Re: [Harp-L] Seydel Big Six is in

[Philharpn@xxxxxxx]

The Seydel Big Six is designed to be played in second position and so has 
just enough notes to do that.

 Somebody on the list once said that most harmonica players really didn't 
need a 10-hole harmonica because most of them never played anything above the 6th 
hole anyway. Well, somebody at Seydel must have heard this remark and taken 
it to heart --urr harp.

The key of C Big Six is designed to be played in second position in the key 
of G and the notes provide a complete mixolydian mode (play G to G on the white 
keys of the piano).

The other issue, about the ubiquitous key of C -- It's everywhere, it's 
everywhere, it's everywhere.

I thought this was explained by one (or more) of the more knowledgeable 
sources on Harp-L, perhaps even someone connected to the harmonica industry as to 
why C is the most common key.

It's register fits in the middle of the range of harps -- not too high and 
not too low. (Cf. Middle C on the piano, too?!)

For draw bends, this means that the bends are not as "deep" (and a difficult 
to manage) as the lower pitched harmonicas. 

Perhaps there is another reason C is so common. Anyone who knows the least 
bit about music knows that C   is the only major key that has no flats or sharps 
-- which only serve to confuse people trying to figure out music anyway.

This is a favorite piano key for that reason. All you have to do is just play 
the white keys, ignore the black keys and you're in the key of C (A minor is 
another bunch of broccoli and will be discussed in another post).

Before the advent of the recent Low tune harps, harmonicas were tuned, low to 
high:

G, A, Bb, C,   D,E,F,G

or if you prefer all 12

G, Ab, A.Bb, B -- C -- Db, D, Eb, E, F, F#
(so you can see C is almost in the middle)

There might be another reason why C is the most common key. Maybe it sells 
the best, even in harp lines that offer 7 keys or even 12 keys (without the 
extra Low and High tuned harps).

The only complaint I ever heard about the C harps is that they are difficult 
-- some say virtually impossible -- to blow bend on the top end. That is my 
newbies are urged to try A or G harps when first working on executing   blow 
bends. 

Now I suspect that if Seydel sells a few thousand Big Sixes in the key of C, 
the firm may offer other keys. Or maybe take custom orders, as it does for 
some of its other lines.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and all the holidays in-between. Or 
Seasons Greetings.
Phil Lloyd








In a message dated 12/18/07 9:08:40 AM, lavoie@xxxxxxxxx writes:


> FJM,
> You are so right. The C is such a high octave key, that is harder to bend,
> because the reeds are shorter than a Bb,A,Ab,G. I always carry my G for
> daily playing. If you can bend notes on an A, and G harmonica, the odds are
> in your favor to master bends on most keys.
> I would definitely would buy a Big Six if it came out in the key of G. I
> love the sound of the Mouth Organ in this key.
> Stay tuned!
> Mark LaVoie
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: harp-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx [mailto:harp-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx]On
> Behalf Of fjm
> Sent: Monday, December 17, 2007 10:05 PM
> To: h-l
> Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Seydel Big Six is in
> Key of C.  Why is it that all commemoratives novelty and odd harmonicas
> are in C?   Sure F# would be worse but Bb An or G would be a whole lot
> more useful.   I was all ready to buy the Big Six until I saw the big C
> on the key signature.  fjm
> _
> 



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