[Harp-L] Re: Interesting new tuning

The pentabender-tuned harmoninca that Seydel made for me is a custom Soloist Pro 12 Steel with the layout:
BLOW D4 F4 G4 A4 C5 D5 F5 G5 A5 C6 D6 F6
DRAW E4 G4 A4 B4 D5 E5 G5 A5 B5 D6 E6 G6
This layout for playing in the key of C major could be transposed up 5 semitones or down 4 semitones and still remain feasible in Seydel's configurator. So Seydel today can offer such a 12-hole pentabender harmonica in keys from a low Ab to a high F (missing only F# and G). If we started the octave pattern with a different low note in hole 1 then we could get a different range of feasible keys, of course.

When Michael Timler offered custom-tuned harmonicas at Harponline with Hohner parts, I recall that the feasible range for similar pentatonic harmonicas went somewhat lower, which would be very nice to have available. As you know, the basic engineering challenge here is that the commercially-available reed plates for diatonic harmonicas are all designed for a tuning with three-hole octaves, but this pentabender tuning has five holes per octave. It is remarkable that current manufacturing technology can accommodate such an alternative tuning as well as it does.
-Roger


On 6/29/2014 7:17 AM, Steve Baker wrote:
Interesting indeed Roger, thanks! The absolute pitch isn't clear to me from your chart - what note (e.g. D3) is 1-blow?

Steve Baker
www.stevebaker.de <http://www.stevebaker.de>
www.european-music-workshops.com <http://www.european-music-workshops.com>
www.harmonica-masters.de <http://www.harmonica-masters.de>




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