Look at this one

Seems like a clever idea. The sliding "wrist bracket" on the treble side is missing and sellers don't seem to understand it.
White "keys" on the left side could be major and black minor chords, so it makes it an accordion. But it's played like a concertina.
Or call it Piano Bandoneon, if you want. Doesn't seem to state the reserve, so it can be mine for only $200, if I wanted such. If I played piano, I'd go for it. Great novelty potential.
Just why I'm not rich?

Who'd blame them, but it helps when you find the Patent...


The Patent was for "Improvements in Accordions, &c.", though the inventors called it an "aeolodikon".

The arrangement of the notes of the left-hand finger-board is made to effect and also to facilitate the accompaniment of every musical major and minor key. For example if the thumb is placed on the key C, the first finger on key 10, the second finger on key 11, and the fourth finger on key 14, it will give the chord of C major. If the same fingers be placed with the hand spread the same on keys G, 11, 12, and 13, it will give the chord of G major, and so on to the left end, whereat the chord of F sharp major will be given, and at the right end the chord of G flat major will be given. If the thumb is placed on the key C, the the first finger on key 7, the third finger on key 10, and the fourth finger on key 11, it will give the chord of C minor. etc.

I know why I'm not rich, I keep buying redundant old instruments like this one...

You should see the heap of them on my living-room floor, since Dan Worrall's visit the other day!

Linky no worky for me.

Is this a bandonika?

working link

I didn't realise it wasn't working, as I'd already spotted this one on eBay...


Definitely not - it's an OMG!

Stephen,

'Twasn't MY fault.....you kept bringing them out! Good thing I wasn't there any longer than I was, else I'd be buried by them. A fabulous collection, though, and Alf Edward's EC is all you said it was, and more. Many, many thanks!

Dan

A hand operated bellows driven free-reed aerophone with piano keys on one side and chord buttons on the other side is a Piano Accordion, I would reckon. But I didn't think the PA came along until later.

Dan,

I'm glad you enjoyed your visit to the Kilkee Home for Redundant Squeezeboxes. Yes, it's probably just as well you were only here for a couple of days, if it'd been a couple of weeks I'd probably still be bringing 'em out, and nobody'd be able to get into the kitchen...


My pleasure!

Like I said the other week;

QUOTE (Stephen Chambers @ Jul 19 2008, 04:55 PM)

I suppose that could depend on your definition of what constitutes a "piano accordion"...

And I think this one falls short of most definitions, in having neither a projecting treble keyboard nor ready-made chord buttons - according to the Patent description that I quoted, to play a chord you have to finger its constituent notes seperately.

So it has Uniform Keyboard on the left and Piano keyboard on the right.
Why not Uniform on both sides then?. They may have been thinking to attract large number of piano players. As far as "I" am concerned, it is indeed, yet another system of large square Concertina. If they had Uniform Keyboard on both sides, it could rival Bandoneon. On the other hand, sliding hand rest wouldn't provide enough stability for expressiveness Bandoneons are notorious for. On the another other hand, it's all in the skill of a player, is it not? But Piano Accordion clearly provided more flexibility for professional players, and it is less bulky in geometric dimentions.
I downloaded the pictures. That's about all I can do.

I've had the idea to set up a large concertina with sliding wrist straps on each side, and straps to hold it like an accordion. I feel like that would give your hand a lot of freedom, and allow you to use your thumbs, while also giving a rock-solid connection to the instrument. Do you figure that's how this is supposed to work? I don't see a connection for straps to support the instrument. I'd certainly like to try it in any case.

No accordion-style shoulder straps, but according to the Patent:

Our invention also consists of sliding holders, in combination with the key-boards of such instruments, by which the bellows can be worked by the wrists of the player, thus leaving all the fingers free to work the keys, and allowing the hands to slide along the key-boards, the instrument being supported at one end on the knees.

And though they aren't mentioned in the text, the drawings show (wrist) straps on the sliding holders.

Geuns Hybrid is set up, so you'd need something like a sliding hand rest.
An idea for two sided instrument that is not an accordion is to pull/push with both ends, for which purpose either it's supposed to have ancored hands, which limits their mobility, or to rest instrument on your knee, which demands sitting, or placing one foot on a step of some sort. That's what Piazzola was doing. If you use your shoulder straps, then you'll have to pump with only one end, which presents two details:
One - you don't need any straps at all in your secured end.
Another - your pumping end will immediately drop, leaving your sliding strap at the upper limit of it's intended travel (hope I make myself clear). So you'll have to sit down and place instrument on your knee anyways. In this position you don't really need sliding strap, as vast practice demonstrated. More - accordion players don't need any more security with left hands than they already have, when they play free bass, and some do this while standing. I think it's because tall and thin accordion bellows provide enough stability from left end dropping.
Back to Geuns' Hybrid.
I think it will definitely benefit from sliding hand rest, but it also has to swivel around center point, because Chromatic system requires three wrist positions for efficient fingering: wrist inverted, parallel and "outverted". A swivel will surely help this.
Speaking of which, I'll email Harry Geuns with this idea and let him see that instrument. In any case he'll have fun.
Thanks for reminding me.

Can you briefly explain, or give links to, some info about the Uniform Keyboard? I play Hayden Duet, and understand the Janko keyboard, which this sort of reminds me of.

Would this keyboard give the same "shape" to a major chord in different keys, as a Janko or Hayden do?

Makes me wonder just the opposite -- why not a PA with piano keys on the LH, to make up your own chords. Oh, I get it -- the root note of the chord has to be played on sub-octave bass reeds, while the other notes of the chord have to be much higher pitched by several octaves. And the internal mechanism just couldn't figure out which note was which. Hmmm, another application for a microprocessor ... ?

You can make an LH with a Wicki/Hayden layout, and finger the chords such that the root note is always in the first two rows (which can have big sub-octave bass reeds), and you finger the other notes in the 3rd and 4th rows,, which would be brighter pitches.

Sliding hand rest sounds like a great way to play a PA keyboard, but in reality would unbalance the push and pull on the bellows and twist like crazy. ANother dead end of instrument evolution -- but omigawd is she lovely to look at!
--Mike K.

Sold, to a French collector, for $860.

You can see the Patent (which actually dates from 1873 - misread by the seller as 1875) online here: U.S. Patent No. 144,025, Oct. 28, 1873

Uniform keyboard

OK, thanks, that was very helpful.
It seems that Uniform includes the Janko keyboard, and as a generic term might encompass the Hayden.

However, the photos of this lovely isntrument on eBay show a pattern of black and white keys that doesn't match the Janko pattern. I wonder how the notes are arranged?

I alos wonder why PAs aren't made with the keyboard flat like in those pictures, with the keys pressing in towards hte bellows as on a concertina. I think it owuld be easier to play (and see your fingers when elarning). Probably for mechanical reasons, the PA keyboard is the way it is today.
--Mike K.