Re: [Harp-L] The instrument often mistaken for a harmonica



The Accordina is in a family of what are sometimes called "blow accordions', along with the melodica (which usually has a piano keyboard).

I've heard this mostly played by European accordionists (Richard Galliano comes to mind in addition to Ludovic Beier). To me it sounds different from the various types of accordion and harmonica and from the melodica (though the differences between the melodica and the accordina may go deeper than the fingerboard).

To me the accordina has a bright sound that for some reason I think of as "sticky" (which is not a bad thing). It also allows you to voice any chord you want, play any scale, etc., and it  has only three key "positions" as the notes are are arranged in a symmetrical grid (minor thirds along any of the long rows, semitones in one diagonal direction and whole tones in the other diagonal direction). You can hear how fluently an accordionist can get around on one in The clip David forwarded. There are other accordina clips on Youtube, and you can check out more on the accordina at:

http://www.patmissin.com/history/accordina.html ; (of course)

and http://olivier.manoury.free.fr/accordina.html

and even http://www.accordinas.com/

Winslow Yerxa

Author, Harmonica For Dummies ISBN 978-0-470-33729-5

--- On Sun, 12/7/08, David & Jackie Naiditch <french10@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
From: David & Jackie Naiditch <french10@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [Harp-L] The instrument often mistaken for a harmonica
To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Date: Sunday, December 7, 2008, 10:11 AM

>From far away, the acordina is an instrument that audiences often confuse for a
harmonica.  More than once I've been informed of a great harmonica player,
only to find an acordina player.  But it's an interesting instrument.

	http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfzwKCWztMk

David Naiditch
www.davidnaiditch.com
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