Yamaha Pianica 37-note Melodica, Black (P-37EBK)

I'm not a seasoned melodica player by any means, and in fact, this is my first go at playing one. I primarily play piano, but have fun with any instrument I can find. This melodica, however, was something different from other instruments I've played. It required virtually no ramp up time to be playing great sounding music. You blow and press the keys and get amazing sound. This might require some practice for people who are used to larger keys. I have a variety of midi controllers though with smaller and narrower keys, though, so adjusting to this particular instrument wasn't an issue. The sound is beautiful. The low registers have a nice warm sound and the high registers are crisp and clear without any shrillness to them. I was expecting a harsher sound closer to a harmonica, and while chords certainly are reminiscent of metal reeds, it's still capable of producing some interesting and warm tones/harmonics with a whole variety of chord types.My only complaints have to do with the nature of a melodica in general, so isn't something I would detract points for. The first is that the keys have a clack to them and the action isn't exactly smooth. I was expecting something more akin to synth action keys, but my understanding is that this due to the internal mechanisms for allowing air flow, so is something to expect. It's not really noticeable when you're playing, though, since the instrument's sound overpowers it, but it might be something that needs to be considered if you're doing any recording, as I'd imagine certain mics may be more prone to picking it up. My second complaint, and this is purely as a pianist, is that playing some melodic lines over chords sounds so-so, since there's no way to articulate individual notes through dynamics, it's dynamically all or nothing based on breath -- again, something inherent to melodicas so it won't detract from the rating.The build is very nice. It has a sleek look and doesn't feel cheap. The strap on the back is a nice touch, though I feel like it's maybe not the best for ergonomics for my short little arms, but may be very useful for attaching it to my ukulele to try a Frankenstein combo of thumb strumming and smooth melodica lines. The dynamic range appears to be really good, can get quiet to loud that's very responsive to your breath, but I have no context to compare with other melodicas.Branding this as an "adult" melodica versus a pro one is a strange marketing strategy, but don't let that oddity make you think this is somehow no a professional piece of equipment. Fantastic instrument and something I'd recommend to any musician who loves playing different things.

This melodica is perfect. The keys are perfect. Manufacturing quality is perfect. And it sounds much smoother and more mellow than other melodicas, which is why I bought it. It doesn't have that hollow, harsh, cheap plastic sound that other melodicas have. I'm happy with it and I'm having a lot of fun learning how to play it. Oh yeah the keys work very well too. I think someone else said the keys stick but they don't at all on mine. There's nothing wrong with the keys. They move easily and work perfect. This is a fine instrument. I prefer to buy Yamaha musical instruments in almost every case, because I know it's going to have outstanding quality. I got my first Yamaha instrument when I was a kid because it was the best quality Trombone in the store. I'm still very loyal to the brand and I love their tuning fork logo too. I play several different kinds of instruments and plan to buy & learn to play additional new Yamaha musical instruments.

I purchased this for my child’s senior photo day. Unlike other portable musical instruments, you can’t bring in a piano to studios, but I wanted some musical elements in the senior photos. This instrument is an expensive version of my childhood Pianica. It has more keys than my old school kids version and it sounds at least a little bit better.On the senior photo day, the photographers praised the prop that they have never seen one like it. We were all excited and the session went very well. I appreciate that Jon Batiste plays Melodica on TV. I hope this instrument gets more popular. Thank you, Amazon.

This is a nice little melodica. You will need to spend a couple hours fine tuning it if you plan to play in an ensemble or you have perfect pitch. If its intent is a toy, then you should be good out of the box.

This one has softer tone than the previous version.

My son loves it

Good brand name but mainly plastic.

That's how it is being marketed in Japan. The ambiguity of "adult" is apparently neither lost nor gained in translation and has been a source of amusement to Japanese keyboard harmonica fans posting about the new model. The P-37Ehas a quality look and solid construction that I personally prefer to those of the P-37D. It has a more muted sound as a result of some innovations that you can read about by looking at the company's marketing (using Google translator). I found it, for some reason, to be harder to tune than my P-37D. I also found it to be less responsive and to require more air pressure (breath). The parts of the P-37E (which comes in brown as well as in black) and the P-37D are interchangeable. To make a long story short: I ended up creating a hybrid, with the innards of my P-37D transplanted into the enclosure of the P-37E. The sound is essentially that of the P-37E, but the hybrid is easier to play.If you're deciding between the new P-37E and the tried and true P-37D, or you're thinking about upgrading, my recommendation would be to go with or stay with The P-37D. The P-37E looks "more like a real musical instrument," I guess, but it has some serious wrinkles that need to be ironed out. It's not currently offered with Prime delivery, which seems fitting since it's not quite ready for prime time.If you are a melodica fanatic, you may be familiar with the Angel Melodyhorn 37, which is a Korean imitation of the Yamaha P-37D. The P-37E sounds quite a bit like the Melodyhorn 37.