Melodion
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The melodion is a wind instrument which is played like a keyboard instrument. It is very similar to the melodica in appearance, timbre and performance technique.
Pitch and tone are controlled by a set of piano-like keys, and it is played much like the accordion, to which it is related. It is also related to the harmonium. It is not to be confused with the Viennese reed organ, which is also sometimes referred to as a melodion. The Viennese reed organ's tones are produced by the pressing of bars against a rotating steel cylinder. Invented by JC Dietz of Emmerich, Germany in 1806, it is something like a player piano.
External references
- images of melodions (http://www.suzukimusic.co.uk/educational/melodion.htm),
- image of a Viennese reed organ (http://www.pha.oeaw.ac.at/Mechanical_Music/melodiongrossmp3.html)