Howland MIDI Button Accordion (MIDI Melodeon)

Have you ever wished that you could play your button accordion in any key?

Want more than just D/G?

Fancy D/G, C/C#, B/C, C/F or any key combination in one instrument?

Have you ever wanted to make your button accordion sound like a string orchestra? Or ceilidh band?

How about playing saxophone on the right hand and drums on the left?

The Howland MIDI Button Accordion is a unique and radically new advancement in the development of free-reed instruments. Now you can use your skills as a button accordion player to play any instrument you want - in any key - at the touch of a button.

The MIDI Button Accordion is also known as the MIDI Melodeon in the UK.

• About the MIDI Button Accordion
• What Is It?
• What Can I Do With It?
• What Do I Need?
• Who Is It Designed For?
• Reactions And Comments
• Technical Introduction
• How Can I Get One?
• Accordion Picture Gallery

Web-Counter shows that you are visitor number .

About the Howland MIDI Button Accordion

What Is It?

• The Howland MIDI Button Accordion is a high quality hand-built wooden accordion specially designed and built for use as a MIDI input device.
• The note assignment of each button on the keyboard - both treble and bass ends - is user configurable.
• Up to 12 unique keyboard mappings available simultaneously - changed at the touch of a button - even mid song.
• An external MIDI controller unit to drive the MIDI Button Accordion, complete with MIDI connections.

What Can I Do With It?

• Want to play in D/G, B/C, A/D, D/D#, F/Bb, C/C-minor?
• Assign different instruments, sounds or voices to the bass and treble ends.
• How about saxophone/piano, harpsichord/guitar, choir/funk bass combinations?
• Easy to configure via menus.
• Remote control of MIDI network and Controller from Accordion keyboard.
• Remote connection to a computer via MIDI or RS232 serial interfaces.

What Do I Need?

• A Howland MIDI Button Accordion.
• Any MIDI compatible sound source e.g a keyboard, sampler, sound module, drum machine.
• A little imagination.
• A desire to have lots of FUN..............

Who Is It Designed For?

• Anybody. Folk, rock, roots and techno-musicians will find that the MIDI Button Accordion will expand their music making.
• Music publishers, students and musicologists, for documenting button accordion music.
• The Howland MIDI Button Accordion is intrinsically rhythmic, and so is ideal for heavily rhythmic music such as reggae and Cajun.

Reactions And Comments?

• Played by Steve Riley of Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys - USA's leading Cajun band.
• Instruments have already been supplied to amateur and professional musicians in UK, USA and Europe.
• The Howland MIDI Button Accordion has already been demonstrated at all leading UK folk music festivals.
• Shown on BBC TV 'Tomorrows World' programme.

Technical Introduction

Howland MIDI Button Accordion

• High quality hand-built instrument casework. Black or Walnut veneer finish.
• 2 row instrument. 27 buttons - 21 on treble end, 8 bass end.
• Active bellows pressure sensing for detection of suck-blow and instrument dynamics.
• Each button may have up to 4 notes in each suck-blow direction configured for it.
• Each note may transmit on a different MIDI channel.
• Each set of button-note assignments defines a key map. Upto 12 key maps may be defined with the standard memory configuration.
• 48 key maps definable with memory expanded version.
• Easily configured by the musician.
• LCD and easy to use menus guide the user through the configuration process.
• Facility to configure and store up to 5 preset MIDI program changed with each key map.
• Supplied with standard configurations.
• State-of-the-Art microprocessor digital technology.
• Supplied with user manual and mains cable. Autoswitching 220/240V and 110V AC 50-60Hz power supply.

The Howland MIDI Button Accordion is designed and manufactured in the UK by Alba Computing Ltd.

How Can I Get One?

• The Howland MIDI Button Accordion is currently only available from the manufacturer.
• Each instrument is carefully hand built and crafted to the highest standard possible.
• A refundable deposit of GBP50 is required to secure your name on the order book and next batch to be manufactured.
• All instruments carry a full 12 month warranty.
• Price: GBP1600 plus VAT (within EC). Shipping is charged extra.
• Add GBP100 for memory expanded version.
• Request more information.