claviola
Illustration — A claviola The Claviola is a musical instrument that was designed in the 1960s by Hohner technician and designer Ernst Zacharias. The instrument was produced for a few months in the late 1990s before being discontinued. Similar to a melodica (which is still in production), but worn like an accordion and played like a bagpipe, the claviola has a set of piano keys on the right side that range 2½ octaves.
Also recorded as Key-bagpipe · Hohner claviola
claviola
Karen Green · Flickr: Josh Camp and Michael Hearst of One Ring Zero · CC BY-SA 2.0
- Field
- musical instrument
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Illustration — A claviola The Claviola is a musical instrument that was designed in the 1960s by Hohner technician and designer Ernst Zacharias. The instrument was produced for a few months in the late 1990s before being discontinued. Similar to a melodica (which is still in production), but worn like an accordion and played like a bagpipe, the claviola has a set of piano keys on the right side that range 2½ octaves.
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wikipedia incomplete · checked 25 September 2026
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Authority files
gnd · 4831783-4 · wikidata · Q5129638
In this article
Overview
The left side is a set of pipes that range in length depending on the corresponding pitch. In combination with the pipes, the claviola uses reeds blown from the "wrong" side compared to reeds in most Western free-reed instruments, resulting in a much mellower, less reedy tone, and pitch dependent on the pipe length. The player can use their left hand to shade or cover the pipe openings, to bend notes or add vibrato. The Hohner Claviola is best known for its use by the band One Ring Zero and the jazz/folk musician Misha Alperin (Moscow Art Trio). Other musicians who use the Hohner Claviola include John Medeski, Rob Burger, Michael Hearst, and John Spiers. The trademark "Claviola" was registered by the German piano maker F. Stichel in Leipzig in March 1904 for one type of their self-playing pianos which was made until about 1930.
Instrument worn like an accordion, with a set of piano keys on the right side and a set of pipes to the left
Michael (former harmonica technician at Hohner) is on the claviola. This band is amazing. Go buy their stuff: a href=" http: oneringzero.com/ " rel="nofollow" oneringzero.com a
Josh_Camp_and_Michael_Hearst_of_One_Ring_Zero.jpg: Karen Green derivative work: Vonvon · This file was derived from: Josh Camp and Michael Hearst of One Ring Zero.jpg
Primary material
Documents and archives
authority file
- Gemeinsame Normdatei 4831783-4, Hohner-Claviola.
Unverified · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
reference work
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q5129638: claviola
Reputable secondary · Wikidata
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References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
authority file
Gemeinsame Normdatei 4831783-4, Hohner-Claviola.Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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