Re: [Harp-L] Diatonic/chromatic

["jross38@xxxxxxxxxxx" <jross38@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

> Yes indeed. There are the alternate tunings. Since we are discussing the
> chromaticity of an instrument this is a good time to mention the augmented
> tuning for chromatic harmonics. Why should one or a few notes be given
> privileged positions on a slide harmonica? Remember, we are talking about
> instruments that are fully chromatic.

The same argument can and has been used for piano keyboards for quite some time.  It is logical, but logic doesn't always win out.  It also doesn't always work as well in the real world as on paper.

> The Special Theory of Harp Relativity: No tonal center frame of reference is
> privileged with respect to the laws of music.

A nice idea if you completely ignore the one thing harmonicas do that other wind instruments can't: chords. In some ways I've always felt that if you aren't using chords to some degree in your playing, why not just use a soprano sax?  True, you get all four variants of augmented chord, but I never found that very useful when I tried augmented tuning compared to how much the chords, double stops and the like in solo can be used.

> Can this be denied?

See the above. 

Also, just because it makes sense on paper doesn't make it better for everything.  One problem I had with augmented tuning was that it was damn hard to get really good legato in any key.   On a solo tuned harp some keys are easier than others, but on augmented it often felt like all keys were as difficult as the worst on solo.  I prefer diminished for a MOLT (modes of limited transposition) tuning, but perhaps because of training, perhaps simply personal preference, I tend to come back to solo tuning.  But that's my choice--and usually a C chromatic at that.  But, I also don't play things that don't work well on it in public--if I did I'd find another way (probably another key still in solo, but that's just my choice)


> If not then isn't the augmented tuning the only tuning
> which makes this law manifest?

The diminished tuning comes pretty close and made more musical sense, IMO.  Again, the logical sense of augmented tuning just didn't translate into musical and physical sense when I tried using it.  In the end, though, I'd say that any dogmatism, whether it is trying to hammer the square peg of everything on a C diatonic or only augmented tuning makes sense tends to end up finding too many round holes it doesn't fit.



JR Ross