Re: Newbie questions

[Pat Missin <pat@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Vern wrote
>
>There have been harps built that efficiently put the chromatic scale for an
>octave in 3 holes. I think that they called this "wholetone" tuning. These
>have the advantage that only four hole-blow-draw-slide patterns are required
>to play the diatonic scales in all keys. These patterns coincide with "do"
>on blow, blow-slide, draw, and draw-slide. Any hole has the same four
>patterns. The patterns have absolutely no relationship to the patterns on
>the diatonic. The harp doesn't have a characteristic key and about the same
>amount slide usage is required in any key.
>
>No mass manufacturer builds such a harp. 

As I mentioned in my last email, Seydel will build them as a special
order instrument. You might also be able to pick up one of the
augmented tuned CX-12s second hand.

>It is difficult to retune a
>standard reedplate because the farther you go up in pitch, the more the
>reeds are too long to be optimum. One needs to cut every fourth hole out of
>a harp and splice the remaining pieces together, then retune. 

It IS possible to build a four octave augmented ("wholetone") layout
starting on tenor C using standard long slot reedplates and stock
Hohner reeds - no chopping of the reedplate required. I've built
several of these over the years and this is how the "wholetone" CX-12
was made.

 -- Pat.