NEED TO KNOW
What is it? A handheld, breath-powered keyboard that you can play unplugged, or through the built-in mic and 1/4" audio output.
What does it sound like? The lower register tends towards a rich and
slightly grungy accordion/harmonica hybrid; higher, it’s more like a
mix of harmonica and oboe.
Key details: The 44 mini waterfall keys feel much like those on
Hammond organs, but with a shallower keystroke and a range of middle C
to G3.
Why would you buy one? To use your keyboard skills anywhere you can
breathe. To play uniquely sweet and expressive parts — and have freedom
of movement while doing it. To grab an audience’s attention. If you’re
a sax player trapped in a keyboardist’s body.
Is it easy to play? Yes, but the pitch can change slightly depending
on how forcefully you blow; too softly made my lower notes go a bit
flat, for example.
PROS
Rugged and eye-catching. Musical, portable, and fun to
play. Rich, versatile sound. Three mouthpiece choices provide dynamic
playing options. Builtin mic and 1/4" output require neither batteries
nor power supply.
CONSExpensive.
INFO$799 list/approx. $550 street, www.hammondorganco.com
At my gig with singer Rachel Rossos at the Nuyorican Poets Café in Manhattan, I used the 44 for chordal pads and melodic lines, plugging it into the house sound system through a DI box. The internal mic fed clean sound to the PA, though little amplification was needed — for a small instrument, the 44 can get loud, and its acoustic firepower was nearly enough to fill the medium-sized club.
It’s also an eye-catcher. Chances are the majority of your audience will be seeing something completely new, especially if you use the gooseneck or hose mouthpieces. Good thing the 44 has tone to match its looks. Low chords can have a nice bit of grind to them, and higher notes make for sweet, oboe-ish melodies. The tone quality worked particularly well when paired with both piano and acoustic guitar.
Speaking of tone quality, the Melodion is a fine canvas on which to layer effects. Many of the tweaks I normally apply to Clav sounds work well. In the studio, I plugged straight into a MOTU UltraLite, laid down some chunky riffs in Apple Logic, and layered on distortion and an amp simulator. The result? Heavy rock goodness. I also got a trippy “Fly Like an Eagle” echo by playing through a BBE Two-Timer delay stompbox into a Roland MicroCube amp. While I had to crank the 44’s volume knob to feed the stompbox the hot signal it wanted, doing so created no clipping or unwanted overdrive.
While I adore the Hohner Melodica I’ve used for years, it and many of its contemporaries can feel more like toys than professional instruments. Hammond’s 44 Melodion is a different beast, a real musicmaking tool and nothing else. The tradeoff is that it’s priced like one — with a realworld price of around $550 (at press time), it may be out of reach of beginners or users looking only for novelty. If you can make the investment, though, the 44 Melodion is a serious, unique, fun-to-play axe that won’t disappoint.