[Harp-L] 2 newbie questions

[Michael Rubin <rubinmichael@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hey welcome to both the harp and the list.
   
  Your first question was about fiddle tunes.  Do you have to play them in cross harp (g on a c harp)  or can you play them in straight harp (C on a c harp).  The answer is that you can do either.  However, many fiddle tunes include the second and seventh notes in a major scale.
   
  C D E F G A B C
     2               7
   
  or
  G A B C D E F# G
     2               7
   
  In cross harp, the low octave 7th note is a difficult bend, 2 draw bend down one half step.
  In the middle octave that note is unavailable until you learn to overblow, a technique that is historically difficult for beginners and the high octave it is a blow bend, 9 blow down one half step.  Also tough for beginners historically.  I say historically because you may be the one to get this stuff right away.  The low octave 2nd note is 3 draw down one whole step, also tough.
   
  In straight harp, these two notes are easily available throughout the instrument with the exception of the seventh note B in the highest octave, 10 blow down one half step.
  However, on the low octave the 4th and 6th note (F and A respectively) are tough, 2 draw down one whole step and 3 draw down one whole step, respectively.  
   
  So both styles present challenges.  I would start with straight harp, focusing on the middle octave.
   
  I do not know what rack works with the XB 40, it's pretty big and I would guess difficult for most racks to hold the weight.  XB 40's have an unusual tonality to them.  If you are looking for a way to get a full chromatic scale without having strong bending/overblowing technique or a button on a chromatic, I would recommend a Seydel diminished harp.  It may take a minute to understand the layout, but if you can draw bend and get single notes, you can play chromatically easily and still get a tonality similiar to a normal diatonic harp and it will easily fit a rack.  The archives have my explanation of its layout, just back in August or September.
   
  Have fun, welcome.
  Michael Rubin
  Michaelrubinharmonica.com