Fwd: [Harp-L] A-bop or Geordie Solo chromatic tuning

["Winslow Yerxa" <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

--- In harp-l-archives@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "Jonathan R. Ross" 
<jross38@...> wrote:
<snip>
> BTW, I've been thinking about using a modified 
> bebop tuning myself, >with A replacing the first 
> of the doubled Cs.  I have a specific instrument 
> in mind for this, though, which may not need to be 
> fully valved, thus I could have more double-reed bends 
> available if I had a layout like this:
> 
> Blow: C E G A C E G A C
> Hole: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
> Draw: D F A B D F A B D

This is the the tuning that I sometimes call A-bop tuning, and 
sometimes Geordie Solo (as opposed to Paddy Richter; I was using it 
for Scottish tunes). It isn't really a "modified bebop" tuning unless 
you already had tuned the extra C to Bb (hence created a bebop tuned 
instrument) and decided to change it again to A.

The blow A doesn't stick out quite so much as the blow Bb in a non-
7th C chord. Also, the resulting A minor 7th chord (C E G A = A C E 
G) opens the tuning up harmonically for both fourth position playing 
(A on a C harp) and third position (where it is the V chord in D 
minor). Even the A major chord is opened up, as you can play the 
following double stops:

A/E (slide out), then move over one hole for C#/G# (slide in)  - 
together these add up to an A major 7th chord, the tonic 7th chord in 
A major.

The A/C harmonic combination allows you more harmonic ways to 
represent an F major chord (F/A and A/C) and a D minor7 (D/F, D/A, 
A/C).

The blow A (and B with the slide in) gives you two additional choice 
notes that are useful in many different scales. It also gives you 
some additional harmonic intervals, including the 3/6 between C and 
A, the 7th between A and G (you can play a series of chromatic rising 
minor 7ths: A/G, Bb/Ab, B/A, and C/Bb), and the perfect 4/5 intervals 
of E/A and F/Bb (in addition to G/C, Ab/Db, A/D, and Bb/Eb).

Thes among many other possibilities . . .

Winslow