Re: [Harp-L] Seydel paddy Richter

["Steve Shaw" <moorcot@xxxxxxx>]

> The name is a synonym for the Irish 'Paddy', and Richter refers to the 
> closeness to Richter Tuning. This tuning was invented and named by Brendan 
> Power, and first used on his New Irish Harmonica CD (in both diatonic and 
> chromatic harmonica versions).
> He has written an instruction book/CD for the tuning called Play Irish 
> Music on the Blues Harp, which is available from his website: 
> www.brendan-power.com"
> <http://www.brendan-power.com>
>
> Thanks,
>
> Rupert Oysler

The Paddy Richter tuning is useful for Irish tunes in that the missing sixth 
note of the scale in the lowest octave is replaced.   This is most important 
in the case of tunes in G or related modes.  A standard G harp will restrict 
what tunes you can play quite severely, as many G tunes dip into that 
territory between 3-blow and 4-blow.  Glenn Weiser's great book of Irish 
fiddle tunes for harmonica recommends a 12-hole G harp for some tunes to get 
round the problem of the missing note without retuning.  The trouble here is 
that you can end up playing an octave above the fiddles if you're playing in 
a session, as I am always doing.  The missing 6th isn't quite so crucial for 
tunes in D or related modes, though I can think of a good few that do.  It's 
a long story, but D tunes tend not to dip below the tonic D too often 
because instruments such as flutes and whistles can't go that low.  Anyway, 
I find it best to have all my harps in Paddy Richter for Irish music, as I 
then have all the advantages without any of the disadvantages.

You can do it by retuning 3-blow up by a whole tone, and this is standard 
practice.  But you can also do it by raising 2-draw instead, and I did this 
to all my harps long before I heard of Brendan's 3-blow method.  In fact he 
and I discussed the relative merits of our two alternatives one night when 
we crossed paths at one of his gigs in my home town Bude, here in Cornwall.  
Must have been  eleven or twelve years ago!  I could definitely see all the 
advantages of his way of doing it, but in spite of that I've stuck with my 
way out of sheer inertia, plus the fact that you can tune up 2-draw without 
taking off the reedplates!

Steve



http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/trad_irish_harmonica
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