RE: [Harp-L] Re. Twin-Harmonica System

["Brendan Power" <bren@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Gary Lehmann wrote: "Are you currently using this invention on stage?" A
mixed answer Gary... 

The 5 Twin-Harmonica System prototypes I demonstrated on the vid are the
only ones fully made up so far. They are all in Solo tuning, as it's the
dominant tuning for 12 hole chromatic format and therefore helps to explain
the similarities and differences between these and conventional chroms
without muddying the waters with alt tunings. 

They are all stage ready, but I don't use Solo tuning (or Richter for that
matter) for recordings or gigs. So these ones I would not gig myself, or not
without radical retuning. That takes time and focus away from what's more
important to me at the moment: exploring this new format further and wider.
While I have a bit of breathing space between the intense R&D that went into
perfecting all the prototypes for the initial THS announcement and sending
the first production versions out to customers in February, my focus now is
on expanding the range of harmonica models, types and sizes it can apply to.
More R&D, which I love anyway!

Once I've done a burst of that over the next few weeks, that I'll make up a
few for my own playing in my own tunings. The ones I would use straight away
on gigs are:

1. The OctaChrom, in PaddySolo Slide Diatonic for Irish music. G and D keys
2. The X-Reed Chromatic, in PowerChromatic tuning. 
3. The DoubleChrom, in PowerChromatic tuning a tone apart

I'm soon adapting the THS for the wider Seydel reed spacing, so I can make a
TremoloChrom using two Seydel Fanfare models. Their 10 hole Concerto Octave
harp is cool too, filling the gap left by the sad withdrawal by Hohner of
their classic Auto Valve octave harp. (As an aside, why does Hohner
discontinue some of its best harps? The sweet Educator 1 - long gone, and
more recently the brilliant XB-40 and the lovely Auto Valve. All of those
great harps could have been updated with minor changes to suit the modern
market. What's next, I wonder?). 

Seydel make their double-reed harps in many keys, which is perfect for the
THS.

Other 10 hole, 14 hole and 16 holes sizes are coming up, plus a slim CX-12
size. Then I'll tackle a slider Bass harmonica, maybe Chord harmonica, and
10 hole diatonics. So many variations, so little time! But now I have the
main elements cracked, it's getting quicker to adapt the system to new
formats. Quite aside from the outcomes, the process itself is a lot of fun.

Brendan Power
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