Re: [Harp-L] Your thoughts on retuned 5D + OB's?

["Tim Moyer" <wmharps@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Johan W. Klüwer wrote:
> In fact, last night I got fed up with it and tuned the 5D up 
> half a note. This seems to me to be a very natural thing to do, 
> in particular as the retuned 5D is very easy to bend down.

This is "country tuning".  If you're primarily playing in 2nd 
position, it puts the 7th of the major scale on the 5 draw.  This 
departs from the way a lot of blues and rock music is written, as 
they often use the flatted 7th -- the "normal" tuning of the 5 
draw.  For tunes that use the major 7th in the melody (or jazz tunes 
that use it in the head, etc.), it can be helpful to have this note 
tuned up.  

The Lee Oskar Melody Maker tuning takes this a step further, and 
puts the 2nd of the major scale on an unbent note, by tuning the 3 
blow up a whole tone (e.g., from a G to an A on a C harp).  This 
makes the entire 2nd position scale playable without bends, starting 
on the 2 draw.  

> What's the verdict on this setup? I would very much like to 
> hear some opinions pro and con. Are there players out there who 
> use this minimal modification as their preferred tuning?

There are plenty of people playing country tuned harps for different 
purposes.  I prefer the Melody Maker when I need to cover a major 
keyed melody, but I know folks who use country tuned harps for lots 
of things.  

Having the major scale readily available makes modal approaches 
somewhat more logical, in my opinion.  4th and 5th positions become 
very simple when there are no bends required to get to the notes of 
those scales in at least one octave.  

-tim

Tim Moyer
Working Man's Harps
http://www.workingmansharps.com/