Melodeon Player

Melodeon Player

A Melodeon is an accordion that has buttons, rather than piano keys and requires a different skill set to play. The method of playing is captured and described in video: AAS_AR_13 How to Play Melodeon.

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Scottish Gaelic

Intangible

534

Box Player’

11/08/2025

https://www.nesshistorical.co.uk Communn Eachdraidh Nis has a section of their archive dedicated to the different ‘Bothans’ in each village the stories associated with them and the court transcripts after police raids. https://www.welovestornoway.com/index.php/articles/38185-police-raid-recalls-struggles-at-bothan A recent press article details the experience and cultural significance of the ‘Bothans’ to the transmission of oral story telling and musical skills within the community.

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https://culturality.museum/wiki/index.php/Melodeon_Player_

Oral story telling traditions and the gaelic language. Many of the traditional Melodeon songs from Ness were written by men away at sea and depict a sense of longing for home. The illegal drinking ‘Bothans’ of the 1940’s onwards in the Western Isles also facilitated a social environment where the Melodeon was played and stores were told. In a recent Fèis, young musicians were taken on a tour of the old, disused ‘Bothans’. See below for a link to the article.

Netty Sopata

The interviewee learnt to pay the Melodeon unformally as a young child. An uncle bought one home to the island after working away on the mainland. Songs were learnt ‘by ear’ and not taught through learning to read sheet music.

Taigh Dhonnchaidh (TD)(The House of Donald)https://www.taighdhonnchaidh.com focuses on providing a place for the Ness Melodeon band to practice and to hold lessons for children. Local and National MOD competitions are also held. https://www.ancomunn.co.uk/nationalmod

There are no specific roles with the Ness Melodeon Band when they practice or perform. There is however a committee who run TD, some of whom are band members. There are no defined gender related roles but traditionally Melodeon players were male. There is one female member in the band and an increasing number of young female players progressing through TD.

A sense relaxation and well being after playing every Thursday is always felt. The social cohesion and laughter from playing and practicing together as a band..The Thursday evening sessions at Taigh Dhonnchaidh are open to anyone who wants to attend, musical or not.

The Melodeon Player – Roddy Martin had an understanding of the instruent being played frequently in the 1920s/1930s and recalls seeing old photographs of people heading off on the may or August holidays – always with someone carrying a Melodeon, the ‘rock stars’ of their time. The regularity with which the Meloedeon is used in un-organised social settings has altered, with the ceasation of the ‘bothans’ (illegal dringing dens)and the introduction of licsenced premises.

Fèisean nan Gàidheal https://www.feisean.org/en/, Bòrd na Gàidhlig https://www.gaidhlig.scot/en/

Taigh Dhonnchaidh, The Clan MacQuarrie Community Centre, Communn Eachdraidh Nis (The Ness Historical Society).

Deterioration of space

Taigh Dhonnchaidh was given to the community by Duncan ‘Major’ Morrison a musician and local teacher. In 1990 it was renovated and although in use now requires extensive maintenance. Additonal space is also required to facilitate storage of instruments and lessons / performances. Architecture plans have been drafted fro an extension and renovation, and the committee are currently fundraising money to complete the work.

Touristification

The cruise ship industry has just started to become established in the Western Isles and local, rural communities have been keen to capitilise by organising events in rural areas that passengers can pay to attend. This year a ‘Cruise Ceilidh’ was held at the local Social Club for such passengers. Ness Melodeon Band played at the event and it was a great success. At the second event, a younger, new band played (with a mixture of traditional instruments and all of who had learnt at Taigh Dhonnchaidh), again the event was well received and provided some much needed income for these volunteer-led organisations.

Aged practitioners,Diminishing participation,Reduced practice

The Ness Meldoeon Band consists predominantly of men over 60 years of age, with one female in her 40s. Because of the work that Taigh Dhonnchaidh have done over the past thirty years there is however a foundation of younger players. But, because the children have learnt in a formal way and not ‘by ear’ they all ‘sound’ the same. It is the belief of the Melodeon player interviewed however, that once these younger players gain confidence and experiment with their technique they will also develop their own, unique sound. Although there is a reduction in practice it is a valued cultural practice in Ness and the Western Isles.

Insufficient financial resources,Insufficient renumeration,Increased income disparity,Rapid economic transformation,Arduous training

Melodeon Playing is seen as an additional form of income, not main one.

Educational standardisation

Resources to teach Music as a subject in schools have been significantly reduced over the decades. Within Ness the local primary schools pupils (5 – 12yrs of age) only have access to traditional music tuition through the work carried out by Taigh Dhonnchaidh.

Rural-urban migration,Population Influx

The Western Isles have a decreasing population size and an increasing age demographic. This is due in part to young people moving away and remaining on the mainland where more options exist to earn higher levels of income. The other contributing factor are older, wealthier people moving into the community from the mainland, attracted by the comparative high levels of service provision in healthcare and lower property prices in areas that offer a higher standard of living. These deomographic alterations have also led to a reduction in Gaelic speakers, particulary within domestic environments.

New pastimes,Rapid sociocultural change

These deomographic alterations identified above has led to a reduction in Gaelic speakers, particulary within domestic environments. This has an impact on the evolution of oral story telling, place names and songs. There are however, some younger, Gaelic speaking musicians researching, retaining and amplifying oral story telling though song. In addition there is a strong traditonal music scene in Scotland inclusive of Melodeon players.

Loss of ancestral language,Loss of cultural spaces,Loss of knowledge,Loss of cultural significance

As per comments above. Although there is a Gaelic Medium education system this ‘formal’ Gaelic does not have the nuances of Gaelic dialects from specific areas within the Western Isles. Traditional Ness Gaelic for example is very different to the Gaelic spoken in Barra.

In 1999 Taigh Dhonnchaidh was renovated and converted into a Gaelic arts and music centre, with a strong focus on traditional elements of the local culture. The new arts centre was officially opened on 24 July 2000. Each Easter the venue hosts a ‘finis’ - a Gaelic music and cultural festival - offering tuition in instrumental music, as well as Gaelic singing, drama and art. Instrumental classes also run throughout the school session. In addition, various ceilidhs, storytelling evenings and other community events are held throughout the year and the premises is also the base for the Ness Melodeon Band. Ness is within the community owned Galson Estate, consisting of 56,000 acres of coast, agricultural land and moor in the North West of the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. The estate comprises of 22 villages running from Upper Barvas to Port of Ness with a population of nearly 2,000 people. The estate passed into community ownership on 12 January 2007, to be managed on their behalf by Urras Oighreachd Ghabhsainn (https://www.galsontrust.com) The area is rural, with a strong cultural heritage centered around the gaelic language, traditional music and crofting https://www.crofting.scotland.gov.uk.  

Melodeon AAS_AR_11I1 / I2/I3 and Videos: AAS_AR_11 How to Play Melodeon.

Taigh Dhonnchaidh has solar panels installed for heating and hot water.

Although playing a Melodeon forms only a secondary income for most players it can still be seen as a diversification of income for some. The transition to perform for cruise liner passengers is also a new diversification.

Quality Education,Gender Equality,Affordable and Clean Energy,Decent Work and Economic Growth,Industry Innovation and Infrastructure,Reduced Inequalities,Sustainable Cities and Communities,Life On Land

Taigh Dhonnchaidh, Habost, Port of Ness, Isle of Lewis, Scotland, HS20TG

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