Re: [Harp-L] (no subject)

["Tim Moyer" <wmharps@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Daniel Bernard wrote:
> Lee Oskar is a single note kind of guy.  Yet I think he 
> really stepped on it when he decided to put pure equal 
> temperament on his Melody Makers.  They have the worst 
> chords of any harmonica going.  He doesn't recommend them 
> for the blues.  Yet the Melody Maker format will play more 
> consonantly in just intonation than a standard Richter tuned 
> format in just intonation.  

There are a lot of reasons why someone might prefer equal 
temperament on a Melody Maker as well as any other tuning.  Yes, it 
will render chords with some dissonance, but if you play single 
notes alongside other chromatic instruments like keyboard, horns or 
even guitar, many times just intonation will create harsh overtones 
with them.  

Likewise, if you play in many different positions, equally tempered 
intonation can cause some key notes to be significantly off from 
other instruments.  For example, in standard tuning, justly intoned, 
the 7th note of the mixolydian scale is flatted by some 26 cents 
from equal temperament in order to make a smooth G7 chord on draws 2-
3-4-5.  However, if you play in 12th position, the draw 5 is a tonic 
note, potentially more than a quarter tone flat from other 
instruments.  

There are a lot of great reasons to play on a justly intoned 
instrument, but there's no one solution to every problem.  Everyone 
has to choose an intonation that fits their style and their material 
and their situation (accompanyment, consonance with other players, 
etc.).  

-tim