instrument, possibly the melodeon, and learning some jiogs and reels. I'd like to encourage this, I might even buy him one, and I'm wondering what is a good first instrument.
Thanks for those, I've already suggested he considers concertina; what would be a sensible first melodeon? And what would be a good choice of upgrade melodeon later, out of interest?
I often hear the Saltarelle Bouebe as a good beginner melodeon. Very nice box, sweet sound, and not too hard on the wallet either. You even see some of the finer musicians using them, as they're very light.
You can get a number of nice boxes. There are many many threads here regarding beginners boxes, what to watch out for and what to avoid, and (this will draw a huge response probably) what key to play in.
You may have more flexibility with a box than a concertina. There was a nice thread on that here last week. I suppose all depends on what music you want to make. My Teacher is an unbelievable box and concertina player.
I am also happy with the Saltarelle Irish Bouebe, have had it for about 7 years, just getting ready to arrange its first retuning (a few reeds are getting a little wetter), but other than that not a single problem. No intention of trading it in, it is just right for me.
I've had a bouebe and found it very stiff and hard to play. I've played other bouebes that felt the same, though I'll concede that some players swear by them.
If I had my time to do again I'd start with a cairdin or castagnari.
I can see how that would be startling. Well, boys will be boys.
A box is harder to buy for a beginner than something like a guitar, simply because there aren't so many of them floating around to play. If you're near a shop that has a few, see if you can go and have a look at them, perhaps have someone in the shop demonstrate them for you. You might not find any of them to be what you're looking for, but you can at least get a sense of what some of the parameters will be, and some fix on what a dollar buys you in boxes.
If he's thinking about melodeon, as in single-row, he might consider a harmonica as an easy way into the tunes. A standard 10-hole diatonic harmonica in D, available at any music store, has the same layout of notes, in the range you'll be playing in, as a melodeon. That'll give your boy a chance to get started on the tunes, so when he tries them on a box he'll have at least an idea of what he's playing, which will make it easier for him to choose one. It's also fun to play the tunes on the harmonica, for its own sake.
If he goes to the B/C system later, he'll have to go back to the drawing board to play the tunes in D, but that's not so hard. C#/D, of course, will transfer pretty smoothly, it's just like the melodeon with a few extra buttong.
He's got interested in melodeon because he heard someone playing one and liked it. TomB-R is right, at those prices a Bouebe is really not a realistic suggestion for a first melodeon when he might not even stick with the instrument.
Hohner box, also known as Black Dot, usually found in B/C or C#/D. Arguably the Toyota Corolla of the box world?! Been around for ever in various forms. Much cheaper than any of the Italian Costallottis, quite a few about second-hand.
Heresy coming up! A while back I bought a B/C "Chanson" on Ebay. (Chinese box which appears under all sorts of brand names.) I didn't pay much money, it gave me a chance to try out B/C for a while. When I was ready to move on it went back on Ebay and I got my money back bar postage.....
Saltarelle should come up with a squeezing machine that works the stiffness out of the bellows before they hit the shelves. It's one of of the major complaints I've heard about the brand. They're terrific after about 500,000 squeezes.
Yes, there are plenty of guys who can talk about how their saltarelles have worked for years no problems but the new ones (mine is 6 months) are just not the same. And I agree even the entry-level Bouebe is far to expensive for a beginner. I think the concertina community is lucky to have the rochelle, it's very good value for the price, I really don't think there is an equivalent for accordion.
I think your best option would be to get friendly with a box player near you who has a spare box. My old one is on loan at the moment and is developing a waiting list of others who want to have a tinker. Other than that my advice is to find a teacher fast. It's not difficult to learn to play on your own for a while after someone has shown you the basics, but early on it's very easy to develop bad habits.
As has already been stated here, you'll want a single row melodeon in D or a two row in C#/D or B/C. You can use other systems such as three-row, quint-tuned, or chromatic, but I'd advise against it because of the teaching issue.
