Re: [Harp-L] Seydel Spiral (Circular) Tuning

[Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

Unfortunately, Seydel has it wrong. Here's what they say on their website. 

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Circular/Melody King
The major scale can be played simply by alternating draws and blows (no note bending is required). On a Circular tuned harmonica up to 12 different chords can be played depending upon which channels are played at a time. Therefore it's not so easy to label this tuning correctly. The first note in channel one blow is the key displayed on the harp, though the major scale is playable 5 semitones (a fourth) higher than the key the harp is labelled in. In the 12-hole variant (Low Octave) the lower notes in 1-3 are tuned as holes 4-6 but one octave lower.
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If the harp plays in the key of C, then C is first position. It doesn't matter what the notes is in the first hole.


 
Winslow Yerxa
President, SPAH, the Society for the Preservation and Advancement of the Harmonica
Producer, the Spring 2014 Harmonica Collective
Author, Harmonica For Dummies, ISBN 978-0-470-33729-5
            Harmonica Basics For Dummies, ASIN B005KIYPFS
            Blues Harmonica For Dummies, ISBN 978-1-1182-5269-7
Resident Expert, bluesharmonica.com
Instructor, Jazzschool for Music Study and Performance


________________________________
 From: Harmonicology [Neil Ashby] <harmonicology@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: Robert Coble <robertpcoble@xxxxxxxxxxx>; harp-l <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx> 
Sent: Friday, May 23, 2014 11:08 AM
Subject: [Harp-L] Seydel Spiral (Circular) Tuning
 

Your (e-mail) comment that Seydel labels their circular-tuned harmonics in the 12th position is quite interesting but would it be more clear instead to phrase that as to indicate that Seydel tunes their circular-tuned harmonicas for the 12th position of the label; whatever circular-tuned harmonicas that Seydel labels as "C" are tuned for the corresponding 12th position which has "F" at 2-draw]?

I figure that many users would remember the positions along the "Circle of Fifths" more easily than they remember the proper name of each mode.

I was not reading Harp-L at the time of the spiral-tuning debate; are there any negative issues pertaining to circular-tuning other than some slightly less overall range (which causes me to wonder whether the 12-hole circular-tuned harmonica was attempted).

/Neil Ashby (" http://thebuskingproject.com/busker/2025/ ")