[Harp-L] Re: [Harp - L] Harmonica tuning

[David Payne <dave@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Patrick Hazell wrote:
> I sometimes wonder why Hohner doesn't simply produce Marine Band 
> harps properly tuned to standard pitch and equal temperament. In 
> this day and age of people playing in multiple keys upon the same 
> diatonic, the need to give the harmonicas a tuning in Just 
> Intonation is unnecessary.
   
   
   
  The Marine Band is not in just intonation. It's a compromise tuning.  The harp you're looking for is the Golden Melody. I think it's necessary to make something else cause I hate playing Golden Melodies. I think they sound like crap when I play them. That's because equal temperment is not suited for chords. I play chord rhythms and use chords for accents as well. 
  If you look at Harp L often, I think you can build an impression that everybody is overblowing. That's not true. Most people who play are harmonica do not. It has nothing to do with skill, Charlie McCoy does not overblow or overdraw or whatever. I asked him about that once and he said he could do pretty much anything he wanted on the harp and he really didn't feel a need. 
   
  Plus, the Marine Band is an American institution from Germany. You don't change it. There's been a few times Hohner has made some sort of slight change to it or spoke of change and Marine Band players have rioted. Before I started playing Seydel,  I was a Marine Band player for 25 years.

  Dave
   
  _________________________
  Dave Payne Sr. 
  Elk River Harmonicas
  www.elkriverharmonicas.com