Harmonicatunes
87 posts
Aug 27, 2015
3:22 PM
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I've made a video explaining the Major Cross tuning system, you can see it here
I came up with Major Cross around 20 years ago. Similar to the Lee Oskar Melody Maker tuning, it makes fast tunes easier to play. The initial idea was to play in 2nd (cross) position, hence the name Major Cross. However there are three other positions, each suited to different tune types. Major Cross also provides a wider range of chords than the standard Richter tuning.
And it is quick. To see what I mean, listen to this recording of Texas Gales, available here
While Major Cross underpins my traditional tune style, the standard Richter tuning is much better than Major Cross for blues. So I carry both tunings.
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Tony Eyers
Australia
www.HarmonicaAcademy.com
everyone plays...
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Gnarly
1449 posts
Aug 27, 2015
3:34 PM
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I retuned a Session Steel to Major Cross in G, just gave it to Jim Antaki at SPAH and it is coming back soon, equipped with a Turbo Slide to give me many missing accidentals--I will share my findings.
Captcha is dqmrge
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GMaj7
751 posts
Aug 27, 2015
8:41 PM
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I made an effort to play Whiskey Before Breakfast on a rack in 2nd pos. At the low end there was a note in there that just didn't sound right as a bent note.
Ran across Tony's major cross and tried it and it does make a lot of musical sense.
Good stuff T..
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Greg Jones
16:23 Custom Harmonicas
greg@1623customharmonicas.com
1623customharmonicas.com
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Harmonicatunes
88 posts
Aug 28, 2015
5:50 AM
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Thanks guys. Major Cross does take a fair amount of adjustment, of harmonica and player. You two are the only others I know of who have taken it up. Together with me that makes three.
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Tony Eyers
Australia
www.HarmonicaAcademy.com
everyone plays...
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GMaj7
753 posts
Aug 28, 2015
7:23 PM
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If someone wants to try this tuning, contact me offline.
I can easily convert a standard Seydel to Major Cross... and if you don't like it, I can switch it back...
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Greg Jones
16:23 Custom Harmonicas
greg@1623customharmonicas.com
1623customharmonicas.com
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Harmonicatunes
89 posts
Aug 28, 2015
10:32 PM
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You'd have to like it. I'm biased of course. However I still remember the first time I tried a Major Cross harmonica, sometime back in the 1990s. I tuned it up myself, and was amazed at how much easier the fiddle tunes were.
Still am. It's the secret to how I play, so let's keep it to ourselves?
The Tony Eyers trio use Major Cross pretty much exclusively for the 10 hole players. Details are here
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Tony Eyers
Australia
www.HarmonicaAcademy.com
everyone plays...
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Gnarly
1450 posts
Aug 29, 2015
9:51 AM
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I like Melody Maker, and Major Cross is an extension of that.
I also like Power Chromatic, it has the same tuning as holes 3-6 of a Melody Maker/Major Cross . . .
On what was a C harmonica, blow 3 A, draw 3 B, blow 4 C, draw 4 D, blow 5 E, draw 5 F#, blow 6 G, draw 6 A.
Somewhere someone has a headache from trying to understand this . . .
Here's another way of looking at the Power Chromatic, the blow chord is C6 and the draw chord is D6.
It's fully chromatic with draw bends, save the b6, which must be overblown or valved blow bent.
Last Edited by Gnarly on Aug 29, 2015 9:55 AM
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Gnarly
1451 posts
Aug 29, 2015
9:53 AM
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The Major Cross Session Steel arrived, and I am having fun with it--it overblows well, so I have options for chromaticity, and is fast and clean for the single note major scale stuff.
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