Help: looking for portable 'wind' organ

Subject: looking for portable 'wind' organ
From: Herma
Date: 25 Apr 01 - 04:29 PM

Looking for an instrument to play, folk style, saw it at a gig:(Roger Wilson's little backroom), a portable (electric) organ. It consists of about 27 notes, with a folding top, so it looks like a kind of suitcase when closed. The mechanism consists, roughly said, of an electric kind of fan, that blows air trough the reeds when touching the notes. It could go under the name of "Companion" or "Hohner", and should be manufactured about the 1960's. Does anyone know where to find an instrument like this,(preferably Europe) Really fell in love with the sound, and it would be an answer to which instrument I could play at session nights at our folkclub

Subject: RE: Help: looking for portable 'wind' organ
From: Hollowfox
Date: 25 Apr 01 - 04:36 PM

I've seen non-electric ones called melodeons, also called a "beena"(sp?) when used in the music of India. Good luck.

Subject: RE: Help: looking for portable 'wind' organ
From:
Date: 26 Apr 01 - 11:08 AM

Hand operated are call "Bina" I think.
I was given two of the electric ones to make one work. Never did.
those were very simple and could work on C cells.

Subject: RE: Help: looking for portable 'wind' organ
From: LR Mole
Date: 26 Apr 01 - 11:33 AM

Talk to Mr. Paw about hand-operated wind organs.