Melodica

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Keyboard-shaped small instrument with mouthpiece

One day, a piano and a harmonica fell madly in love and decided to start a new life together out in the country. They birthed a child, and named it ‘Melodica’. Players blow air across metal reeds, similarly to a harmonica, allowing for volume changes and breath expression. But the mechanism for selecting which note(s) will play is that of a keyboard, providing for greater tonal flexibility. The results are an instrument that is incredibly musical and remarkably well-balanced. The melodica, as we know it today, was invented in the mid-1900s and has been widely used in music education in Asia and Europe.

How to Obtain

Melodicas cost $20-$80 and generally come with a small plastic mouthpiece (ideal for playing it like a horn) and a plastic hose (ideal for playing with both hands). I prefer playing with the mouthpiece because the instrument is more responsive to articulations and changes in breath pressure, but if you are unfamiliar with the keyboard layout, the hose allows you to view the keyboard more clearly.

How to Learn

To make sounds, you must blow air into the instrument and press down one or more keys. Doing one or the other will not produce a sound—you must do both at the same time!

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