[Harp-L] Questions about the Hohner Harmonetta.

[Gary Lehmann]

A big question is who can maintain these instruments--any volunteers?

On Sun, Jun 4, 2017 at 12:29 PM, Winslow Yerxa via Harp-L <harp-l at xxxxx
> wrote:

> The Harmonetta is about six inches left to right, about seven inches front
> to back, and about two inches thick. (In another reply I wrote five by six
> inches, but I just got out the measuring tape.)
>
> It has a mouthpiece along the front with two rows of holes, with half the
> notes in the top row and half the notes in the bottom row. Total of 36
> holes, one for each note in the chromatic scale covering three octaves less
> a semitone. you get both top and bottom rows in your mouth at the same
> time, same as you would on a tremolo harmonica.
>
>
> The top surface of the instrument has buttons you press to sound notes.
> Each button sounds all the notes with that letter designation. For
> instance, if you press any button for D, you can play any of the D notes,
> depending on which holes you breathe through.
>
> All notes sound as both blow and draw notes, in the same hole for both
> blow and draw.
> You hold the instrument in both hands, with the thumbs supporting the
> bottom of the instrument and the remaining fingers used to press the
> buttons. It weighs, I dunno, maybe five or six ounces.
>
> They're arranged in left-to-right rows. Each row has three notes that are
> four semitones apart.
>
> The first row (the farthest away from your mouth) has six buttons: D, F#,
> A#, D, F#, A#.
>
> The second row has seven buttons that stick out farther to left and right
> from the first row. The notes are F, A, C#, F, A, C#, F
>
> The third row has six buttons: C, E, G#, C, E, G#.
>
> Th fourth row has seven buttons: D#, G, B, D#, G, B, D#.
>
> At this point you have all the notes of the chromatic scale, but there's a
> fifth row that erepeats the notes of the first row but from a different
> starting point: A#, D, F#, A#, D, F#.
>
> This may look like a crazy arrangement but it allows for some cool things.
>
> You can play a major chord with one finger if you press the intersection
> between two buttons on one row and the button on the next row closer to you
> that comes between the other two. For instance, D and F# on the first row
> intersect with the A button on the next row in, One finger can grab corners
> from all three and give you a D major chord.
>
> You can play a minor chord the opposite way. Two neighboring buttons on
> the same row, and the button that comes between them on the next row
> outside. For instance, on the inside row, grab D and F#, with B comging
> between them on the row immediately outside, and you have a B minor chord.
>
> There are several other symmetrical correspondences of intervals, chords,
> and scale fingerings that the button arrangement allows.
>
> Winslow Yerxa
> Producer, the Harmonica Collective
> Author, Harmonica For Dummies, Second Edition: ISBN 978-1-118-88076-0
>             Harmonica Basics For Dummies, ASIN B005KIYPFS
>             Blues Harmonica For Dummies, ISBN 978-1-1182-5269-7
> Resident Expert, bluesharmonica.com
> Instructor, Jazzschool Community Music School
> President emeritus, SPAH, the Society for the Preservation and Advancement
> of the Harmonica
>