Squeezebox Advent Calendar with John Spiers - December 2nd - Hohner Pokerwork in F/Bb

[@jeremysymes556]

I started out with an East German copy of the Hohner (1982) and the buttons would jam in the keyboard; my playing improved with a Paolo Soprani. I recently added a C/F Hohner Pokerwork to the stable. It's a real joy to play having had the accidentals changed to notes within the scale. I think these boxes are undervalued on the second-hand market and worth buying if marked "Made in Germany".

[@coley51]

The first DG I plated was one I bought from the late Harry Boardman in 1974-Harry wanted to concentrate on Anglo Concertina..Great boxes to learn on.Knowing sweet FA about music at the time,I wanted to play at Irish sessions in Manchester-wrong box?Being a pig headed bastard at the time,I started practising up to eight hours a day-and hey presto,forty years down the line,I can play Irish stuff at sessions !

[@londonfolkmusic6218]

Marvellous! I thought there was magic inside, fascinating to see what it actually looks like.

[@borogroves7629]

Fascinating! And I really love the Slow Sloe!

[@emilyforster5716]

These are great videos, not just for the mechanics but also for a bit of the history of your instruments! Love the slow sloe - might have to try playing along later (when I'm not meant to be working..!)

[@magicgalexy]

That box really does sound glorious! Very bright, it sounds almost sparkly! Lovely arrangement of the Sloe too :)

[@mccypr]

I think that I watched a video by Lester Bailey working on one of these. Very cool stuff! Thanks!✌️🌞😎🎅🏻

[@johnmackenzie7487]

Like the slow sloe

[@dmacseain]

Invaluable to any boxer. Thx!

[@leamunelli6032]

Thank you.That helps so much...I found playing french tunes on G/C squeaky on high notes ( unless you have a posh box )..and to me found D/G a little better all depending on what octave you choose...so the perfect world for french would be F/Bb thus playing the high notes required but sounding less squeaky....Does this make any sense

[@Auldpharte]

That’s a lovely sound. Very different from your standard pokerwork.

[@sirsah4181]

Hello, can you please contact me? I bought an old hohner similar to yours but I have a problem, no one can identify what model it is.

[@PiersCawley]

I used to think that was just what a melodeon looks like, clacky buttons and all.

[@hrkarlhungus]

Bb/F sounds fantastic. Where do you typically find reeds that will find this box? Mine has rusted tongues. 🎄

[@squeezyjohn1]

www.harmonikas.cz/en/uvod-english/ ... but they didn't fit my instrument and I had to adapt the reed blocks.

[@leamunelli6032]

Hi John..I just love the sound of that box..question if I may..am I correct in saying..F/Bb is a step lower than a G/C ? but higher thana D/G and they have the same fingering

[@squeezyjohn1]

Half correct ... F/Bb is a step lower than a G/C, but D/G is a high tuning so F/Bb is 9 semitones below D/G tuning. But all 5th apart boxes have the same fingering, it just transposes depending on what key you're in.

[@dmacseain]

One often hears the terms 'melodeon' and 'accordion' used interchangeably, such that I'm unclear of any distinction. That is until I think I heard you something in one of these videos... Melodeons have different notes on the push and pull while accordions have same note in each direction. Is that a thing?

[@squeezyjohn1]

It's actually a little more complicated than that! Accordion is the whole family of squeezebox instruments which has a keyboard on the right hand that is perpendicular to the end of the instrument (as opposed to the concertina family where the buttons are directly on the side). In most of the English-speaking world, the word melodeon only tends to apply to single row instruments with a different note for each direction, but in England we use the term to apply to all larger diatonic (different note on push and pull) instruments. But some people call them "diatonic button accordions" ... it's complicated!

[@dmacseain]

@@squeezyjohn1 Thx, that's helpful.

[@paulcaswell2813]

@@dmacseain To mention another top notch player (Cutting), he insists that only the single-row instrument is a 'melodeon', with the others being called 'button accordions'...

[@spodosol]

It’s not a shield, it’s a frisbee TM. Shields are not cinematic.

[@squeezyjohn1]

I beg your pardon???