RE: XB-40 Retunings?

["Smith, Richard" <rismith@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I've been thinking a lot about whether it would be worth the expense of 
buying an XB-40.  And although it sounds like one will gain chromaticity,
and be able to play in any key (well almost), I can't help feeling 
that for the BLUES, it just won't be the same.  All the notes will be
there, but those bluesy bends won't be in the right places.  So it won't cry.

Richard J. Smith, R.A.


- -----Original Message-----
From: owner-harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx [mailto:owner-harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf
Of George Brooks
Sent: Tuesday, February 24, 2004 2:54 PM
To: Pat Missin; Harp-l; Tim Moyer
Subject: XB-40 Retunings?



Tim Moyer wrote:

>The XB-40 was designed to provide
>more flexibility in the bends, and not
>as a sort of augmented standard diatonic,
>but it requires some additional discipline to
>fully exploit the possibilities.

I would argue that the XB-40, while opening up great new avenues of
expression, requires additional discipline not only to fully exploit the
possibilities, but merely to play in tune.

Chromaticity on the thing?  I look forward to seeing what, and who, emerges.
I agree with Pat Missin that it's probably as difficult to play in F# on a
XB-40 in C as it is on a standard C diatonic set up for overblows and
overdraws.  But I don't know; my opinion, unlike Pat's, is based on only
short amounts of playing time on the XB-40 on a couple of occasions, and I
would love for someone to contradict me with a post along the lines of "It's
actually quite easy once you realize that...."

I don't have an XB-40 yet.  I'm too busy learning to play a Marine Band
(chromatically).

George



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