RE: [Harp-L] Questions I Got Questions

["Steve Shaw" <moorcot@xxxxxxx>]

> Let me start by telling you where I'm at.  I've been
> playing for about 7 months.  I can read music.  I
> understand all the positions.  [Thanks to Mox Gowland]
>  I play single note harmonies out of fake books, and
> tabs, as well as tabs that I have created.  In fact, I
> like to switch things around with the find and replace
> function on Microsoft Word.  I have a pretty good
> command of the theory needed to play the harmonica any
> way I want to, including chords.
>
> Problem is, I can't hear them.  They sound like dual
> reed harmonicas to me.  I'm not an extemporanious kind
> of guy who plays by ear anyhow.  Incidentally I have
> the Seydel Octave in G and the Huang solo tuned
> tremelos in C and C#.  I recommend them highly.  I
> also have a number of other cheap chinese harps that
> are exactly the same as some of the more expensive
> models.  Under no cercumstances should you buy one of
> these.
>
> Is there some sort of system, such as playing the
> channel next to the one you are aiming for in order to
> get good chords?  That is to say, If I was reading C,
> would I be playing chords well if I just hit two
> channels at the same time including the channel with
> the note I was reading?  Does somebody out there have
> a system of adding chords into their music
> systematically, rather than relying on their ear and
> insticts.  [Which I can't do}
>
> Dan

Octave and tremolos are dual reed harmonicas, as you say, in that two reeds 
sound when you blow/draw a single hole.   I  agree with you about those 
cheapo Chinese ones too, though ~some~ good harps are made in China!  Chords 
on a tremolo have several issues.  First, to get a chord on any harmonica, 
you have to blow or draw two or more holes at the same time.  You are very 
limited as to what chords you can get by playing MORE than two holes at 
once.  On a Richter-tuned harp (shoot me down, pedants) you can get the 
tonic and dominant and a minor chord with the second note of the scale as 
the root, and that's about it.  There are more possibilities if you regard 
two-note intervals as chords (why not?).  But.  How the chords sound is an 
entirely different matter.  You blow one hole and you have two reeds 
warbling away with a pleasing beating sound due to their slightly different 
tuning.   You blow the hole next to it simultaneously and you now have four 
reeds sounding, all slightly out with each other, setting up all sorts of 
beats...it works fine if you're honking along with Sloop John B or playing 
fast so that the listeners' ears can't dwell on the beats, but, all-in-all, 
tremolos are not really the ideal instrument for playing sweet chords on.  
You really need to be thinking about single-reeded harps tuned to Just 
intonation if chords are a big priority for you.  All these things are my 
humble two-and-fourpence only.  If it sounds good to you, go for it say I.



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