Music Spotlight - mechachoi
Thinking again of things that inspire deep sincerity in me, today's blog post is a fun one, featuring a mix of music, melodica, and memories!
Mike Choi AKA "mechachoi" is a musician of self-taught talent that I first encountered because of his unique covers of video game music using the impressively combined power of two different melodicas/pianicas, as he aptly showcases in this video. Listening to Choi's covers was the first time I had ever encountered the existence of the melodica as an instrument, and it left such a strong impression on me because of how uniquely charming it all was. He is also a skilled pianist with a flair for playing in a jazzy improvisational style, or also playing both a melodica and a regular full-sized piano at the same time. His cover of "Birabuto Kingdom" from Super Mario Land or the "Rainy Day" theme from Animal Crossing are some of my favourites to revisit. And while it doesn't seem like he's done one in a while as of this writing, he also occasionally streams session of jazzy video game music covers on his Twitch channel. Whether it was on Twitter (back when it still existed/was usable) or now sometimes on his Bluesky, it always really brightens my day to catch clips of the little music covers Choi does.
As noted in his FAQ on Twitch, Choi is completely self-taught and nor does he know how to read sheet music/standard musical notation. But considering the abundance of covers and music-making he does, it's apparent just how much it all stems from his absolute love of music, especially video game music. As a person who has also enjoyed playing some music on a self-taught basis but also does not really know how to read music, I find it pretty inspiring to witness what someone is capable of doing purely out of a deep and sincere love of the craft. It encourages me to get back on the hobby horse, in this case for music, every time I fall off, even if it's been a while. Every now and then, I really enjoy revisiting one of the earliest melodica-playing videos on Choi's channel, titled "Lucky Sandwich". The tune is so playfully cheerful, as is the joy in Choi's performance. It feels so simple and earnest. It inspires me to ground myself in that playfulness again, too.
Sidenote that feels like it would be a disservice not to mention: Choi is also, like, a professional mechanical engineer, and his hardware hacking talents also have a big presence in his work. His technical skill is on full display in his hilarious and fascinating video, "The Ultimate Nintendo Exercise Experience | Labo Fit Adventure Kart", about creating a way to get physical exercise done with Mario Kart on the Nintendo Switch using custom accessories he built himself. But Choi also custom-built his own electronic pianica instrument, the "Piani-tar Wind Instrument" (PWI-1), which he aptly describes as "a pianica that you can put whatever sounds you want on!" The PWI-1 has often featured during his Twitch streams, but can be witnessed in action during this cozy cover by Choi of "Rosalina in the Observatory" from Super Mario Galaxy.
A merry melodica memory
Fun story! It's because of Choi's playing that I learned about melodicas, but also specifically about the Yamaha P-37D, which is one of the main pianicas that he plays. That's how I was able to sense a vague tinge of recognition when I randomly discovered what seemed to be a stray model of this pianica in the toy section of a thrift store. It didn't have any of its accessories, like a mouthpiece or a blow pipe, but I couldn't shake the feeling that I'd seen it before. I wasn't completely sure, though... so I left the store without it, also telling myself I didn't need to spend on something that was perhaps a frivolous purchase.
But I could not stop thinking about it the entire time afterwards. That includes all the way until I finally looked it up and realized it was, indeed, the same red model of melodica that features in Choi's music. When that fact dawned on me, I knew I couldn't let it go. So I returned all the way back to that same thrift store the very next day, to dig through the same chaotic shelf of odds and ends in the toy aisle, hoping the melodica hadn't been snapped up already. And to my great fortune and ongoing delight to this day, I was able to make that melodica mine.
The cherry on top is that this instrument is usually like $175 brand new. But probably because of its toy-like appearance as some sort of chunky miniature keyboard, albeit one without any accessories, its true value was not known. How many people have any idea what a melodica is, after all? I imagine the thrift store staff in charge of sorting it were probably confused as to why it didn't produce any sound when its keys were pressed (not knowing that it is reed instrument powered by breath), and that it didn't even seem to run on batteries or have any electric sockets to plug into. So with all that in mind (or rather, not in mind at all), the total amount I paid for this pianica was $8.95. It is perhaps my greatest thrifted treasure of all time.
So, much appreciation to Mike Choi/mechachoi for all the wonderful and sincere music playing, and for being a big motivator/reason I was proudly able to obtain my own melodica, too!