Kjay
What's wrong with the ubiquitous (in Morris anyway) Hohner D/G Pokerwork? New, they cost about £500 and are easy to use straight out of the shop. They are easily (in England anyway) available second-hand and will take a good deal of punishment before spitting back. I have recently acquired a 1-row version, about 50 years old in very poor condition generally, but even in this state, it's easier to play than my almost new Scarlatti (which God bless, though). When I've finished working on it, I hope it will be even better - at the moment, it sounds as if it is a smoker with a 20 year, 50 a day habit!
Good luck to your lad, whatever his choice
I wasted three years wondering why I couldn't progress with the box and was on the verge of packing up when I dumped the Salterelle and got my present instrument.
For steady paced tunes there's nothing at all wrong with Hohner's offerings - they're turning out some very tasty black dots and pokerworks. Skilled players can get a fair turn of speed out of them, I stress, skilled players.
the limitations of the keyboards on these instruments can make for slow progress in a beginner. Sure, if you're six years old you've plenty of time to get good on a such box, but if your of middle years, you haven't
polkas slides and jigs are relatively quick to come along, and a Hohner will be ok for them, but if you want to be able to play reels well and at anything faster than a plod within half a decade, you'll need to get your hands on a really good box. sadly and in my honest opinion there's no alternative.
It just ocurred to me that Hohner's Morgane boxes - about £100 dearer than Black Dots - have a superior keyboard and might do the trick for a beginner
I'm a beginner on the box. I've been playing it for about a year. I play a Weltmeister 86M "Monika". I think it's an OK box for getting started, but since I have only ever played on a friend's Hohner Black Dot (which I did not like), I can't say I have much to compare. I like the light weight of my 86M, and it seems to be built sturdily, and it's much less expensive than the Saltarelles or Castagnaris, but then again, it doesn't sound near as well either. I would really like to upgrade at this point but will have to wait until I can get the funds together.
if you're learning, sound isn't as important as touch. three major elements of the box matter:
1. reeds - they should play easily and speak promptly - you shouldn't have to rive at the bellows to get a decent note. as I say above, free playing and quick response are more important than sheer volume or edge
2. bellows - should be airtight, flexible and easily worked.
if your box has the features above you should be able to play it smoothly and fairly quickly without having to work the bellows so hard that it jumps areound and makes precise keying difficult
3. finally the keyboard needs also to have lightly loaded keys, a good profile on the button crowns and a limited key travel with felt buffers. the levers to which the buttons are attached should be stiff enough to prevent sideways movement of the buttons as your fingers slip and slide around
you might be lucky and find a cheap box with all these attributes. weight can be an advantage if it's on the treble side of the instrument - the greater inertia reduces the effect of bellows movement and keeps the keyboard more stable.
Box for a beginner
Box for a beginner
My guitarist son startled me at the weekend by telling me he is thinking of trying a melody instrument, possibly the melodeon, and learning some jiogs and reels. I'd like to encourage this, I might even buy him one, and I'm wondering what is a good first instrument.
# Posted on September 29th 2008 by Bernie 29
Re: Box for a beginner
rochelle anglo concertina - very inexpensive
# Posted on September 29th 2008 by geoffwright
Re: Box for a beginner
Ah, but getting hooked on Anglo concertina could be pretty expensive when it comes to upgrade. Certainly compared with melodeon!
# Posted on September 29th 2008 by robharper
Re: Box for a beginner
Thanks for those, I've already suggested he considers concertina; what would be a sensible first melodeon? And what would be a good choice of upgrade melodeon later, out of interest?
# Posted on September 29th 2008 by Bernie 29
Re: Box for a beginner
I often hear the Saltarelle Bouebe as a good beginner melodeon. Very nice box, sweet sound, and not too hard on the wallet either. You even see some of the finer musicians using them, as they're very light.
# Posted on September 29th 2008 by hibbs21
Re: Box for a beginner
You can get a number of nice boxes. There are many many threads here regarding beginners boxes, what to watch out for and what to avoid, and (this will draw a huge response probably) what key to play in.
