melodica

Melodicas are small, lightweight, and portable, and many are designed for children to play. They are popular in music education programs, especially in Asia. The modern form of the instrument was invented by Hohner in the late 1950s, though similar instruments have been known in Italy since the 19th century.

• Name — Melodica • Background — keyboard • Classification — Wind; free reed aerophone • Hornbostel Sachs — 412.132 • Hornbostel Sachs Desc — Free-reed aerophone • Developed — 1950s • Range — Usually 2 or 3 octaves • Related — accordion, harmonica, pump organ, yu

The melodica was first used as a serious musical instrument in the 1960s by composers such as Steve Reich, in his piece titled Melodica (1966). Brazilian multi-instrumentalist Hermeto Pascoal developed a technique consisting of singing while playing the melodica, resulting in a wide tonal and harmonic palette. Jamaican dub and reggae musician Augustus Pablo popularized it in the 1970s, and his son Addis Pablo takes after him in the same genres. The American musician Jon Batiste was often seen playing a melodica on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Funk keyboardist Bernie Worrell played melodica on multiple recordings in Bootsy Collins's discography. The instrument is also associated with the Inti Raymi festival in Otavalo, Ecuador.

• Illustration — Layout of a melodica keyboard with three octaves (36 keys) Melodicas are classified primarily by the range of the instrument. Melodicas with different ranges have slightly different shapes. • Soprano and alto melodicas are higher-pitched and thinner sounding than tenors. Some are designed to be played with both hands at once: the left hand plays the black keys, and the right hand plays the white keys. Others are played like the tenor melodica. • Tenor melodicas are a lower-pitched type of melodica. The left hand holds a handle on the bottom, and the right hand plays the keyboard. Tenor melodicas can be played with two hands by inserting a tube into the mouthpiece hole and placing the melodica on a flat surface. • Bass melodicas include the Hohner Melodica-Basso (discontinued), the Suzuki B-24 Bass Melodion and the Hammond Bass Melodion BB-24. • The Accordina aka 'Chromatic Button Melodica', generally made of metal, uses the same mechanism and reeds as a traditional melodica. The keyboard is replaced with a button arrangement similar to a chromatic button accordion's keyboard.

The melodica is known by various names, often at the whim of the manufacturer. Melodion (Suzuki), Triola (Seydel), Melodika (Apollo), Melodia (Diana), Pianica (Yamaha), Melodihorn (Samick), Melodyhorn (Angel), Diamonica (Bontempi), Pianetta (Guerrini), face piano, and Clavietta (Borel/Beuscher) are just some of the variants. When a recording technician unfamiliar with the melodica called it a "hooter", the band the Hooters took that as their name. • Illustration — Hohner Melodica Soprano: right side, keyboard and bottom views

• Illustration — Played horizontally, with two hands and an air tube • Illustration — Played vertically, with two hands and an air tube • Illustration — Melodica being played vertically, with one hand and without air tube • Illustration — Wooden melodica; Suzuki Wood Melodion W-37 • Illustration — Hohner alto melodica • Illustration — Patent drawing for accordina • Illustration — Accordina being played • Illustration — Donald Fagen with a Yamaha Pianica in 2007 • Illustration — John Medeski