[Harp-L] Re: Old Harmonica (Hohner Chromatica #261)

[MilwHarmonica@xxxxxxx]

Hello, Steve.
 
If the harmonica you saw was a Hohner Chromatica #261, your  observations 
are correct.
 
The Hohner Chromatica series of harmonicas were invented in the early  
1930s. The Chromaticas were made for harmonica orchestras and smaller harmonica  
groups. The glissando harps #261, 262 and 263 were used mostly for special  
effects, but single note melodies were playable on them, with practice. The 
 note placement on glissando harmonicas doesn't allow chord playing.
 
They include the #261, 262 and 263 glissando type slideless chromatic  
harmonicas, and the Chromatica #267, 48 chord harp and Chromaticas #265 and #268 
 double bass harps. 
 
Production of the #261 and #262 was stopped sometime after  1971. 
 
The #261 Chromatica was a slideless chromatic, octave tuned. That is, each  
two vertical holes were tuned an octave  apart (8 diatonic scale notes).  
It's range was from the lowest A in the bass clef to the G above the treble 
clef  (almost 3 octaves). It was a blow-only instrument. 
 
Chromatica #261 Note setup, left to right: A,  A#, B, C, C#, D D#, E,  F 
F#, G, etc. almost 3 octaves. The other glissando harps had the same note  
setup, starting on different notes. 
 
The Hohner glissando harps of the Chromatica series and the discontinued  
Polyphonia series (two-octave range) are sometimes found for auction on  
e-bay.
 
John Broecker 
 
 
 
 
 
 



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