The Hohner Dronique is a diatonic melodica with the range of the venerable button Melodica Alto. It's name (pronounced drone-eek) comes from the innovative inclusion of five bass drone stops, the genius being that the drone reeds are supplied from a parallel wind-chest, thus the drones still sound, even when you're taking a breath. The keyboard, apart from being diatonic, is your standard melodica system - which is to say, you must blow each note, the lower ones being capable of limited bending.   Clever stuff all in all. The instrument is available in 4 distinctive green, blue, red and yellow tartan finishes which is printed directly onto the plastic case - and the keys too. Price - £57.

I might add that, as yet, The Hohner Dronique is only available from the music shop that featured in my dream last night - and you might imagine how I cursed when I woke up this morning. So - anyone out there from Hohner who could make my dream a reality? And, more to the point, anyone else ever dreamt of the ideal though otherwise non-existent instrument?