Reply To: Photo—-Tubing and Fixture for Hohner Melodica

#8317
Lowboy
Participant

Hi Daren,

I am not sure I could quickly find the recording of my A/B comparisons of a narrow ID tube to a wide ID tube. I have scores of recordings on several devices and most of the files are not labeled. I will, however, post a comparison of standard tubing with the new wider ID tubing I just received.

I received my 5/8-inch ID tubing a few days ago and it looks like it is going to work (fit) well with the large ID copper elbow and some of the wide ID mouthpieces I have, including the standard Hohner mouthpiece for my model of melodica. It may take me a week to two to construct the tubing and make a recording.

I can tell you this. When I recorded the A/B comparison (wide versus narrow ID tubing), it was clear that the wider ID tubing produced a deeper, fuller sound on my melodicas. It was not a huge difference, but significant enough that I am perusing this experiment with large ID tubing.

So just to be clear, I don’t think the wide Highland bagpipe mouthpiece has much to do with the deep sound. It is the tubing ID that seems to be the variable. I hypothesize that the most successful mouthpiece to use with wide ID tubing should have a sufficient inlet area as to not not choke the flow of air into the tubing. The original Hohner mouthpiece and the wide bagpipe mouthpiece seem to have good flow, but I would like to experiment with larger openings in mouthpieces as well. I am thinking I will end up using the original Hohner design because it has a ridge that enables me to hold the mouthpiece in my mouth no matter how hard I blow. It also has a big opening that is more round in shape and remains in the mouth cavity. Hence there may be more opportunity for using the tongue with the Hohner mouthpiece.

From my perspective, anything I can do to make the natural sound of the melodica fuller is a step in the right direction to get a more pleasing sound.

I will update you on my exploration.

Regards,

Lowboy

Back to top button