Instant Melodeon

Learn Traditional D/G Melodeon with Book and Soundtrack CD

Instant Melodeon CD Edition by Dave Mallinson is a practical tutor designed to help players quickly star

Learn Traditional D/G Melodeon with Book and Soundtrack CD

Instant Melodeon CD Edition by Dave Mallinson is a practical tutor designed to help players quickly start playing traditional music on a D/G melodeon using a combination of tablature, standard notation and a fully integrated soundtrack CD.

This tutor is designed specifically for the popular D/G two-row melodeon used in English and Irish traditional music.

Developed from over five decades of practical melodeon experience, this tutor focuses on real traditional music rather than abstract exercises. It introduces melody playing, bass accompaniment, rhythm and bellows control through carefully chosen easy tunes in the keys of D and G.

The attached soundtrack CD allows players to hear every tune properly played, making it easier to understand rhythm, phrasing, bass timing and the characteristic push-pull feel of the melodeon.

Only fourteen notes are required to play all 42 tunes, making this an accessible tutor for beginners and improving players wanting to quickly build real playing confidence.

Quick Overview

• Author: Dave Mallinson
• Instrument Focus: D/G melodeon
• Level: Beginner to improving player
• Format: Book with attached soundtrack CD
• Musical Focus: English, Irish and folk dance music
• Features: Melodeon tablature, bass guidance and graded tunes
• Tunes Included: 42 traditional tunes

What This Book Teaches

This tutor introduces the practical mechanics of D/G melodeon playing in a highly visual and accessible format. It covers bass rhythm, melody playing, bellows direction, button choice, timing and tune structure.

The specially designed tablature system shows exactly which buttons to press and whether to push or pull the bellows for every note, allowing beginners to understand the instrument more intuitively even without previous music-reading experience.

The bass tablature and spacing system also helps players visualise how melody and accompaniment fit together rhythmically, helping develop a satisfying one-man-band sound.

Traditional Music Focus

The book focuses on easy reels and jigs in D and G, introducing players to the foundations of traditional melodeon repertoire commonly heard in folk sessions, Morris dancing, ceilidhs and traditional music gatherings.

The repertoire draws heavily from English and Irish traditional music while also including familiar folk and dance tunes that sit naturally on the D/G melodeon.

Why We Recommend It

At Squeezebox Marketplace, we recommend Instant Melodeon CD Edition because it offers an unusually practical and realistic route into traditional melodeon playing.

Dave Mallinson’s self-taught background gives him a particularly strong understanding of the difficulties facing adult beginners, and the tutor reflects decades of accumulated practical experience from sessions, performances and teaching.

Dave Mallinson’s melodeon tutors have helped generations of traditional musicians develop practical session and dance music skills.

The attached soundtrack CD is especially valuable because rhythm, bass timing and bellows phrasing are much easier to absorb by listening as well as reading.

Who This Book Is For

• Complete beginners learning D/G melodeon
• Adult learners without regular access to a teacher
• Self-taught musicians wanting a clearer structure
• Players interested in English and Irish traditional music
• Melodeon players wanting stronger bass rhythm skills
• Folk musicians building traditional session repertoire

Key Features

• Written by Dave Mallinson: Respected traditional musician and melodeon tutor author.
• Integrated Soundtrack CD: Hear every tune properly played.
• Melodeon Tablature Included: Suitable for players without previous music-reading experience.
• Traditional Repertoire: Easy reels and jigs ideal for D/G melodeon.
• Bass and Melody Together: Helps players develop accompaniment skills early.
• Strong Visual Layout: Makes bellows direction and rhythm easier to understand.
• Designed for Real Traditional Music: Built around session and dance repertoire.

Specifications

• Title: Instant Melodeon CD Edition
• Author: Dave Mallinson
• SKU: AM105S
• Format: Book with attached CD
• Instrument: D/G melodeon
• Level: Beginner to improving player
• Number of Tunes: 42
• Page Count: 24 pages
• ISBN: 9781899512915
• Music Styles: English and Irish traditional music
• Soundtrack Instrument: MMM tuned melodeon

Contents and Tune List

Click to view the full contents and tune list

Foreword by Simon Care
The Treble and Bass Layout
Bass Exercises
Scales Exercises

