[Harp-L] Re: Harp-L Digest, Vol 105, Issue 49

[Roger Myerson <rmyerson@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi David:
Seydel took fourkey tuning off the list of Configurator templates for 
their 12-hole harmonicas a couple of years ago because fourkey tuning 
could not fit on their 12-hole harps with brass reeds.  With brass 
reeds, difference in ranges between their low hole #1 and their high 
hole #12 was too great to fit fourkey tuning.  But the Soloist Pro 12 
Steel has steel reeds in holes 1-9 and brass reeds in the high holes 
10-12, and steel reeds have a higher range than brass reeds of the same 
size.  As a result, the new Soloist Pro 12 Steel is compatible with 
fourkey tuning.

Now that now fourkey tuning can fit on the new Soloist Pro 12 Steel, 
presumably Seydel will eventually add it to the standard 12-hole 
templates again.  But until they get around to doing that, yes, you have 
to enter the notes one at a time; and, yes, that can be frustrating if 
you are not sure what layouts can fit.  That's why I have offered help!

I posted a guide that shows note layouts for 10 different fourkey 
harmonicas that are feasible in the Configurator for Seydel's Soloist 
Pro 12 Steel; see
http://home.comcast.net/~rbmy/fourkey12s.pdf
For each of the feasible layouts, I show the notes in rows like the 
Configurator entry form, so it should not be hard to copy them into the 
Configurator.

Five of the feasible layouts that are shown in the guide have the 
third-position tonic in hole 1, and in this pattern you can get a 
fourkey harp with first-position key of C#, D, Eb, E, or F.  (In 
addition to the first-position key, a fourkey harp can also play the 
next three major keys in the circle of fifths without bends or 
overblows.  So when the first-position key is F, the fourkey harp can 
plays the major keys of F, C, G, and D without bends.)  The other five 
layouts that are shown in the guide have the fourth-position tonic in 
hole 1, and in this pattern you can get a fourkey harp with the 
first-position major key of F#, G, Ab, A, or Bb.
-Roger


On 5/25/2012 9:11 PM, harp-l-request@xxxxxxxxxx wrote:
> Hey Roger, have you actually tried plugging it in to the Configurator? You pick a reed for each hole based on whatever reeds are available. Sometimes you can try to plug something in and you'll get one or more holes where the pitch you want isn't possible for that hole. They put a lot of other tunings in there for the Solist Pro 12 and they have fourkey on other models, so I'm thinking there may be a reason they don't have fourkey on that one.
> ?
> David Payne
> www.elkriverharmonicas.com
>
> ________________________________
>   From: Roger Myerson<rmyerson@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
> To:harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
> Sent: Friday, May 25, 2012 10:48 PM
> Subject: [Harp-L] 12-hole fourkey harmonicas available from Seydel
>
> Seydel recently introduced a new line of 12-hole harmonicas with steel reeds, the Soloist Pro 12 Steel harmonicas.? With Seydel's Configurator, these Soloist Pro 12 Steel harmonicas can be configured in fourkey tuning.? So thanks to Seydel, 12-hole fourkey harmonicas with a range of 2.5 octaves are now commercially available for the first time!
> Seydel has not yet added fourkey tuning to the Configurator templates for these harmonicas, but I have posted patterns for instruments in two different layouts, each of which is feasible for the Soloist Pro 12 Steel in enough keys to cover all twelve major keys without bends or overblows.? These 12-hole fourkey patterns can be found at
> http://home.comcast.net/~rbmy/fourkey12s.pdf
> More information about fourkey tuning is available at
> http://4keyharps.wordpress.com/
> -Roger Myerson

--
Roger B. Myerson, Glen A. Lloyd Distinguished Service Professor
Department of Economics, University of Chicago
1126 East 59th Street, Chicago, IL 60637
Phone: 773-834-9071, Fax: 773-702-8490
http://home.uchicago.edu/~rmyerson/