Killa_Hertz
1500 posts
May 25, 2016
9:00 PM
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Ive seen this recently.
Ive really been mulling over shelling out some coin on a good chrom. I want one that plays tight and responsive. The 64 i have is nice, but it's not exactly diatonic level responsiveness. But idk. Maybe that's unrealistic.
Ide like to find a lightly used quality chrom.
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barbequebob
3226 posts
May 26, 2016
10:49 AM
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@Killa Hertz -- One thing you gotta remember about chormatics is that you really can't approach it the same as a diatonic because, for starters, none of them take well to being played hard at all and if you play them too hard, the note will blank out on you in a hurry and you cannot bend the note more than 1/2 step and you need to have CONSIDERABLY more control of your breath force when playing one and if you try to bend using more breath force, the note will blank out on you in a freaking hurry and most diatonic players new to chromatics just don't get that at all.
The dynamic range is gonna be limited because of these things and the windsavers allow playing to be easier as a whole, but if there are none on them, it makes playing them (except in the very upper octave) considerably more air and wheras in a diatonic, the two places most likely to leak air are in the slot tolerances and inbetween the reed plate and the comb, with a chromatic you also have leakage from the slide/mouthpiece assembly, plus you, being their source of air for the instrument, are put much further away from the reed, so in the end, it's an entirely different instrument and if you try and play it like a diatonic, you're gonna constantly have problems and so you must learn to adapt to how chromatics work.
I'd like to see a 16 hole 4 octave version of this new Seydel chromatic tho.
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
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Killa_Hertz
1515 posts
May 29, 2016
8:31 AM
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Bob i figured that. I know it will never PLAY like a diatonic. I think i do play mine with But i guess my big gripe was the leak factor. And the fact that i cant bend 90% of the reeds. But i guess that may come down to gapping? I really don't wanna have to gap 64 reeds, but i will if i have to. I know they are only microbends similar to the 5 draw on a diatonic. I think I'm playing it with the proper breathe force. I play pretty light anyways. But im just getting used to the note layout. I think i will try bebop. The two Cs are stupid.
I think i have settled on the SCX 16 hole. I wanted one a little smaller, but i also don't want to lose that low octave. The cx12 tenor has the low octave, but apparently the mouthpiece isn't very comfortable unless you get the jazz model. The seydel 12 hole splits the difference and gives you two low and two high. But i think that's wierd because then you don't have whole octaves. Just go one way or the other.
I have heard nothing but over the top praises of the scx and by my experience with the manji i can see that suzuki really does put out great products. I know if a few people who recently bought hohner chromatics with major defects.
So ... sorry to hijack the thread.
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mlefree
680 posts
May 31, 2016
3:32 AM
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I disagree about the CX-12 mouthpiece. Never a problem for ~many~ players, including me. The non-playability of the upper two holes in my stock C CX-12 was the reason I jettisoned mine, not the shape of the mouthpiece. I'd love to have a Tenor C CX-12 with the regular mouthpiece.
Michelle
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SilverWing Leather - Custom leather creations for musicians and other eccentrics.
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barbequebob
3228 posts
May 31, 2016
11:13 AM
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@Killa Hertz -- The ability to bend on a chromatic has absolutely little to do with the gapping. Most self taught players have a tendency to use more breath force in order to force the bend to happen and if you do it that way on a chromatic, the note is guaranteed to totally blank out on you. I found this out when I tried adjusting my embouchure and the inside shape of my hand rather than increase the breath force and finally, instead of barely 1/4 of a step flat before the blanking out occurs, I was able to bend an entire 1/2 step, but no more than that and that taught my about technique with that instrument in an entirely different way and most players tends to be one size fits all or as I call some players approach, one way Harry and the adjustments needed to make this happen are EXTREMELY subtle and most players will have a tendency to heavily exaggerate everything, at least for the first to maybe the tenth time at it. The two chromatics that have a raised mouthpiece design that I found made it MUCH easier to bend notes on a chromatic were the long discontinued Hohner CBH chromatics and all of the Hering chromatics.
I'm not sure if it's true or not, but I have heard some rumors that Seydel is gonna make a 16 hole 4 octave stainless steel reed chromatic.
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
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Killa_Hertz
1529 posts
May 31, 2016
2:22 PM
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Ahh. Thanks guys.
Michelle that's interesting. I guess I'll have to just try them for myself.
The more i read, the more i hear people say that "you only really sweat your first chrom purchase. Because after that you realise you ll have more than one. "
I can see how this would be true.
Bob ... it's good to know. I can hit a few bends on various holes. So that lead me to believe (along with my findings with the diatonic) that it had to do with gaping. So .. hearing this new theory from you Makes me want to go grab the 64 and try my technique. (My girlfriend thanks you, trust me she'll be thrilled.)
BTW ... Still on the fence. 12 hole (CX12 Tenor) or 16 Hole (SCX-64) ... choices choices.
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Goldbrick
1493 posts
May 31, 2016
4:04 PM
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I have a couple . They seem to play well enuff and bend easily( no windsavers)
Cheap enuff and small enuff to put in a jacket or cargo short pocket ( impress the ladies)
SWAN Harmonica Set SW1040 10 Hole 40 Tone Chromatic Key of C Harmonica Silver Mouth Organ Musical Instument
by Swan
Be the first to review this item
Price: $37.98
Sale: $19.99 Free Shipping for Prime Members
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