[Harp-L] Ghost Notes and Equal Temperament

["John F. Potts" <hvyj@xxxxxxx>]

J. R.,

You write:

Personally, I wouldn't use any of the very subjective terms you've
used to describe them, as all have their uses--people like Jimmy
Reed, John Lee Williamson and others didn't seem to have any problem
getting "fat", "deep" or "sweet" sounds playing adjacent intervals.
But that is more a style debate, and has little to do with the
generation of difference tones and how they work.

Point well taken, but i don't think those old masters played ET  
harps.  But, since you have a more sophisticated knowledge of this  
stuff than i do, can you tell me A) if the measurable dissonance of  
the difference tones is LESS for notes played on non adjacent holes  
on ET harps (as compared to notes played on adjacent holes), and B)  
if the  degree of dissonance has any relationship to how far apart  
the non adjacent notes are from each other?  i suspect that that the  
larger the interval, the less dissonant the difference tones would  
be.  but i don't really know, so i'm asking.

Some of what you have already told me is consistent with my  
uneducated (I'm self taught)  suspicion: You say that  the adjacent  
intervals on a harmonica are generally a third apart and the presence  
of a major third creates significantly dissonant difference tones.   
Okay, does that mean that when the interval is greater than a major  
third, there will be less dissonance and the wider the interval the  
less dissonant the difference tones will be?  That's what i infer  
from the excerpt i quoted from Pat Missin's site, and it seems to be  
consistent with what you have said, if i am understanding you correctly.

let me know, if you can.

Thanks,

JP