Fwd: [Harp-L] Blow/draw hole 7 - some tunings that exaggerate the effect

["Winslow Yerxa" <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

--- In harp-l-archives@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, martin oldsberg
<martinoldsberg@...> wrote:

> Winslow wrote:
>  "... However, the flipped tuning in the top four holes 
> also offers its own set of opportunities. I even know of 
> some tunings that exaggerate the contrast between upper and 
> lower registers to capitalize on those opportunities."
> 
> Could you give an example, or two?
>   /Martin

OK, how about Jimmy Gordon's version of combination tuning?

Blow: G C E G C E G B D G
Draw: B D G B D F G A C E

This is a retuning of a G-harp. Note that in the first six holes, it
works like a C-harp with an extra hole on the bottom. In the top 4
holes, it's more like a C-harp. Tis lets you play in G at the top like
first position, with all the bendable notes as part of the G chord.
Below, it's like playing in G on a C-harp, but with an extra hole of
low range added. So as soon as you cross the divide between lower and
upper registers, you change position to play in the same key.

I like to use this tuning to play in first position in the bottom of
the harp and in 12th position up top. Iether way you have the main
chord through the entire range.

Another example: Tunings based on the extended high holes. If we
extend regular diatonic tuning past Hole 10, to 12 and even 14 holes
(Hohner No. 364 and 365 models), we get the blow and draw notes in
each hole getting farther and farther apart:

C E G C E G C E G C E G C E
D G B F A B D F A B D F A B

The higher you go, the higher each blow note is in relation to the
draw note. Consequently you can bend the blow note much farther. This
certainly works up to Hole 12. After that, the pitch of the reeds is
so far part that they can't interact for a dual-reed bend. But in Hole
12 you can bend Blow 12 below the pitch of Blow 11 and you can bend
Blow 11 below the pitch of Blow 10.

On a 10-hole harp you could duplicate this extreme high tuning for
blow bending purposes by shifting the entire tuning over 2 holes - get
rid of Holes 1 and 2 and tune the harp to match holes 3 thru 12. You'd
lose the low-end draw chord pad that is so important to second
position, but you'd gain some hellacious bends on the high end.

Winslow