You may have more flexibility with a box than a concertina. There was a nice thread on that here last week. I suppose all depends on what music you want to make. My Teacher is an unbelievable box and concertina player.
# Posted on September 29th 2008 by zippydw
Re: Box for a beginner
btw, the saltarelle is a nice box. I have the upgrade to the boube-the Connemara 3. It is no too pricey.
But there are some lesser expensive ones. But at a point, you usually are going to ge what you pay for.
# Posted on September 29th 2008 by zippydw
Re: Box for a beginner
Salterelle Bouebe, by far the best accordion for someone starting out.
Jonathan
# Posted on September 29th 2008 by Jonathan Roche
Re: Box for a beginner
I am also happy with the Saltarelle Irish Bouebe, have had it for about 7 years, just getting ready to arrange its first retuning (a few reeds are getting a little wetter), but other than that not a single problem. No intention of trading it in, it is just right for me.
# Posted on September 29th 2008 by AlBrown
Re: Box for a beginner
I've had a bouebe and found it very stiff and hard to play. I've played other bouebes that felt the same, though I'll concede that some players swear by them.
If I had my time to do again I'd start with a cairdin or castagnari.
# Posted on September 29th 2008 by millionyears_bc
Re: Box for a beginner
I can see how that would be startling. Well, boys will be boys.
A box is harder to buy for a beginner than something like a guitar, simply because there aren't so many of them floating around to play. If you're near a shop that has a few, see if you can go and have a look at them, perhaps have someone in the shop demonstrate them for you. You might not find any of them to be what you're looking for, but you can at least get a sense of what some of the parameters will be, and some fix on what a dollar buys you in boxes.
If he's thinking about melodeon, as in single-row, he might consider a harmonica as an easy way into the tunes. A standard 10-hole diatonic harmonica in D, available at any music store, has the same layout of notes, in the range you'll be playing in, as a melodeon. That'll give your boy a chance to get started on the tunes, so when he tries them on a box he'll have at least an idea of what he's playing, which will make it easier for him to choose one. It's also fun to play the tunes on the harmonica, for its own sake.
If he goes to the B/C system later, he'll have to go back to the drawing board to play the tunes in D, but that's not so hard. C#/D, of course, will transfer pretty smoothly, it's just like the melodeon with a few extra buttong.
# Posted on September 29th 2008 by Jon Kiparsky
Re: Box for a beginner
Yeah, right, Bouebe, £1200 new ($2000 or so)
Is that realistic?
Not criticising anyone here but it costs us nothing to "show our high standards" by saying that nothing less than an "X" will do.
The real world involves compromises.
Rochelle makes a lot of sense, even if the upgrade path is tricky. Double Ray?
Bernie said melodeon, but there's always whistle....
# Posted on September 29th 2008 by TomB-R
Re: Box for a beginner
He's got interested in melodeon because he heard someone playing one and liked it. TomB-R is right, at those prices a Bouebe is really not a realistic suggestion for a first melodeon when he might not even stick with the instrument.
What's a Double Ray?
# Posted on September 30th 2008 by Bernie 29
Re: Box for a beginner
Hohner box, also known as Black Dot, usually found in B/C or C#/D. Arguably the Toyota Corolla of the box world?! Been around for ever in various forms. Much cheaper than any of the Italian Costallottis, quite a few about second-hand.
Heresy coming up! A while back I bought a B/C "Chanson" on Ebay. (Chinese box which appears under all sorts of brand names.) I didn't pay much money, it gave me a chance to try out B/C for a while. When I was ready to move on it went back on Ebay and I got my money back bar postage.....
# Posted on September 30th 2008 by TomB-R
Re: Box for a beginner
Saltarelle should come up with a squeezing machine that works the stiffness out of the bellows before they hit the shelves. It's one of of the major complaints I've heard about the brand. They're terrific after about 500,000 squeezes.
