[Lowboy]

Hi Daren,

Yes, I can tell you that I perceived the larger tube as having more power and being easier to blow. It could be in my mind, but that is what I think I was feeling initially. I was using the standard Hohner mouthpiece which may have a slightly larger opening than the Highland bagpipe mouthpiece I have been using lately.

But you are right that once inside the instrument, the area of the flow channel openings is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the tube. The restriction really starts at the opening of the standard Hohner mouthpiece, which has the smallest open area of anything going on inside these Hohner Piano 26/27/32s.

The inlet channel on the Hohner piano 26/27/32s is long, reaching all the way to the bottom of the instrument before it does a u-turn and enters the reed chamber. The volume of the channel is large, but a number of baffles restrict the air flow to 5/16- by 7/16-inch openings. The opening into the reed chamber is also 5/16 by 7/16 inches. The inlet opening of the standard Hohner mouthpiece is 3/16 by 6/16 (3/8) inches. So the greatest restriction is at the mouthpiece.

Yes, I would love to a large comfortable mouthpiece with a inside cross-sectional area larger than the flow channel openings inside the melodica. That is what I am looking for if anyone has ideas.

Then the next logical experiment would be to modify the baffles inside the melodica to reduce the restriction and increase air flow: although Hohner engineers may have put the baffles in there for a good reason. But one of these days, that would be a good experiment.

Regards,

Lowboy