[Harp-L] what tuning is this?

[Gary Lehmann]

That's funny--I just did a repair on a Lee Oskar and was going thru my
inventory of plates and parts--I have all my used LO harps in the same
place, and had just rediscovered this harp.
I tuned it by ear, from a live recording on YouTube. As I understand it,
this is the B-thing Tuning. I think this is the recording--
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3vJ1c55g5c
Kit did a lot of the LO tunings (according to him, and I have no reason to
mistrust him). I think this tuning is widely believed to his.
The one I did is from a G harp, but is the same tuning--check the chords at
7:38--so it's designed to be played in 2nd position.

On Mon, Oct 23, 2017 at 6:20 PM, <bad_hat at xxxxx> wrote:

> Years ago I attended a harmonica workshop led by Lee Oskar.  It was held
> at the Rhythm Room in Phoenix Arizona.  A lot of what the workshop was
> about was tuning.  Lee had us tune to an odd configuration.  I have never
> been able to figure out what the purpose of the tuning was.  I'm not even
> sure I have it right, well I have the harmonica and I can garner the tuning
> from that but did I get it right in the moment?  I suspect if it is in fact
> a useful tuning that the originator was more likely Kit Gamble not Lee
> Oskar.  Ok, typing in the tuning below.  I'd love to hear fro someone who
> knew what this was for.
>
> Blow  C  F# A  D F# A D F# A D
> Draw  G  A  C# E G  B C E  G B
>
> Retuned from a D harmonica.  If I searched hard enough I could probably
> find the handout for this.  I wasn't adept at this.  I had retuned plenty
> but I kept tuning the wrong reed, it's not changing, it's not changing.
> Maybe it's me, Lee didn't strike me as the most patient teacher.
> Interesting day.
>