Re: [Harp-L] Any clear advantages between low Steve Baker Special and Powerbender tuning on a 10-hole?

[philharpn@xxxxxxx]

From what little experience I have with double richter (aka SBS) harps it occurs to me that the double richter allows tongue slaps on what used to be holes 1, 2, 3 because the low octave acts as the chord for vamping.


Now instead of starting tongue slaps at hole No. 4, they can start with hole No. 1.


This low octave creates a whole new set of vamps -- and sounds -- not available on the standard richter harp.


I have a couple of weeks use of my 12-hole Seydel Solist Pro low octave in C and a double richter 10-hole in C.


As other people have mentioned in the past, bending that low octave is a bear but it is worth the effort.


As I mentioned a few months back, the wide availability of low tuned harps means that Sonny Boy II stuff can be played in keys other than what Rice Miller used. People pick different keys for the sound and to match their own voice pitch. 


The other difference the double richter tuning/layout offers is the ability to bend notes in what used to be the middle octave on the harp.


And as much as I appreciate the original SBS harps -- I have all 5 somewhere -- the Seydel 10- and 12-hole are easier on the mouth: they have plastic (airtight and smoother) combs and are much less of a mouthful than those huge Hohners.


Hope this helps,
Phil








 



-----Original Message-----
From: John Kerkhoven <solo_danswer@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: Harp Explorer <harpexplorer1@xxxxxxxxx>; Harp-l <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thu, Aug 21, 2014 8:55 pm
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Any clear advantages between low Steve Baker Special and Powerbender tuning on a 10-hole?


Iâve been experimenting with / exploring both the Powerbender and what Seydel 
calls its Solist Pro low oktave: extra low octave on a regular harp.

I think theyâre two different kinds of diatonic harps and donât think of one 
being better than the other. They have their respective strengths. 

The PowerBender exploits the draw-bending possibilities of the diatonic 
harmonica, giving expressive possibilities in the upper two octaves that are not 
achievable on the standard Richter-tuned harp. (But then the standard 
Richter-tuned harp has its advantages over the PB.) I find it forces a different 
breathing discipline on me because I tend to play more draw notes than on a 
standard diatonic harp. 

The Seydel low oktave solist pro is trickier to play, I have found, than I would 
have thought, re-working my mental model of the harp, but heaps of fun. Big fat 
low chords. Hitting those low bends is a workout, but all the bends are 
possible. 

I like âem both.

John


> Hey, folks!
> 
> I've been using mostly standard Richter tuning for years, but i
> recently was looking at various tunings, and thought about getting a
> fancier harp than the Hohners I've been playing for years.
> 
> I was looking at the Seydel site, and a side search took me to the
> Powerbender, and then the Turboslide (ingenious, incidentally), and to
> the world of different tunings besides Richter and Country that I've
> used. Things sure have changed a lot since I first got into it!
> 
> I had been considering getting a harp configured with Steve Baker
> Special all the way up (repeating the bottom three Richter holes 3 &
> 1/3 times). I think I've seen this referred to as Low SBS tuning.
> 
> Given that the repeating Richter low end is regular across the harp,
> is there a great advantage to Powerbender tuning, which is not
> repeating progression?
> 
> I did a search of the archives, but never really found a discussion
> comparing the two. It's possible that no one has actually considered
> the two against each other, but I'm interested in hearing from anyone
> who spent time with the idea. Anyone who deliberately chose one over
> the other after trying both?