The little red accordion caught my eye in the shop window.
Problem
You may know the joke about the members of the orchestra walking up the gangplank carrying their instruments. One man doesn't have an instrument. The captain frowns suspiciously, stops the man and asks him, "Are you really a musician? Why aren't you carrying your instrument - like all the others!"
The musician replied, "I am a pianist. I couldn't carry a grand piano up the gangplank!"
You see people carying cellos and all kinds of instruments on the trains and through underground stations in London, England, Singapore, and all over the world. Mostly the people carrying large instruments are young, fit, enthusiasts.
If you are just out for the evening, or the day, for a gig, it's not so bad. You carry a musical instrument and nothing else.
However, I want to have a musical instrument with me permanently.
At first I carried a full size guitar. Then a smaller guitar. Then a ukelele.
I have given up travelling with a shoulder bag, a wheelie bag and a big guitar. It's too much trouble and worry.
I have found that travelling with anything delicate or fragile is a challenge. You might be careful, but the bus lurches and another passenger falls onto you. As you climb onto a bus or train carriage, you mount the steps and reach for the grab handle and your bag swings with an ominous clang against the metal side of the carriage.
Storage In Transit
A guitar blocks the way for others on a train. But you daren't put it in the luggage area by the door. Somebody could grab it at a stop and go off with it. Or sling their heavier bag on top of your light one.
I started considering which musical instruments are easy to transport, so you can pull something out to entertain people at a party, or even to lead a sing-song on a coach stuck in a traffic jam.
Miniature pianos
I performed a comedy routine for a neighbour's wedding anniversary party. I had three miniature pianos in my bag. Two were small and battery-operated. One was a roll-up piano.
Small, Easily Transportable Instruments
I recently bought a toy accordion. The nice thing about 'The Busker' toy accordion it is that it's small enough to carry around, unlike the bulk of a guitar. I carried my little red accordian, in its protective box, home on the bus.
If you know somebody, child or adult, who cannot play anything, yet, you could try buying them a music box, or self-playing piano. The professional musicians I know look with horror at music boxes. But at least it might interest the recipient in singing along, learning songs, reading music, and pitch.
The Harmonica
The smallest instrument is probably a harmonica. I have a harmonica playing friend called Penn who I see almost every year at Writers' Summer School, held annually in the UK. He plays the harmonica during his poetry readings and storytelling sessions on stage during the Buskers' night.
I thought he was a professional player with a great repertoire. He says he plays only three notes. You would never know.
Pocket Size Instruments
If you are looking for musical instruments small enough to put in your pocket, Ebony and Ivory's website sells a kazoo; and a Jaw/Jews harp.
I have ordered a harmonica which hangs from a necklace like a pendant. Another version which they sell is attached to a key-ring. At very least, I can get it out and talk about music on stage. I have always wanted a sterling silver musical instrument to wear on a bracelet. But a jangling bracelet is a nuisance next to a microphone. A real harmonica to wear would be great.
You can see me with my musical instruments and other stage props on a video on YouTube. At the three Toastmasters International clubs which I belong to, I am known as The Queen Of Props.
It is easier to buy a protective case in the shop, for a guitar or other instrument, to be sure of getting the right size and seeing the quality. If I want to go home and look online, rather than delaying and making a second visit to the music store, instead I will nip into a nearby coffee shop to secretly compare prices and sizes of covers.
Then I can go back into the shop and check the thickness of the cover fabric, whether the bag has room for accessories in an outside pocket or inside space, even whether the colour co-ordinates with my coat.
Alternatively, be bold and tell the shopkeeper: 'I've found this cheaper cover online. Is yours any better? Or can you offer me a cheaper one? Or reduce the price of this one?'
You might find that the shopkeeper has an old, stained, torn or damaged item which they can't sell and are delighted to sell to you at half price. Especially if you discover damage and they would have to withdraw the item from sale. (I bought the only orange scarf in a shop in Madeira at a reduced price, because it had two or three holes which looked cigarette burns.)
The shopkeeper might also be glad to show you the reason for the reduction in price of a cheap item which you are regarding suspiciously. I looked at a cheap white ukelele in Ebony and Ivory Ltd. Was it a proper ukelele? Did it actually play?
Or was it a fake? I had just looked at a guitar-shape mirror. I thought it was an electric guitar like a computer screen which played when you touched it with your fingertips. Nope. Just a guitar-shaped mirror.
The white ukelele, assistant Christian told me, was reduced price because of a slight mottling of the white paint on the side. Nothing affecting the playability of the instrument. A purist might prefer to pay full price for pristine paintwork. But if you are playing in the dark on stage at night, at a distance, nobody would notice. Great if you are on a budget.
White ukeleles in Ebony and Ivory Ltd. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.
Bargains For Xmas Stockings
While the summer or mid-season sales are on, you can look for gifts for Christmas for your music-minded family and friends.
Useful Websites
Ebony and Ivory Ltd on Ebay
The website of the toy accordion maker is:
www.jhs.co.uk
The assistant was Christian.
The shop I visited was:
https://ebonyivory.co.uk
Ebony and Ivory shop also has an eBay store:
http://www.ebaystores.co.uk/ebonyandivoryltd/
Ebony and Ivory Ltd
11 Varley Parade
Edgware Road
Colindale
London NW9
England
UK
Tel: 020 8200 5510
email ebonyandivoryltd@gmail.com
Travel writer and photographer, author and speaker, 'the queen of props'. Please bookmark and share your favourite posts.
