Magic Dick's harp tunings

[Winslow Yerxa <76450.3230@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

TO: internet:harp-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Steve Levine asks:


  [Magic] Dick plays his new "Magic" harps on [the Bluestime CD].
  Anyone know who makes them and what's different about them?


These harps are made by Pierre Beauregard of the Cambridge
harmonica Orchestra and magic Dick himself. They are also being
used by Jerry Portnoy on Eric Clapton's new record.

Pierre told me about these about a year ago, but wouldn't tell me
any details and asked me not to write about them yet (although
it's OK to talk about them). Now that the patent has been
granted, all the information is available. I don;t have it, but
what I do know is that the concept involves a large number of
tunings - potenitally an infinite number, according to Pierre,
who characterizes the tunings as vompletely intuitive. Tunings
exist for reggae, Big Band, and several other styles.

It *may* be simply variations on richter tuning, like the Melody
Maker, Country, and minor tunings put out by Lee Oskar and
Hohner. But I don;t actually know. I did hear Pierre sneaking
some licks on the Big Band tuning in the stairwell at House of
Blues in Cambridge when he thought no-one was listening - sounded
pretty good.

Their initial commercial problem is getting anyone to manufacture
the harps and promote them. Pierre has spent ages re-tuning
off-the-shelf harps to his own exacting standards. I suspect that
both Hohner and Lee Oskar are over-extended with stocking and
promoting the models they already have. Maybe Huang or Suzuki? Or
perharps just another cottage industry of custom-built instruments.
Time will tell.

Winslow