I recently acquired 6 paper disks marked "MUSIC-DISK for Lawrence Welk's Music Maker".  They are 7-1/4 inches in diameter, about .020" thick, with a 1/2" square hole in the center reinforced with metal.  There are 10 tracks around this disk with holes punched that are 1/4" in width and vary from 1/8" to 1/4" in size.

They are apparently for a harmonica based instrument, since they have a START point and several BREATHE points around the disk.  Has anyone seen one of these instruments and what does it look like.  Incidentally, it was manufactured by the Kenner Products Co. in Cincinnati, OH.  Any info anyone can provide will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Lou Kretchek
Fri, 17 Nov 2000 10:36:03 -0500

--------------------

Lou Kretchek mentioned that he had found some disks for a "Lawrence Welk's Music Maker" manufactured by Kenner Products in Cincinnati about 1956.  Well, I have one, and I remember a couple of the neighborhood kiddies having had them in the late 1950s.  The one I have is complete and has never been removed from the original box.

It isn't a harmonica-based instrument.  The musical bit is more like a panpipe than anything else.  The disks sit atop the plastic panpipe and a hinged top-piece swings down and latches itself and the disk down on the panpipe.  This top-piece has an attached tube through which the user blows.  The lower part, the panpipe, has a crank and gear integral, to drive the disk by the brass reinforced center drive hole.  Everything except the disks is hard plastic of some sort.

The original set came with 10 disks of "children's music".  (I have used the spelling "disks", because that's what's printed on the box.)  As I recall, most of these didn't last long since hot wet breath didn't do the light cardboard disks much good.  The kids in my old neighborhood were especially good at slobbering into any sort of musical toy.

Dean Randall
Mon, 20 Nov 2000 00:13:55 -0800
 
 

See also "Blow-A-Tune" indexed at http://www.mmdigest.com/Archives/KWIC/B.html#blo