RE: [Harp-L] Just something to ponder...Alternate tunings for Chords
No, it couldn't have both 12tet and Just. It would have to be one or the other. To be clearer, what I was suggesting is that you could have a design that would be chromatic (all twelve notes available for every octave), AND that for every note in the chromatic scale (twelve notes per octave and for every octave), there would be a corresponding major chord and a corresponding minor chord available without any misses. For every note, you could choose to play it singly, play it's minor chord, or play it's major chord. This could be done with bends only, no overblows needed. Also, for artistic license every blow and draw could be bent one semitone. You also wouldn't have to bend more than one semitone anywhere.
Compromises between 12Tet and Just would always be present. If tuned in Just however, all the chords could be Just. Chords in a pure 5 limit Just would sound beautiful but would melodically suffer as you go up the scale. A pure 19 limit Just wouldn't sound too bad though and still sound pretty good melodically over the course of a 10 or twelve hole harp. (Various Just tunings are not my strong suit. I'd welcome comments on how to best tune this bugger.)
That's the most comprehensive versatility I could come up with in one single harmonica (granted, it takes two plates to do it) without needing a different harmonica for every key.
Dave
-----Original Message-----
From: Tim Moyer [mailto:wmharps@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Saturday, February 12, 2005 7:43 AM
To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Just something to ponder...Alternate tunings for Chords
staley wrote:
> Thanks for the comments Tim. I appreciate your opinions. You
> probably noticed I was also laughing at myself about some of
> this. This was more for fun than anything. But I wouldn?t put it
> out of the realm of possibility either. A Slide/Chromatic with
> good seals may not be a possibility on production harps today, but
> from what I hear, Power?s CX10 and 12 custom harps are pretty darn
> good, at a cost.
Yes, you could do something like this with a well made chromatic
design.
> I do disagree with one of your points however. Take a closer look
> at the layout. All notes are available and all major and minor
> chords are available for every note. The idea here was to keep
> from having to have a harp for each key. With this tuning and
> sharing of two plates, it?s not needed. That?s the cool feature
> that I was trying to point out in answering this other person?s
> question. It may not be the most! practical but certainly isn?t
> impossible either with current harp designs and available
> tunings.
I have to admit I didn't plow through the entire bulk of the post
with the tuning layouts. But are you suggesting that you could
design a chromatic harmonica that has justly intoned major and minor
chords for every note AND has 12TET single notes? Hmmmm....
-tim
Tim Moyer
Working Man's Harps
http://www.workingmansharps.com/
I also apologize for the layouts not coming out well after sending
in my response. I?m trying again. Hopefully the text below will
straighten those layouts out better.
-Dave
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Ok, so how can this apply to a chromatic style harmonica? Well,
with the availability of half-valved harps, XB-40?s, Discrete Combs,
etc. I personally don?t have much desire for a chromatic unless it
can give me some additional chord choices. Let?s take a look at
what can be done using a Circle of Fifths tuning with twelve holes
in a Chromatic layout like this:
Slide Out
Valved Blow Bend B D F# A C# E G# B Eb F# Bb C#
Blow C Eb G Bb D F A C E G B D
Hole # 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Draw D F A C E G B D F# A C# E
Draw Bend C# E G# B Eb F# Bb C# F G# C Eb
Slide In
Valved Blow Bend B Eb F# Bb C# F G# C Eb G Bb D
Blow C E G B D F# A C# E G# B Eb
Hole # 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Draw D F# A C# E G# B Eb F# Bb C# F
Draw Bend C# F G# C Eb G Bb D F A C E
With this rig you get chromatic operation plus all the major and
minor chords for each note by selecting slide in or slide out. For
this particular tuning you also get the most popular major keys on
the blow and draw notes. For Slide Out, you get low F, C, and G and
for Slide In, you get low D,A, and E. It?s not easy, I admit,
probably on a par with performing overblows in context. All the
other keys and chords are available by bending except for Bb which
can be done by bending too but takes a little more work. Now this
tuning structure could be made in other keys too but for a ?
stranded on a desert island? choice for a versatile harmonica, this
is the best I could come up with. To build one of these, I?d like a
12 hole chromatic about the size of a Hering Master Solo (don?t
exist as far as I know). There are some that come close. If you
want to see some really nice harmonicas that are built as half
valved chromatics, check out Brendan Power?s excellent site. His !
CX12?s and cut down CX10?s are very cool. I?m thinking of doing
this project on the new Hering Vintage 40 Chromatic. It might be
small enough for my needs.
And when this becomes the best thing since brass reeds (Hah!!) all
I ask is that the harmonica companies and customizers send me one of
their first production models. That isn?t so much to ask, is it?
Ahh well, it was fun playing with this and maybe it answers your
question.
Dave
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