Mahcks
31 posts
Mar 25, 2015
7:43 PM
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I'm messing around with Seydel's configurator, and I've just about finished a crazy configuration for playing chords, when the notes I need aren't available. I have to compromise the pattern or leave spaces blank. This got me wondering: how come the lowest note available on a chromatic (which has long reeds) a G3 while the diatonic (which has short reeds) can go all the way down to F2?
As a side question, why aren't there short reed chromatics that use diatonic reeds?
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nacoran
8369 posts
Mar 25, 2015
8:04 PM
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You can kind of get something like that with Brendan Power's new double harmonicas, but in a weird way.
http://www.brendan-power.com/harmonicas-twin.php
The really low tuned diatonics are a pretty new thing, I think. It may be a matter of time or money developing it, or it may be that they expect guys playing a chromatic to have access to someone playing a bass harmonica.
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Nate
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GMaj7
655 posts
Mar 25, 2015
9:13 PM
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This is a great question and the math is sort of complex.
The chromatic plays a little differently because the reeds sit side-by-side as opposed to over and under.
The longer reeds simply won't go down that low. It has to do with the physics of fulcrum. The longer the reed, the more stress is placed on the base of the reed and that stress is multiplied exponentially the further away the weight is. So in other words, if additional weight were to be added to that reed, the base of the reed would weaken and/or fracture.
The reason there are no short reed chromatics has to do with manufacturing. It would require a separate set of chromatic reed plates with different slots.
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Greg Jones
16:23 Custom Harmonicas
greg@1623customharmonicas.com
1623customharmonicas.com
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GMaj7
656 posts
Mar 25, 2015
9:16 PM
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To follow up on your comment without going too far down a rabbit trail, there are a few Seydel diatonic reeds that will fit in the chromatic slots and these reeds will go lower than than the chromatic. I drop them in most often when I want a stainless reed and there isn't a stainless chromatic that will go low enough.
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Greg Jones
16:23 Custom Harmonicas
greg@1623customharmonicas.com
1623customharmonicas.com
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WinslowYerxa
827 posts
Mar 26, 2015
3:24 AM
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It's possible to design a chromatic that goes down to double-low D and plays very well because such harmonicas exist in the Hohner Polyphonia series. However, the reedplate would need to be just a few millimeters deeper to accommodate the slightly longer reeds required, and no manufacturer has wanted to tool up for a completely redesigned form factor.
A five-octave chromatic exists; it's called the Mammt (mammoth) - a guy in Trossingen builds them and I've seen one (though I didn't get to play it). However, he wants something like 4000 euros for it.
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Winslow
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Mahcks
32 posts
Mar 26, 2015
8:02 AM
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It looks like their steel reeds bottom out at G3. Their brass reeds go down to A2.
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GMaj7
657 posts
Mar 26, 2015
8:56 AM
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Mahcks
Brass diatonic reeds bottom out much lower than stainless.
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Greg Jones
16:23 Custom Harmonicas
greg@1623customharmonicas.com
1623customharmonicas.com
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