[Harp-L] History of harp tuning

[Robert Hale <robert@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

 (Pretentious topic, huh?)

Each of us who teach develop efficient ways to "tell the story" to a new
harp student. (Please don't bother to nit pick details with me here, cuz
new students just want to get rockin' on their new harp!)

About 1850, a clockmaker from Germany started mass-producing harmonicas.
The tuning he chose offered a nice one-octave scale in the middle, two nice
major chords at the low end, and different pattern of scales tones at the
high end.

The two chords were intended to be the Tonic (blow) and Dominant Seventh
(draw). When the instrument migrated to America, some players reversed the
two, using the Tonic chord (draw) and the Subdominant (blow). When bending
was added to individual notes, this tuning became the foundation of
American blues, folk, and rock and roll.

THE INSTRUMENT HELPED TO SHAPE THE MUSIC. Had another tuning been in use at
this point, Blues would have sounded much different, and so would the forms
that imitated and followed it.

I think Lee Oskar took a brilliant position in the market by offering two
tunings (Natural Minor and Melody Maker) that altered the historical and
"familiar" arrangement, each by only 3 notes. Players could comprehend the
changes, and build upon their previously learned 2nd position habits.
(Using a C harp for key of G songs.) It became an accessible "bridge."

(Fast-forward to the Spiral tuning)
Step right up, friends and neighbors, Spiral tuning is how the harmonica
SHOULD have been invented in 1850. <grin> Truly!
Spiral does what Lee's two alternate tunings (above) do, and does them VERY
well!. Come on over into the LIGHT, my friends. (But it's NOT the sound of
our American blues catalog, so I keep both!)

My respect goes to the archivists of our passion - Winslow Yerxa and Pat
Missin.

Robert Hale
Spiral Advocate (Fanatic!)
Learn Harmonica by Webcam
http://www.youtube.com/DUKEofWAIL
 http://www.dukeofwail.com