# Posted on September 30th 2008 by pennhorse
Re: Box for a beginner
Yes, there are plenty of guys who can talk about how their saltarelles have worked for years no problems but the new ones (mine is 6 months) are just not the same. And I agree even the entry-level Bouebe is far to expensive for a beginner. I think the concertina community is lucky to have the rochelle, it's very good value for the price, I really don't think there is an equivalent for accordion.
I think your best option would be to get friendly with a box player near you who has a spare box. My old one is on loan at the moment and is developing a waiting list of others who want to have a tinker. Other than that my advice is to find a teacher fast. It's not difficult to learn to play on your own for a while after someone has shown you the basics, but early on it's very easy to develop bad habits.
As has already been stated here, you'll want a single row melodeon in D or a two row in C#/D or B/C. You can use other systems such as three-row, quint-tuned, or chromatic, but I'd advise against it because of the teaching issue.
Kjay
# Posted on October 1st 2008 by kjay_bc_box
Re: Box for a beginner
What's wrong with the ubiquitous (in Morris anyway) Hohner D/G Pokerwork? New, they cost about £500 and are easy to use straight out of the shop. They are easily (in England anyway) available second-hand and will take a good deal of punishment before spitting back. I have recently acquired a 1-row version, about 50 years old in very poor condition generally, but even in this state, it's easier to play than my almost new Scarlatti (which God bless, though). When I've finished working on it, I hope it will be even better - at the moment, it sounds as if it is a smoker with a 20 year, 50 a day habit!
Good luck to your lad, whatever his choice
# Posted on October 1st 2008 by Ebor_fiddler
Re: Box for a beginner
I wasted three years wondering why I couldn't progress with the box and was on the verge of packing up when I dumped the Salterelle and got my present instrument.
For steady paced tunes there's nothing at all wrong with Hohner's offerings - they're turning out some very tasty black dots and pokerworks. Skilled players can get a fair turn of speed out of them, I stress, skilled players.
the limitations of the keyboards on these instruments can make for slow progress in a beginner. Sure, if you're six years old you've plenty of time to get good on a such box, but if your of middle years, you haven't
polkas slides and jigs are relatively quick to come along, and a Hohner will be ok for them, but if you want to be able to play reels well and at anything faster than a plod within half a decade, you'll need to get your hands on a really good box. sadly and in my honest opinion there's no alternative.
It just ocurred to me that Hohner's Morgane boxes - about £100 dearer than Black Dots - have a superior keyboard and might do the trick for a beginner
# Posted on October 2nd 2008 by millionyears_bc
Re: Box for a beginner
I'm a beginner on the box. I've been playing it for about a year. I play a Weltmeister 86M "Monika". I think it's an OK box for getting started, but since I have only ever played on a friend's Hohner Black Dot (which I did not like), I can't say I have much to compare. I like the light weight of my 86M, and it seems to be built sturdily, and it's much less expensive than the Saltarelles or Castagnaris, but then again, it doesn't sound near as well either. I would really like to upgrade at this point but will have to wait until I can get the funds together.
# Posted on October 2nd 2008 by pbassnote
Re: Box for a beginner
if you're learning, sound isn't as important as touch. three major elements of the box matter:
1. reeds - they should play easily and speak promptly - you shouldn't have to rive at the bellows to get a decent note. as I say above, free playing and quick response are more important than sheer volume or edge
2. bellows - should be airtight, flexible and easily worked.
if your box has the features above you should be able to play it smoothly and fairly quickly without having to work the bellows so hard that it jumps areound and makes precise keying difficult
3. finally the keyboard needs also to have lightly loaded keys, a good profile on the button crowns and a limited key travel with felt buffers. the levers to which the buttons are attached should be stiff enough to prevent sideways movement of the buttons as your fingers slip and slide around
you might be lucky and find a cheap box with all these attributes. weight can be an advantage if it's on the treble side of the instrument - the greater inertia reduces the effect of bellows movement and keeps the keyboard more stable.
good luck
# Posted on October 2nd 2008 by millionyears_bc