Re:Re: Hero harmonicas.

[" B.G. de Boer" <boerb@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Norbert writes:

>   I thought this might be a tremolo harmonica, but who uses it, for what???

I think the tremolo-type of harmonica's are used for playing folk-like music.
With the 'automatic' tremolo it has a much more interesting tone than a standard
diatonic. By the way, in your previous post you wrote that the reeds were tuned
an octave apart. That wouldn't really make it a tremolo harmonica. In a tremolo
harmonica the reeds in the holes on top of eachother are tuned almost the same,
but so slightly apart that the combination gives a difference-tone (or whatever
it is called) that accounts for the tremolo. 
 
>   A couple of notes about it, first of all the holes are very close to one
> another, its really a feat to get a single note.
> 
>   Also, if each hole has the reed attached the same way, how does the hole
> sound by both drawing and blowing?  Remember on diatonics, each hole has two
> reeds each arranged differently so that only one sounds on the blow and
> one sounds on the draw.
>

I'm afraid that if you have only one reed per hole, you will only get one tone
as well, either draw or blow. My experience with tremolo and octave tuned harps
points in that direction. The holes are alternating blow/draw.
 
>   This is a collarary question.  If you can do both blow and draw on the
> tremelo, what is the scale of each hole?

I'm not quite sure about thae layout of a tremolo- or octave-tuned harp. It is
a diatonic scale however and it depends on the size (= the number of holes) of
the harp.
 
>   The Hohner concert models have each two reeds each tuned an octave
> apart, the idea being to increase the level of sound.  Why don't classical
> musicians use these instead of mike a regular chromatic?  What concerts
> are they used for?

It's not just a difference in volume, it's also a major difference in timbre and
playing-dyanamics.
 
** Stuff deleted.

I would like to add a little personal opinion: I really don't like tremolo-
harmonica's, as they never really 'feel' in tune. I prefer to add tremolo or
vibrato to a regular diatonic through playing techniques. However, when I visited
a friend in germany at newyear, I was pleasantly surprised to find an octave-
tuned Hohner 'Lieblinge' at her home. The instrument had mainly been used to play
german folktunes with, but when I started playing blueslike things on it, it
really sounded like Zydeco or Cajun music, which made my friend's brother comment
that he "heard his harmonica make sounds he never heard before".

It's become a long story, but I hope it is of any help.
Bart
boerb@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx