looking for a unique accordion

[Deleted member 48]

Ive found a video with a similar mini diatonic accordion from Russia.
Im looking to buy a similar mini accordion. Anyone an idea who still makes and sells these mini instruments?
Its the first one demonstrated, the red one he is playing:


Гармошки. Айнур Фатихов «Халык уен коралларында тезмә» (татарский концерт)

Just what I need for my sunday afternoon walks.
It says the concert was in Tatarstan.

The tatshop link in Tatarstan is offering cds, books, etc, but Im interested in the little accordion.

Why, why havent our accordion makers created those magnificent backpacker instruments ??

 

[Alan Sharkis]

The only thing I can think of is a small Dino Bafetti, called the "Art 2" which may still not be small enough.

 

[Deleted member 48]

The Italian mini organetto is an alternative option. Still, as you say, the Russian tulskaya garmon or the garmoshka cherepashka are compacter and lighter.
The Italian mini organetto usually is limited to a single diatonic octave.

A seven key Russian mini garmoshka usually has a range of two diatonic octaves.
Some historic models had keys with accidentals on the left side, making them entirely chromatic.

A mini organetto is about 1 kg.

Garmoshka cherepashkas weight range from 100 grams to 500 grams or more.

To make it useful I would go for a seven key.
The smallest ones have only 2 to 5 keys, but those are destined for show and circus acts.

 

[JerryPH]

Wasn't there a member here that said that he makes them?? Also was from (I think) Russia or that general area?

That was a while ago, perhaps 6-10 months, so try doing a search around here... good luck with the search!

 

[george garside]

it looks a bit like a piano key concertina in that both ends are hand held rather than being attached to the person. A concertina would do the job nicely and there are three basic concertina systems. Anglo - 2 notes per button as on a diatonic accordion. English - single note per button so perhaps more suitable for somebody coming from a piano box and Duet - again single note but with melody on one end and bass on the other giving a range similar to a piano keyboard and used tobe popular with concert hall performers but difficult to play.

There is also the hohner preciosa which is a very small but very usable two and a half row diatonic accordion/melodeon. They come up regularly on ebay and are excellent boxes which, I understand, were made by hohner so they would fit in a soldiers haversack or kitbag.

george

 

[Deleted member 48]

I already have a range of smallsize free reeds with bellows in my collection:
anglo concertina, english concertina, duet concertina, hohner liliput, miniature chromka garmoshka with 12 basses.

These are all between 1 kg and 2 kg.

I was thinking about one of the micro size organetto by the company Angelo Piccoli:
http://www.angelopiccoli.com/shop/it/36-il-piccolo

But there is no competition for the Russian miniature garmoshka cherepashkas in the category of miniature accordions. They are the only pocketsize free reeds with bellows I can find.
It was indeed a year ago a Russian maker presented his instruments on this forum:
http://garmoshki-cherepashki.ru/about-us-2/

http://garmoshki-cherepashki.ru/gallery/

The old historic ones also had buttons on the left hand side (C/G basses, or sharps/flats to make the instrument chromatic)
These new ones only have keys on the right hand or melody side.

 

[Deleted member 48]

The holy grail of miniatures is the chromatic bisonoric Pjotr Nevski layout:
Имела 3-7 клавиш. В процессе усовершенствования диапазон расширялся (до 10 клавиш). Строй диатонический, звуки разные при сжатии и разжиме мехов. Играли на Черепашке в ансамбле с фортепьяно или с другими видами гармоней (2-3-рядной венкой, хромкой, баяном). Наибольшее распространение получила в начале 20 века.


http://dic.academic.ru/pictures/enc_music/1374.jpg
Строй Черепашки Невского.
The image with the Pjotr Nevski layout:
http://www.russian-garmon.ru/other-types/5116-cherepanovka-cherepashka
(six keys on the melody side + five buttons on the left/bass side : entirely chromatic miniature instrument... , maximum 9 or 10 centimeters high ...)
В это время по инициативе Невского Черепашка была переделана в хроматический инструмент Черепашка системы Невского, или невская Черепашка; имела в левой клавиатуре мелодич. язычки, издававшие дополнительные полутоны, однако у неё по-прежнему отсутствовал басово-аккордовый аккомпанемент.