[Harp-L] The Outstanding Musical Value of Alternate Tunings

["Tim Moyer" <wmharps@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Richard Hunter wrote:
> If I next read a discussion from someone on this list of the 
> outstanding musical value of using multiple full sets of alternate 
> tuned diatonics, including Dorian and Natural Minor, Country 
> Tuned, Melody Maker, Paddy Richter, Paddy Richter Minor, and 
> others, well, I'll just beam all day long.

Not that I'm trying just to make Richard's day, but my regular "gig 
set" includes a full set (12 keys plus loF and hiG) of Paddy Richter 
tuned and a full set (12 keys) of Melody Maker tuned diatonics.  I 
don't carry any "standard" tuned harps.  

The band I play with does a lot of jazz standards and a lot 
of "bluesy" jazz numbers, and this is what works for me.  I used to 
carry a few natural minor tuned harps, but have gradually migrated 
all that material over to Melody Makers in 5th (or 4th, depending on 
how you look at it) position.  

I prefer the Paddy Richter tuning for most things in 1st through 4th 
positions, since the removal of the enharmonic 2nd position tonic 
provides, without a bend: 1) 6th in the C scale, 2) 2nd in the G 
scale, 3) 5th in the D scale, and, 4) lower octave tonic in the A 
scale, which is great for 4th position minor.  Not using many (any?) 
chords in my playing, I find the biggest challenge to be the loss of 
the 3 draw bend down three semitones, which I have to do with a 2 
hole overblow.  

For many major scale tunes I like the Melody Maker tuning, since it 
has the major 7th in second position without an overblow.  I don't 
mind the overblow on other tunings for some songs, but when the 
melody turns on the major 7th, as many things do (Georgia, When I 
Fall in Love), I like having it there naturally.  Having now moved 
much of the minor stuff to 5th on the Melody Maker broadens the use 
of that tuning for me.  

In the alternate tunings seminar I had a chance to jam with Jimi 
Lee, who played an interesting tune that had the chorus in F minor, 
and moved to the relative major, Ab, for the bridge.  Jimi played a 
Fmin Lee Oskar natural minor (root note on the Bb), and I played an 
Ab Melody Maker (root note on the Db), and it was pretty simple to 
move between the minor and major changes, since the notes are all 
there.  

-tim