oldwailer
1960 posts
Mar 29, 2013
7:00 AM
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So many choices these days in tunings and harp set-ups! I've been getting interested in trying something besides the standard Richter or minor harps I have.
My question on this is: Which tuning or set-up would be best for a player like me, who plays at an intermediate level and does mostly blues and soft rock and spirituals?
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"Too Pretty for the Blues."
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Adam Hamil
73 posts
Mar 29, 2013
10:48 AM
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I would suggest either Major Cross tuning, or Spiral tuning W/ the tonic in the 2 Draw. Both of these tunings are very useful in Soft Rock, Rock Ballads, Hymns, Spirituals, Tex Mex, even Blues.
IMO what makes these tunings so nice is that there is very little learning curve if you already play a lot of 2nd position. A good deal of 2nd postion licks translate to these tunings w/o having to change anything.
I just sent off a Spiral Tuned Crossover to Mickey Raphael yesterday. It's in the key of G with the Tonic in the 2 draw. I'm anxiously awaiting to hear how he likes it.
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C. Adam Hamil
HOHNER CERTIFIED Free Reed Instrument Technician
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arzajac
1022 posts
Mar 29, 2013
12:43 PM
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There is no "best" tuning.... But I would recommend you give PowerBender a try. You can really make some key notes expressive because they are draw bends in second position. You can freely use the whole range of the harp because you can avoid overdraws completely and your breath patterns stay the same (no blow bends, just draw bends all the way up the harp.
Brendan Power's book is also an excellent resource. I wish I hadn't lost my copy... It guides you to starting off with major and minor scales in various positions and helps you use the expressive accent notes in those scales/positions. It builds a great foundation.
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oldwailer
1961 posts
Mar 29, 2013
1:22 PM
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Thanks for the answers--I thought Major Cross was more for fiddle tunes--but I don't really know what it is.
Spiral tuning--2nd draw root--that could be interesting--I'll take a look on Jim's tune-o-matic page.
I was getting into Powerbender at one time--I even bought the book (and I still have it). I tuned a harp for it--and was getting on with it pretty well--then the harp up and disappeared on me and I never got another one made!
I had forgotten that--I think I'll go get me another PB in A and start on that again--good idea, Arzajak. . .
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Oldwailer's Web Site
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"Too Pretty for the Blues."
Last Edited by oldwailer on Mar 29, 2013 1:23 PM
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Gnarly
523 posts
Mar 30, 2013
12:20 AM
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Major Cross IS spiral, with 2nd draw root, until it gets to that familiar spot on hole 7, where the breath pattern reverses. I recommend it.
I also recommend a tuning I developed, which is also spiral until Richter emerges. I call it New World--I first did it on a 365 Steve Baker in D to use for Irish music, but it works well as a cross major instrument. The 10 hole version starts with a tonic draw chord on the draw--so in D, D F A C# E G B C# E G on draw and C# E G B D F# A D F# A on the blow. First octave gives you the draw bends on 2 3 and 4 like holes 3 4 and 5 of Major Cross, second octave is Richter--holes 5-10 are like 4-9 of Richter.
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