[Alan Brinton]

The unusual construction here is hard to describe. The metal reed plate is affixed very tightly to what is the cover of the air chamber. This plate-cover is heavy and solid. It almost feels like the old kind of long laptop battery.

Here you can see the permeable mesh affixed on the inside of the vent holes. If you put your mouth over a section of holes, you can blow through it with only mild resistance.

When you first this pianica up to play, the keys are sticky, and it’s necessary to slide over them all to loosen them up, after which they play freely. This is true of both of these instruments.