Sound holes on the back
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Are there any melodicas/melodions/pianicas in current production that have the sound holes on the back side of the body?
Lowboy
Lowboy, the one that’s comes to mind is the Suzuki pro 37 it has a sound hole on the bottom, I was thinking of getting this melodion to try to get a wah wah effect from it and thinking of the hole on the bottom to try to achieve it.
Melodica-meI thought about that myself. I had purchased a Suzuki Pro 37 several months ago but returned it. I now wonder whether all of the sound was projected from that hole? If so, you could probably hold it at the bottom and use your hand like a trumpet player to get the wha wha effect or mute the sound.
I am most interested in knowing if any current production melodicas have the holes on the back side of the melodica so you can mute it by holding it to your chest.
I just purchased a Yamaha P-25D (I think that is the designation) to test the waters with Yamaha. I like the sound of the pro Yamahas that I have been hearing online. I like the fact the reed plates are available and replaceable. And I am now hoping that the sound is projected from the back side.
That could be the ultimate Melodica for my application, although now that I think about, I think some have said note bending is hard on the Yamahas. I will provide my review of this instrument after I receive it and play it for a while.
Lowboy
I was wondering if you had tried the Yamaha P-25, Lowboy. Mine is a yellow P-25F. I think there is also a D, but it appears to be the same. The P-25F has the holes flat on the bottom (I assume that’s what you mean, as opposed to along the side of the bottom). The vent slots are situated in such a way that they’d be easy to block or tape, with eight toward the blow hole and three toward the spit valve end. I just tried sealing them with scotch tape and couldn’t notice its making any difference. But I also tried blocking the three slots with the fingers of my right hand and working the eight slots with the palm of my left hand and it definitely produces effects. It’s also easy to produce effects with the spit valve button if you’re holding the melodica bottom in your left hand. This is a nice melodica; I’ll be surprised if you don’t like it.
I’m one who commented that the Yamahas were harder to bend notes on. But not so hard once I got the feel for bending.
The Suzuki A-34C also has its vent holes flat in the center of the bottom. It’s much lighter than the Pro-37, and it’s just a bit longer than the M-32C.
Hi Alan,
Yes, I just checked and I ordered the P-25F. This is good news that it is high quality, has the sound holes on the back, and is capable of bending notes. Your review convinced me I should try it.
You have had these Yamaha’s apart. Are the holes on the back the sole source for emitting the sound?
Instead of putting tape over the holes, try holding the pianica against your chest and stomach while wearing a heavy shirt or two. I think this will absorb the sound and really change its character.
Lowboy
I’m not sure what other source there would be than the sound holes, Lowboy. It emits sound regardless of the holes, but I’m not sure what else to look for! However, the P-25F is VERY easy to take apart, which I just did so I could post these photos so you can take a look for yourself.
While I have it apart, I think I’ll tune it and check the reed gapping, since the factory tuning wasn’t so hot. The three screws you see on the cover of the reed chamber are the same as the four on the outer corners — no tiny screws on this one.
Hi Alan,
Thanks so much for the photos. So what I think I see there is that the sound actually comes out through the keys in similar fashion to most melodicas. It is hard to tell, but the reed plate is covered, so the sound does not appear to be coming out the back of the melodica. The air comes into and pressurizes the reed plate chamber. When a key is pressed, the key valve on the other side of the reed plate opens. The air (starting in the reed plate chamber) flows around the reed, and the air and sound flow under the reed and through the open valve, exiting on the back side of the reed plate (up through the keys). This explains why there is no big sound difference when you tape up the holes.
I think that is how it works. Someone please correct me if I am wrong.
It does look like a nice instrument, and I am sure I will enjoy playing it. Every melodica has its own sound and can be used for certain applications.
Regards,
Lowboy
That gives me a much better understanding. It does seem to make sense that sound would be mainly coming up through the keyboard So when you’re pressing or thumping the melodica against your chest, the way the sound is affected isn’t really a matter of blocking the holes.
Hi Alan,
On the melodica I used for the demonstration of playing techniques, all the sound does exit the holes on the back. That why the techniques make such a difference in the sound. In many melodicas, the sound exits on the keyboard side. These melodicas would not provide a lot of sound modulation by holding them against you chest.
It appears the holes on the back of the Yamaha are for purposes other than sound projection.
Lowboy
Alan,
You are right. The Yamaha P-25F is an awesome melodica (pianica). I am totally impressed with the design, feel, and sound. The keys depress very smoothly and with almost no key click. The key throw is long and the key resistance is perfect. The sound is solid, rich, and consistent. The relative tuning from the factory was right on. Clearly the fit and finish was at a very high level of refinement. I will write my review at some point, but I can say that the 32- and 37-key versions of this pianica are in my future.
Lowboy
Very glad to hear that you like it, Lowboy. It deserves more attention; a review from you will help spread the word.
I started tuning my P-25F yesterday and finished (for now at least) this morning. In the process I fiddled with gapping, which might account for an odd result or two. One observation before I report the results: Three fairly large, deeply threaded screws hold the reed chamber cover in place. These screw into the plastic frame of the pianica. If the holes are not lined up perfectly, the screws want to go in at an angle and dig new grooves. There’s some resistance in any case the first few times, but I was very careful to back the screws off and get them into their original grooves. After you do this several times, the screws set properly in their grooves and then are easy to remove and replace.
I am tuning to A=433. I did a lot of rechecking and tried to blow as evenly and moderately as I could. The A443 standard reading is given to the left, followed by the factory tuning and then by the final result for notes that I tuned.
A443 P-25F
F3——-175.8——173.6—–175.6
F#3—–186.3——185.5
G3——-197.3——196.6——196.7
G#3—–209.1——208.5
A3——-221.5——221.0——221.3
A#3—–234.7——234.0——234.8
B3——-248.6——247.8——248.3
C4——-263.4——263.0——263.4
C#4—–279.1——277.7——279
D4——-295.7——295.0——295.8
D#4—–313.2——312.7——313.4
E4——-331.9——331.1——331.7
F4——-351.6——350.2——351.5
F#4——372.5—–371.5——372.2
G4——-394.7—–394.5——394.8
G#4—–418.1—–416.9——417.9
A4——-443.0—–442.0——443
A#4—–469.3—–468.4——469.5
B4——497.3——496.6——497.3
C5——526.8——526.9
C#5—–558.1—–558.6——557.7
D5——591.3——591.2
D#5—–626.5—–627.1
E5——663.8——664.2——664.1
F5——703.2——703.5——702.8 ??Alan,
Pretty soon you can start charging to tune melodicas! I hope to be able to tune my own at some point in the future and will have lots of questions for you when I gear up for tuning. Right now I limit myself to cleaning (to get rid of the attic smell in used melodicas) and adjusting reed gaps for performance improvements.
Good point about re-tightening the screws with a craftsman’s skill. If you just jam a screw in a hole and start turning them with a screwdriver, you will eventually cross over the plastic threads too many times. Eventually, the screws will not hold. I do the same thing you do. I rotate the screw backwards until it rises up and falls (clicks) into the original threads. Then I tighten the screw just snug. The screws screw in nice and easy this way too.
Regards,
Lowboy
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