Aiken Drum
Balance the Straw
Blue-Eyed Stranger
Bonny Breast Knot
Bonny Green Garters
Brown Banner
Buttered Peas
Camptown Races
Dorset Four Hand Reel
Drunken Sailor
Fiery Clock Face
Galopede
Grimstock
Here’s to a Maiden
Hey Away
Hunt the Squirrel
Huntsmen's Chorus
I’ll Tell Me Ma
Jenny Lind
The Lady in the Boat
Lass o' Dallowgill
Laudanum Bunches
Maggie in the Wood
Major Mackie's
Moon and Seven Stars
Muffin Man
Nelly Bly
New Rigged Ship
Oats, Peas, Beans
Oh! Susanna
Oh! the Britches
Perfect Cure
Portsmouth
Rattlin' Bog
Salmon Tails
Shave the Donkey
This Old Man
Three Around Three
Tink-a-Tink
Tip Top Polka
Wha Saw the Forty Twa
Winster Gallop

About the Soundtrack

The included soundtrack CD demonstrates timing, bellows direction, bass rhythm and tune phrasing exactly as intended in the tutor.

Mally plays an MMM tuned melodeon on the recording, giving the soundtrack a rich and characterful traditional melodeon sound.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this suitable for complete beginners?

Yes. The tutor was specifically designed for beginners and self-taught players starting the D/G melodeon.

What is a D/G melodeon?

A D/G melodeon is a two-row diatonic button accordion commonly used for English folk music, Morris dancing and traditional session playing.

Do I need to read music?

No. The tablature system allows beginners to learn without previous music-reading knowledge.

Is the soundtrack included?

Yes. This edition includes an attached soundtrack CD.

What styles of music does it teach?

The tutor focuses mainly on traditional English and Irish reels and jigs suitable for folk sessions and dance music.

Does the tutor teach bass accompaniment?

Yes. Bass rhythm and accompaniment are an important part of the tutor’s teaching approach.

What does MMM tuned melodeon mean?

MMM refers to a three-voice melodeon tuning setup that produces a rich, full and lively traditional sound.

Compare with Other Melodeon Tutors

Instant Melodeon CD Edition works particularly well alongside Dave Mallinson’s other melodeon tutors including Absolute Beginners and Tunes and Techniques. Each book approaches traditional melodeon playing slightly differently, allowing players to build broader musical understanding.

Explore More

Browse our complete range of accordion and melodeon books, tunes and learning resources, or explore our melodeon collection if you are choosing your first instrument.

Included

• Printed Tutor Book: Melodeon tutor with tablature, bass exercises and graded tunes.
• Attached Soundtrack CD: Demonstrates rhythm, phrasing and traditional melodeon style.

Trust Closing

Learning melodeon becomes far more enjoyable when rhythm, bass and bellows technique are explained clearly through real traditional tunes. Instant Melodeon CD Edition remains one of the most practical and musician-focused introductions to D/G melodeon playing available.

“For outstanding results, just add practice.” — Dave Mallinson

t playing traditional music on a D/G melodeon using a combination of tablature, standard notation and a fully integrated soundtrack CD.

Developed from over five decades of practical melodeon experience, this tutor focuses on real traditional music rather than abstract exercises. It introduces melody playing, bass accompaniment, rhythm and bellows control through carefully chosen easy tunes in the keys of D and G.

The attached soundtrack CD allows players to hear every tune properly played, making it easier to understand rhythm, phrasing, bass timing and the characteristic push-pull feel of the melodeon.

Only fourteen notes are required to play all 42 tunes, making this an accessible and highly encouraging tutor for beginners and improving players alike.

Quick Overview

• Author: Dave Mallinson
• Instrument Focus: D/G melodeon
• Level: Beginner to improving player
• Format: Book with attached soundtrack CD
• Musical Focus: English, Irish and folk dance music
• Features: Melodeon tablature, bass guidance and graded tunes
• Tunes Included: 42 traditional tunes

What This Book Teaches

This tutor introduces the practical mechanics of D/G melodeon playing in a highly visual and accessible format. It covers bass rhythm, melody playing, bellows direction, button choice, timing and tune structure.

The specially designed tablature system shows exactly which buttons to press and whether to push or pull the bellows for every note, allowing beginners to understand the instrument quickly even without previous music-reading experience.

The bass tablature and spacing system also helps players visualise how melody and accompaniment fit together rhythmically, helping develop a satisfying one-man-band sound.

Traditional Music Focus

The book focuses on easy reels and jigs in D and G, introducing players to the foundations of traditional melodeon repertoire commonly heard in folk sessions, Morris dancing, ceilidhs and traditional music gatherings.

The repertoire draws heavily from English and Irish traditional music while also including familiar folk and dance tunes that sit naturally on the D/G melodeon.

Why We Recommend It

At Squeezebox Marketplace, we recommend Instant Melodeon CD Edition because it offers an unusually practical and realistic route into traditional melodeon playing.

