[Alan Brinton]

Hi James,

I have been playing a wide variety of different models for years, as I’ve been a melodica collector.

First, while different folks have different preferences, I would strongly recommend Yamaha or Suzuki (metal tray models) over any current Hohners. Around 2011, Hohner made a corporate decision to emphasize mass appeal over quality in its melodicas and to move production to China. The emphasis has been on snazzy cosmetics. My preference here is also based on having disassembled and tuned a bunch of melodicas, vintage as well as recent models.

Second, I’m just eyeballing right now, though I have sometimes measured keys, but there is little noticeable difference in length and width between the most common current Suzukis and Yamahas: Yamaha Pianica P37D (now E but that’s a different discussion, and I’ll only say that I think the P37D is the safest bet), P32D, Suzuki M-37C and M-32C. Any one of those four would be a good choice.

Finally, many melodica players say that it’s better to think of the melodica as a wind instrument than as a keyboard instrument, and better to hold it in your left hand with which you can move it around than to play it on a flat surface blowing through the tube. I agree with those opinions. Key size is, it seems to me, much less of an issue if you follow that train of thought. There are advantages to having smaller keys that can be more easily appreciated if that’s how you approach the melodica. Of course there are situations in which laying it flat and using the tube makes sense, for example if you’re playing a regular keyboard at the same time or intermittently.

As I say, not all experienced melodica players will agree with what I’m saying. I’m just speaking from my own experience. I personally enjoy playing smaller models such as the Yamaha P25F (whose keys are about the same as the bigger models) and also playing older models with tiny keys such as the earliest piano key style Hohners.

[Alan Brinton]

Good, I like this. Let’s face it, the melodica is a source of oral satisfaction. Another alternative is using a short piece of rubber tubing of a diameter that fits snugly into the mouthpiece receptacle.

[Alan Brinton]

Thanks, Carola, for reporting on your experimentation with Nano coating. It’s something that waa worth investigating.

[Alan Brinton]

This is pretty much what I do, Pal. Occasionally I do a general tuning. But after that I only worry about notes that are noticeably out of tune. It has been said by some that being somewhat out of tune is one of the charms of the melodica. Also, skilled players vary the intonation of notes as they are playing. (See Lowboy Bootay’s recently posted Melodica Expressiveness Techniques.)

[Alan Brinton]

Air passing over the nail polish is on its way out of the melodica. It’s not something I personally would worry about.

[Alan Brinton]

How close to the base of the reed are you applying nail polish, Andre? Too close maybe? Also, is there a problem removing polish if you have too much?

[Alan Brinton]

Your Piano 27 does not have a good seal, Lee. You didn’t say which model Piano 27 you have. In most cases, the melodica has a gasket that seals the reed chamber and that can be replaced by a new gasket that you make. If you do a search for “gasket” in these forums, you’ll find many posts about replacing a gasket. It’s not hard, though it may be more so if your instrument is the original metal body Piano 27.

[Alan Brinton]

I would very much like to hear further details about your method, Barbara. Sometimes I hesitate to tune reeds on a vintage melodica because I’m worried that the reed may be too fragile and irreplaceable. There are also cases in which the required amount of scraping threatens the integrity of the reed.

[Alan Brinton]

There is a membership fee of $20 in order to be able to view the galleries of photos.

[Alan Brinton]

Absolutely. The same with scraping, a little bit at a time, and less is required on higher (increasingly smaller) reeds.

[Alan Brinton]

Thanks, Syd.

[Alan Brinton]

Thanks, Lowboy. Those are terrific.

[Alan Brinton]

I decided a few years ago to start tuning to A=440 and trying to get within plus or minus 3 cents. So I did that with quite a few melodicas. I have drifted over time toward A=442 as Daren suggests (or perhaps A=441). I think it’s best to start out by determining the standard to which the melodica is already closest, which in general in my experience is usually about A=443. In deciding the target standard for the particular melodica, I prefer not moving further than I have to from the existing standard. The risky notes to tune are the ones that are extremely sharp (extremely flat is a very bad sign, the reed may be failing).

If I have a reed that is not responding predictably to my scraping, I let it go at 5 cents off. If you tune your melodica today to your specifications and test it a week later, I can just about guarantee that at least two or three reeds will be more than 5 cents off. I think this is more a matter of the difficulty of getting consistent readings than it is of reed instability. I think it will drive you crazy if you keep checking the tuning and striving for perfection.

I agree with Daren about your D-4 reed. You can usually tell by looking whether one reed is more open or more closed than the others. I use a flexible plastic toothpick to gently depress or raise the end of the reed, pulsating, springing it up or down (probably down) a few times.

[Alan Brinton]

Hi, Gerald. It was a long time ago, in 2014, that I posted my question about Zenon. I have since learned more about them but had not heard that they were or are made by Seiko. The P323-A is a nice looking instrument. Congratulations.

[Alan Brinton]

Look also for “foam seal tape”, 1/16 or 1/8 inch thick. You want something that sticks (“self-sealing”) but doesn’t glue or have to be glued down. Weather strip, as Daren suggests, does that, though it’s a more general class of tape. It’s relatively cheap and you get a roll, so there’s plenty of room for experimentation and repeated attempts. It also should be soft and flexible enough to compress somewhat when you screw the cover back down. Also, you’ll cut it into strips whose ends compress when you put them in place.

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