Melodeons & Pirates

[Martin Milner]

I was pleased to find a melodeon included in the Pirate Galleon set 3940, mostly because I play such an instrument.



The "Rosetti Rambler" behind it is a full scale and fully playable version (i.e. it's the real thing). It's not a particularly good quality one, but it is playable.

The pink buttons should be on the Klicky's right hand side,;this is the melody side. The left hand controls the air button (which allows air in or out without sounding a note) and two "spoons" which are a bass note & chord, which give an oom-pa effect when properly manipulated.

Unfortunately the melodeon was not developed until around 1800-1814, so it wasn't around during the golden age of piracy.

In order that children should not be improperly educated, I suggest that anyone buying this set or any other pirate set including a melodeon should remove the offending article and sent it to me (full address will be provided by PM as required).

I will ensure that any melodeons sent to me will remain separated from the Pirates, and used only in their proper historical setting.

A fiddle would be the appropriate item to include for musical pirates, btw.

[Sylvia]

In order that children should not be improperly educated, I suggest that anyone buying this set or any other pirate set including a melodeon should remove the offending article and sent it to me (full address will be provided by PM as required).

I will ensure that any melodeons sent to me will remain separated from the Pirates, and used only in their proper historical setting.

Nice try.

Very interesting info! I wonder if anyone else had picked up on this accessory being incorrect for the time period.

It sounds like you are a man of many talents, Martin.

[cachalote]

 
i had the thought that all accordions folded both ways and maybe the photo you have of the little blue one is upside-down.
 
to my knowledge the melodion / accordion playmobil includes in the pirates' ship was a very early prototype made by the famous austrian pirate dietrich damian.
dietrich was the great-great-great-grandson of cyrill damian, the guy that finally patented it in vienna in 1829.
dietrich was not able to handle a cutlass, hated the smell of gun-powder and always refused to board other ships.
his musical and craftamship capabilities saved him from a cruel destiny though. while playing to entertain the crew, his poor performance as a pirate was forgotten.
his reputation as a music player increased after he developed his accordion - the production of totally new sounds spread terror on the ships his crew was trying to attacck.
he died a very old man in cuba, attacked by a shark that jumped from the water to the beach when he was playing his instrument (as you know sharks are attracted by strange vibrations).
this had happened to dietrich before, when another shark bit off his leg while he was playing an earlier version of his instrument.
from that moment till he died, his nickname changed from "yellow dietrich" to "peg-leg dietrich".
it is now thought that the popularity of the bandoleon (a variation on the accordion) in argentina and uruguay comes directly form dietrich that sold one of his instruments to a fellow south american pirate that lived in rio de la plata.
 

[Martin Milner]

i had the thought that all accordions folded both ways and maybe the photo you have of the little blue one is upside-down.

Yes, they all go in and out, they have to or they'd fill up with air very quickly and you'd have to buy a new one, but the photo is the right way up; trust me, I play these things. The melody is played with the right hand, so the row of buttons goes that side. You could build a left-handed version but it'd cost a fortune (they're already very expensive instruments), and I've never seen one yet.

I'll post a pic or video of one being played to demonstrate.

Nice story! The Bandoleon (or bandonion or bandoneon as I've seen it variously spelt) is indeed one branch of the "squeezebox" family, not commonly seen in the UK. The humble Harmonica also belongs in the free-reed family, but doesn't have bellows, you have to attach human lungs.