[Harp-L] The Diatonic Chord Harmonica

[J Schaman <jschaman@xxxxxxx>]

Neil, thank you for your comments and suggestions re: the circular tuned
harmonica. As a relative newcomer into the harmonica world, I have a lot
to learn. I was only slightly familiar with circular tuning when I started
my harmonica-lung project. To start, I chose the Richter tuned key of C
harmonica, which I understood to be the most common harmonica in
existence. After personally training with some of the best (Gindick, Lee,
Barrett, Filisko, del Junco, and others), I started patients using a very
traditional approach. The single note playing was difficult for the older,
non-musicain, non-harmonica playing patients. My measurements failed to
show enough lung challenge to cause any appreciable health benefit. I
switched to chordal rhythmic playing, which was actually easier for the
patients to do and provided better lung challenge. The key of C diatonic
harmonica was not ideal for this purpose, being too high-pitched for
chording and having essentially only two chords.

With the development of the medical diatonic chord harmonica I wanted to
create an instrument that non musicians could play ³out-of-the-box², that
provided the lung challenges that might translate into health benefits,
and that was a viable and valid musical instrument in its own right. I
understand that the circular tuned harmonica can play many more chords,
however, I also understand that it takes an accomplished harmonica player
to be able to achieve these.

The older, non-musicain, non-harmonica playing patients are no longer
required to play single holes (10 holes, blowing and drawing equals 20
options). They are now required to play ²left side² or ³right side² (right
side/left side, blow/draw equals 4 options). The ease of play has been
dramatically improved, the designed lung challenges are now met, and at
the same time the instrument has tremendous musical value, especially with
the theme of this year¹s SPAH convention being ³Harmonica Band Reboot.²

I had a blast playing with Richard Sleigh at this year¹s Harmonica
Collective:

1. Reggae Rhythm:  http://youtu.be/X8gQWBfySLw

2. Zydeco Rhythm:  http://youtu.be/2NgfCtZRPjY


John
harmonicaMD.com


8/16/14, 11:08 AM, ³harp-l-request@xxxxxxxxxx² <harp-l-request@xxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

>Message: 1
>Date: Fri, 15 Aug 2014 13:39:17 -0400
>From: "Harmonicology [Neil Ashby]" <harmonicology@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
>Subject: Re: [Harp-L] The Diatonic Chord Harmonica
>To: "harp-l" <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
>Message-ID: <20140815173917.A01BAC05DC@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
>
>Also: Would the circular-tuned harmonica be somewhat superior for medical
>use as compared to the model recommended by Dr Schaman because the entire
>2 plus 1/2 octaves of the circular-tuned harmonica is correctly formed
>chords; on the circular-tuned harmonica then entire melodies can be
>accurately performed in chords. If the concept would be to improve lung
>function via chords then the circular-tuned harmonica would be the
>correct harmonica.
>
>Perhaps Dr Schaman had been unaware of the circular-tuning concept at the
>time he designed his chord harmonica.
>
>/Neil (" http://thebuskingproject.com/busker/2025/ ")
>
>