[Harp-L] Re: Diminshed tuning (was: Diminishift tuning Body and Soul)

[Ludo Beckers <ludobeckers@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Tim & Eugene
 
Thanks for your interest.
I'm sure you're aware this recording wasn't done on a diminished, but on a diminishift tuning; a lay out I came up with last year.
It covers only two and a half octaves on a 10-holer, but that's a plenty in many cases.
Unlike a diminished, it has a minor 3rd bend possibility per hole.
The first aim thus is for whole step bends plus straight blow and draw notes.
There are some interesting enharmonic possibilities though; overblows as well as half step and minor 3rd bends (there's one o.b. on the recording I put in for fun BTW; could've played it as whole step bend).
The lay out isn't very neat graphically, but you can see it on the diminishift page http://www.overblow.com/ludo 
I personally find the whole step bend vs half step or minor 3rd more controlable (with a lot of work - we all know the Ode to Joy challenge ;-)) 
 
It's indeed intended for single note playing, but there are quite a few nice double stops for instance playing in C minor you can play C Eb and G Bb and A C, and as Eugene points out, tongue blocked stops of 1 hole and more stretched ones. 

The diminishift is (even) less intuitive to play than diminished, because of the "shift"; a 2nd hole draw E note is followed by an Eb in hole 3 blow. Awkward :-)
 
I'm afraid I can't give the best advice on a practise regime; the way I get used to a new lay out is remembering the notes and then play along with Band in a Box (slowed down at first) as sight reading practise. 
I did find this method isn't the best (for me) to start improvising on a new lay out.
In general I'm on a dead end, or rather a turning point, concerning practising in general, but that's a different story all together (studying a book that advocates NOT to practise scales :-)) which I hope to clear up in a few months time.
Eugene's practising points sound quite valid though.
 
I hope to have some time to record a few more standards soon, because I really believe this harp has great possibilities.
 
Ludo