Ian
23 posts
May 17, 2015
2:49 PM
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I just picked up a second hand Bb Tombo folk blues harp... And it sounds... REALLY really good. Now, I wouldn't categorise myself as a proper musician, this is my first Bb harp, I have little to no music theory, just what I've picked up since playing , and I have only been playing for maybe 5 months... Sooooo that being said. Is there something about the notes on a Bb harp that strings together nice chords? Is the key particularly pleasing to the ear? I can't believe that its the harp.... Its old and a bit battered.
Thanks!
Last Edited by Ian on May 17, 2015 2:51 PM
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The Iceman
2441 posts
May 17, 2015
3:10 PM
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Every key center has its own "color".
You must resonate with Bb
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The Iceman
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Rustys26
31 posts
May 17, 2015
4:22 PM
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I quite like the sound of a Bb harp as well, also the A harp.
As Iceman said, every key has its own colour....I'm not too fond of the sound of a C harp (at least when I'm playing one, hehe) but that's just me. No one key is technically "better" than the next though.
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Ian
24 posts
May 17, 2015
4:28 PM
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Ok... Thats pretty much what I was thinking. Thanks for confirming it. I also am fan of A but I'm loving this Bb... The right mix of high and low for my ear. I'll grab another, Newer harp (won't be hard) and see if my preference crosses harps too. Thanks.
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arzajac
1643 posts
May 17, 2015
4:38 PM
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What make/model harp is it?
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Custom overblow harps. Harmonica Combs and Tools.
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Ian
25 posts
May 17, 2015
4:40 PM
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Tombo folk blues. Kinda old, bashed in cover plate on one side.
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Thievin' Heathen
528 posts
May 17, 2015
5:59 PM
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It could be that you have just stumbled upon your 1st really good playing, well tuned harp and it happens to be in the key of Bb.
Last Edited by Thievin' Heathen on May 17, 2015 6:00 PM
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shakeylee
282 posts
May 17, 2015
7:03 PM
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i agree with thievin' heathen,you probably stumbled on to a well tuned harp.
although,i believe tombo are equal temperment,(i could be wrong),so a chord should sound a little harsh.
maybe it is just better compared to what you normally play? what do you normally play?
of course,it is possible you favor Bb,haha
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jbone
1952 posts
May 17, 2015
9:27 PM
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Bb is a great harp for root song in F, Bb harp 2nd position, or what I really like is root song in C, Bb in 3rd position.
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Ian
26 posts
May 18, 2015
9:26 AM
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@shakylee I play either a bluesmaster, manji or special 20. Its pretty intangible. When I play the same chord across all my harps it doesn't sound all that different, but when I given it some juice it just seems to open up and sounds really nice. Sometimes it feels that Its almost as if one reed is a little out, but in an accidentally good way..... Im going to pick up a special 20 in Bb and see if I like that as much or if this is a one off magic harp!
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Ian
27 posts
May 19, 2015
3:14 AM
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I stumbled across this section on Pat missins page. Would this explain it..? ....
One notable exception is the recent Tombo Folk Blues II which uses an unusual JI variation - the 5 draw is tuned so that it is a perfect fourth above the note in 4 blow (close to where it would be on an equal tempered or 19-limit JI harp), then the 6 draw is tuned to make a pure major third with it, the 9 draw and 10 draw notes being tuned similarly. This makes for a nice smooth partial chord to suggest the subdominant in the first position key, but it also means that the minor chord in holes 4, 5 and 6 draw is now somewhat out of tune, as the interval between 4 draw and 6 draw is somewhat narrower than a pure fifth.
Last Edited by Ian on May 19, 2015 3:14 AM
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kudzurunner
5466 posts
May 19, 2015
4:18 AM
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Somebody once told me that Bb is the best harp to use when you're testing out a mic/amp rig: low enough to see if the rig has sufficient bottom end, high enough to see if it's too shrill on the upper octave.
Better than either an A or a C harp, in other words.
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Danny Starwars
175 posts
May 19, 2015
5:01 AM
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I got a B flat when I was a kid because Sonny Terry used one on some records I had, and I was trying to play along with the songs.
I always loved that key because it was like the Litte Bear's porridge - just right.
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