Dave Mallinson’s self-taught background gives him a particularly strong understanding of the difficulties facing adult beginners, and the tutor reflects decades of accumulated practical experience from sessions, performances and teaching.

The attached soundtrack CD is especially valuable because traditional rhythm, bass timing and bellows phrasing are far easier to absorb through listening.

Who This Book Is For

• Complete beginners learning D/G melodeon
• Adult learners without regular access to a teacher
• Self-taught musicians wanting a clearer structure
• Players interested in English and Irish traditional music
• Melodeon players wanting stronger bass rhythm skills
• Folk musicians building traditional session repertoire

Key Features

• Written by Dave Mallinson: Respected traditional musician and melodeon tutor author.
• Integrated Soundtrack CD: Hear every tune properly played.
• Melodeon Tablature Included: Suitable for players without previous music-reading experience.
• Traditional Repertoire: Easy reels and jigs ideal for D/G melodeon.
• Bass and Melody Together: Helps players develop accompaniment skills early.
• Strong Visual Layout: Makes bellows direction and rhythm easier to understand.
• Designed for Real Traditional Music: Built around session and dance repertoire.

Specifications

• Title: Instant Melodeon CD Edition
• Author: Dave Mallinson
• SKU: AM105S
• Format: Book with attached CD
• Instrument: D/G melodeon
• Level: Beginner to improving player
• Number of Tunes: 42
• Page Count: 24 pages
• ISBN: 9781899512915
• Music Styles: English and Irish traditional music
• Soundtrack Instrument: MMM tuned melodeon

Contents and Tune List

Click to view the full contents and tune list

Foreword by Simon Care
The Treble and Bass Layout
Bass Exercises
Scales Exercises

Aiken Drum
Balance the Straw
Blue-Eyed Stranger
Bonny Breast Knot
Bonny Green Garters
Brown Banner
Buttered Peas
Camptown Races
Dorset Four Hand Reel
Drunken Sailor
Fiery Clock Face
Galopede
Grimstock
Here’s to a Maiden
Hey Away
Hunt the Squirrel
Huntsmen's Chorus
I’ll Tell Me Ma
Jenny Lind
The Lady in the Boat
Lass o' Dallowgill
Laudanum Bunches
Maggie in the Wood
Major Mackie's
Moon and Seven Stars
Muffin Man
Nelly Bly
New Rigged Ship
Oats, Peas, Beans
Oh! Susanna
Oh! the Britches
Perfect Cure
Portsmouth
Rattlin' Bog
Salmon Tails
Shave the Donkey
This Old Man
Three Around Three
Tink-a-Tink
Tip Top Polka
Wha Saw the Forty Twa
Winster Gallop

About the Soundtrack

The included soundtrack CD demonstrates timing, bellows direction, bass rhythm and tune phrasing exactly as intended in the tutor.

Mally plays an MMM tuned melodeon on the recording, giving the soundtrack a rich and characterful traditional melodeon sound.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this suitable for complete beginners?

Yes. The tutor was specifically designed for beginners and self-taught players starting the D/G melodeon.

Do I need to read music?

No. The tablature system allows beginners to learn without previous music-reading knowledge.

Is the soundtrack included?

Yes. This edition includes an attached soundtrack CD.

What styles of music does it teach?

The tutor focuses mainly on traditional English and Irish reels and jigs suitable for folk sessions and dance music.

Does the tutor teach bass accompaniment?

Yes. Bass rhythm and accompaniment are an important part of the tutor’s teaching approach.

What does MMM tuned melodeon mean?

MMM refers to a three-voice melodeon tuning setup that produces a rich, full and lively traditional sound.

Compare with Other Melodeon Tutors

Instant Melodeon CD Edition works particularly well alongside Dave Mallinson’s other melodeon tutors including Absolute Beginners and Tunes and Techniques. Each book approaches traditional melodeon playing slightly differently, allowing players to build broader musical understanding.

Explore More

Browse our complete range of accordion and melodeon books, tunes and learning resources, or explore our melodeon collection if you are choosing your first instrument.

Included

• Printed Tutor Book: Melodeon tutor with tablature, bass exercises and graded tunes.
• Attached Soundtrack CD: Demonstrates rhythm, phrasing and traditional melodeon style.

Trust Closing

Learning melodeon becomes much easier when rhythm, bass and bellows technique are explained clearly through real traditional tunes. Instant Melodeon CD Edition remains one of the most practical and musician-focused introductions to D/G melodeon playing available.

“For outstanding results, just add practice.” — Dave Mallinson