RE: [Harp-L] Tombo 21 (3121) tremolo harmonica in D

[Steve Shaw <moorcot@xxxxxxx>]

>
> I've just joined this forum, as a player of Irish traditional music using
> (as most Irish music players do) a solo-tuned harmonica. The Tombo 21
> (model 3121, a 21-hole model) is the instrument of choice among many,
> including Noel Battle, 11 times all-Ireland Senior champion, and myself.
>
>
>
> I've been told by my supplier that Tombo are discontinuing the Tombo 3121 in
> the key of D - an enormous loss since 99% of Irish music is played on either
> G or D instruments. I wonder: do any members know anything about this?
>
>
>
> On a related by different topic, some irish tunes require notes that go to
> Low A and at times Low G. I use either a Hohner Echo Celeste or a Suzuki
> Humming Tremolo for such tunes, but don't like the tone of either. I emailed
> Tombo suggesting that they might consider including the key of D in their
> 24-hole 3124, currently only produced in 4 keys, none of them D; but I
> received no reply. I wonder: do any members have any other suggestions for
> an alternative solo tuned tremolo in D which includes Low G?
>
>
>
> Thanks for any replies to the above!
>
>
>
> Heather
 
Hello Heather! You're not alone - there are a few of us around who would much rather play Irish tunes than that blues stuff that I've heard a few harmonica players indulge in ;-)  I use mostly 10-hole diatonics myself, though I use a Hohner double-sided Echo in D/G a fair bit, not solo-tuned of course. Any harp that lacks low-end notes is at the mercy of my brutal retuning techniques. I haven't got any Tombo harps myself, but a man who supplies them, Dave Hynes in Mullingar, may be able to help you (he's a friend and neighbour of Noel Battle):  http://www.davesharmonicas.com  Dave actually lurks around here so he may well read this himself anyway. I know that if he can help you he will.
 
You don't actually need a solo-tuned harp for most Irish tunes, by the way. A 10-hole harp (or even one of those confounded Echos) which has been slightly modified to put it into the "Paddy Richter" tuning (involving a retune of just one reed, or a reed pair on a tremolo of course, 3-blow up by a whole tone) will get you there. That tuning puts back the missing sixth note of the scale in the bottom octave, for example the note B on a D harp and the note E on a G harp. I can think of very few tunes that you can play on a solo harp that you can't play on a Paddy Richter one. Just a thought! 
 
Steve Shaw