Re: [Harp-L] Re: Chord Layouts on Inexpensive Chord harps

[ac@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

I have a Huang Compact 48 Chord. Aside from the reeds not being valved it also uses only 4 reeds per octave (the 'regular' size chord harps use 8 reeds per octave, 4 on the top and 4 on the bottom, tuned and octave apart). So the sound is not as full on the compact 48 chord harps.

A.C.
-----Original Message-----
From: MilwHarmonica@xxxxxxx [mailto:MilwHarmonica@xxxxxxx]
Sent: Monday, May 11, 2009 12:25 PM
To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [Harp-L] Re: Chord Layouts on Inexpensive Chord harps

Hello, Mike Meehan. As far as I know, the inexpensive chord harmonicas of which you describe are all made in the Shanghai General Harmonica Plant in Shanghai, China. They are sold under different names, including Huang, Swan, Victory, etc. Other inexpensive chord harps are made by the Golden Cup harmonica company, also in China (city unknown). Those include Leo Shi, and a few other less familiar brands. The Golden Cup chord harps offer a variety of chord placements not found in the other Chinese, Japanese and German chord harps. The Huang, Swan and Victory chord harps are of two types: with a separate bass note for each chord (listed as "Chordet"), and without a separate bass note (listed as "48," or "Compact 48"). All of the Shanghai GHP chord harps have plastic combs, screws hold the reed plates to the combs, and have nickel- or chrome-plated brass covers.They are unvalved. The "48" type have 4 reeds each chord. The "Chordets" have 4 reeds each chord, and an additional 2 reeds (Octave-tuned) for the separate bass notes. The 48-type (no bass notes) harps have the identical chord placements as on the more expensive Hohner and Suzuki 48 chord harps, but are about half the length (left-to-right) of the Hohner and Suzuki models, with only half the reeds of the Hohner and Suzuki 48 chord harps. The Hohner and Suzuki 48s are octave-tuned for each chord note, and each reed is valved. The Hohner and Suzuki 48s have no separate bass notes. The Chordets, Hohner Vineta (6 chords) and Suzuki SCH-24 (24 chords) have separate bass notes for each chord. The separate bass note on a chord harp has two purposes: to be played together with the chord; and to be played as a separate bass note, before the chord (such as the "oom-pa-oom-pa," where the bass note is the "oom," and the chord is the "pa." John Broecker **************An Excellent Credit Score is 750. See Yours in Just 2 Easy Steps! (http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100126575x1222585010x1201462743/aol?redir=http://www.freecreditreport.com/pm/default.aspx?sc=668072&hmpgID=62&bcd=May Excfooter51109NO62) _______________________________________________ Harp-L is sponsored by SPAH, http://www.spah.org Harp-L@xxxxxxxxxx http://harp-l.org/mailman/listinfo/harp-l