Re: [Harp-L] chromatic advice

[Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

I dunno, John;  I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss the virtues of 16-hole chromatics.. I've had (and presently have) several 16-hole chromatics that produce quite a big sound, as big as any 12-hole harp.

Yes, a larger instrument is more likely to leak as there's more surface area for leakage to occur. And I can remember 64s from the distant past that weren't great in that way. 

But in the last 20 years they've been rather good for the most part. And certainly pros like William Galison and Damien Masterson are quite happy to play Hohner 64s and Super 64s. Pete Pedersen played the Hohner 280, as did John Sebastian, Sr. And of 
course, there are blues players like Little Walter, Rod Piazza, Mark 
Hummel, George Smith, Paul deLay, and so on, all playing 64s except when
 they want third position in a key other than D. 

Of course there are additional choices for 16-hole instruments, both in higher-end Hohner models such as the Super 64x and offerings from other manufacturers, and you'll find  a variety of 16-hole chromatics in the hands of Stevie Wonder, Phil Caltebelotta, Tom Stryker, Clint Hoover, and Joe Powers, among many other highly accomplished artists.

Winslow

Winslow Yerxa
Author, Harmonica For Dummies ISBN 978-0-470-33729-5
Harmonica instructor, The Jazzschool for Music Study and Performance
Resident expert, bluesharmonica.com
Columnist, harmonicasessions.com

--- On Mon, 9/13/10, MundHarp@xxxxxxx <MundHarp@xxxxxxx> wrote:
Well, that is an OK harmonica, but it's not going to be very  loud!
 
Most 4 octave harps are "leaky", and make a "small" sound. The main  
exception is the Hohner CBH 16, But that is no longer in production.
 
Which is why these days, so many pro chrom players mainly use  3  octave, 
48 hole chromatics.