Re: [Harp-L] help me choose the right chromatic harmonica !

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Winslow wrote:
<Bending notes on a chromatic harmonica is possible but requires a gentler and more careful initiation of the bend - it's not an "attack" as it 
<can often be on a diatonic. Still, bending on a chromatic will never soud or feel the way it does on a diatonic - even with the "half-valving" <option recommended by some players and customizers, you can't bend notes as deeply as on a diatonic due to the way the notes are arranged.

Well, yes and no.  On "Please Don't Go,", Stevie Wonder hits a Bb in the second octave of a 64 chromatic with a bend right on the attack that drops the note below an A.  It's pretty impressive.   

Winslow adds:
<The CX-12 has a good reputation for bending, again largely due to airtightness. It can be had for as little as $160 if you shop around. 

I love the CX-12 for its big, powerful tone, and it does indeed bend very well.  I'd go so far as to say that playing a CX-12 is about as close as you can get to playing diatonic style on the chromatic harp, at least within the current state of the art where production instruments are concerned.  It's also a pretty durable instrument.

In short:  I vote for the CX-12 where this request is concerned.

regards, Richard Hunter

author, "Jazz Harp"
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