[Marc]

Hello everyone!

I’m new here on the website and I want to learn, share and help so that I can become a great melodica player! I am a pianist and play the piano professionally so it’s easy for me to play the melodica.

I do not own a melodica but I’ve had the chance of trying a Hohner 26 keys student model and I was amazed by the melodica (not the model in particular but the instrument).
So I’m planning to buy a new melodica. But where I live, I can only buy from the music store available (can’t buy from amazon or ebay… :/)
So the thing is, I’ve done a lot of research and I can’t decide between the Yamaha pianicas P37D and P32D. At the store, the former is at 196 USD while the latter is at 106 USD. (Yeah they’re expensive here). Based on the colour, I’m finding the P37D more professional but the P32D is easiest to carry and less expensive.

So, which model do you think I should buy and why?

Thanks in advance!

[Daren]

They should do an in-between size, a P34D, going from G to E. I think that would cover most situations. They could do it in a nice grown up colour as well!

[Alan Brinton]

Suzuki has a 34 key model, of course, the A-34C, but I think Yamaha is a good choice. The melodica I play the most is the P-32D, so I’m an enthusiast for that model. I like its compactness and especially the ease with which it can be held (and balanced) in the left hand, as I don’t like using the handstrap, without which there’s greater flexibility in ways of holding the instrument. The P-32D is also somewhat easier to play for other reasons, and easier to learn on (even for a pianist).

Have you considered buying directly from Japan, Marc? Is there a problem with purchasing or having delivery from Japan to your location? I have bought a lot of melodicas from Japan. In the U.S. the cost of shipping a P-32D or P-37D from Japan is about $35-40, but the prices (from the right vendors in Japan) are offset by that. There are also lots of good-condition used P-32Ds solod at very low prices in Japanese online auctions.

[Daren]

I always prefer the smallest melodica I can get away with. As Alan says, they’re easier to hold, and I think they look better. Having said that, there’s some tunes I like playing which require a certain amount of keys. My choice is therefore the P37D…

[Alan Brinton]

I have noticed that Jon Batiste is nowadays using a 32 key melodica regularly on the Tonight Show, as opposed to the Suzuki Pro-37v that he used consistently in the past. He appears to be using a couple of refinished or customized Suzuki M-32Cs. Batiste is, of course, first and foremost a Jazz pianist. I will say that in recent comparisons I have found the Yamaha P-37D to have a slightly richer tone than the P-32D at the low end.

Marc, if you’re still monitoring this conversation: While being an experienced keyboardist is a big advantage in learning the melodica, many regard the melodica as primarily a wind instrument. This might be a consideration in evaluating particular models — though keyboard action is a significant consideration.

[Marc]

Thank you all for your replies!
No, neither amazon nor ebay cover the country where I live so I must buy it from a music store. 🙁

And Alan, why is the P-32D easier to play?

[Alan Brinton]

For me, the P-32 is somewhat easier to play for the following reasons: (1) It takes less air due to the size of the reed chamber. (2) It is easier to know by feel where you are on the keyboard and in general to have a non-visual command of the keyboard (probably less of an issue for a professional pianist, but the feel of a melodica keyboard is very different from that of a piano)). (3) It is easier to move the melodica into position. I never use the hose and am moving the keyboard with my left hand into position in relation to my right hand — this is, of course, related to (1). (4) The P-32 is easier to cradle and balance in the left hand, not only because it’s shorter, but also because it’s narrower and lighter. The weight also affects the demands placed on the left hand. There are some ways of holding (or manipulating) the melodica that are much easier with a 32 or even a 25-27 key model — for example, if you sometimes hold the melodica vertically and seat the bottom end in the palm of your left hand, or if (like Lowboy Bootay) you have special techniques that involve moving the melodica around as you play.

But I don’t think you can go wrong with either one! How much the extra keys of the P-37D matter probably depends somewhat on what kind of music you play and your own style.

[Author]

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