Melodica Malfunction Revisited

Some time ago I wrote about the sticky key issue I experienced with my super-cheap Hohner Student 32 Melodica and the steps I took to correct the problem.

Since then I have played a few parts on a few different tracks and have found that the problem has returned, but in a less drastic way. While the keys do not now stick when depressed, they stick when not played. Depressing the keys unsticks. The part of the key in the interior that closes the gasket now sticks to the gasket. With a little playing the problem lessens but it is still irritating and impedes fluid playing. I'm no melodica virtuouso but I suspect that any player whatever his level of proficiency would find this unacceptable.

At the moment I have no idea how this can be corrected. Clearly the yellow rubber foam can't be replaced as it is moulded very specifically to the shape required to make an airtight seal.
Nothing that comes to mind (a silicon lubricant? talcum powder?) strikes me as a viable solution.

Any tips or recommendations are welcome.

Apart from that, the keys are really too small on this instrument and when funds are not so tight I hope to buy a bigger, better melodica made from superior materials. Recommendations invited!

It has been a while!

As the recently added begging letter notes, times are financially hard at ACEtone Studio. I do hope some of you reading this will be moved to buy some tunes to help out and ensure that ACEtone Studio can continue releasing quality original music.

As to what is currently in the works, a new net-release of a reworking of 'Be Strong Dub' from 'Every Spoil a Dub' will be coming soon, but there is still some work to be done. Just a bit of tweaking on the mix.
The plan is to feature three versions of the track:
1. Good and Strong - vocal by Idren Natural
2. Good and Dub - Melodica instru-dub
3. Untitled (still trying to think of a good title) - Organ Instrumental

The inspiration for this release was prompted by Callum (Culture Reggae/Sama Sound) who kindly provided Idren Natural's vocal take and encouraged me to do a further dub.
The organ version was something I had been meaning to do for a long time - not specifically for this riddim - but it all fit together really nicely.

Currently working on melodica, hand-drum, guitar over-dubs for Dougie of Conscious Sound's reggae version of 'Sound of the Crowd'.
Yes, that 'Sound of the Crowd' - the original version of which ironically has as its main hook a very typical 1970s roots melodica type melody though played on a Moog or some such synth.
Pretty easy to play, even with the sticky melodica keys.

It is very nice to be asked to do over-dubs, I must say.

Anatomy of a Melodica - and repair

I unzipped my Melodica case last weekend expecting to honk out a fast and dirty dub solo line only to find that almost all of the keys were sticking rendering the incredibly economically priced instrument ($30.00) all but unplayable. That was the end of that recording session. Instead it was time to get busy with a screwdriver and see what was causing the problem - and perhaps more importantly to give you the reader a look inside. A picture gallery of the Melodica in various stages of deconstruction and repair can be found here.
The Melodica is a fascinating instrument the history of which can be found here, so there is little need for me to go into any great detail. Suffice it to say that this 'toy' instrument in the right hands and with the right production can produce transcendent music (Augustus Pablo) or in the wrong hands if left untreated by a pleasant wash of reverb and a nice delay can require surgical removal!

It didn't take very long to find that an adhesive foam material used for damping the keys when depressed was the source of the problem. I had no hesitation in removing the foam and discarding it. But that left me with a pile of keys looking strangely like a disorderly heap of pulled teeth. The reed frame of the melodica resembled a huge harmonica and the brass mounting plate and reeds were and still are surprisingly tarnished.

I packed everything away for a couple of days and intermittently pondered what I would use to replace the foam. Quickly enough I decided upon felt, purchased some fabric glue and got to work. It was actually quite a simple and painless operation, the most difficult part being the feeling of trepidation that it might not re-assemble quite correctly or would not play properly. Both doubts were quickly put to rest and the melodica once again plays perfectly.

During this process I sent an e-mail to Hohner, not to make a claim of any sort, but to politely inform them of the problem with the instrument. I received a reply the next day which was heartening but I was not thrilled with the response:

Since it is a mouthblown instrument , it does depend what goes into melodica when played. Very sticky saliva etc. can affect playing. If you like, please return melodica to Hohner Inc. at address below for inspection/correction.

Two problems with this assessment: The damping foam beneath the keys would not be affected by whatever is coming out of the player's mouth as this part of the instrument is separate from the air passage that allows breath to be channeled to the reeds. It is not saliva that enters the instrument when blown (well, not through normal use) - it is breath vapour, condensation, water which should not be any stickier than what comes out of the tap. Anyway, in fairness they did offer to inspect and correct, but frankly I was not willing to wait around for them to do this - and I really wanted to have a go at fixing it myself.

I have given Hohner two further updates on my progress and hopefully my efforts will encourage them to try a better damping material in their manufacturing process.

Augustus Pablo live

This is really pretty impressive stuff - I never thought I actually see THE melodica man tinkling the Hohner plastic mini keys in this way - just look at the ease of execution - who is in the backing band?
They're playing Java too fast but still - very cool to see this: