harpdude61
209 posts
Jun 14, 2010
3:17 AM
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I just got my my first chromatic, the Educator 10 by Hohnica. I guess I'm pleased because all the notes and slide work really well. I had never even seen one before so it was all new to me. Very good for under $40.
What really surprises me is the note layout. So many notes repeat themselves...4 blow, 4 draw slide in, and 5 blow are the same note. Same on holes 8 and 9. Several other notes repeat themselves as well. I love the way the instuction chart disguises this. It goes from E# to F and from B# to C. Duh..same notes.
Is this the typical layout of a chromatic? Makes me think of it as more of a chordal instrument. I saw Kim Wilson in Asheville a couple months ago and he played one on a minor sounding song and never even touched the slide?
The irony is that with my 10 hole chromatic, I can play the chromatic scale 2 1/2 octaves.... but with my 10 hole diatonic, I can play the chromatic scale 3 octaves and a step!
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jbone
344 posts
Jun 14, 2010
4:32 AM
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i never use the slide. for blues i think it's not necessary since there are so many notes to choose from. primarily i use 3rd position. occasionally 1st but it just is not that bluesy sounding to my ear. 3rd on a minor song is the way to go imho.
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harpdude61
210 posts
Jun 14, 2010
6:41 AM
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Kim was playing in 3rd position and it sounded great. I guess maybe chromatics have other tunings just as diatonics do?
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barbequebob
916 posts
Jun 14, 2010
12:58 PM
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To play in the other positions for blues, here is where knowing your scales and where you are on the instrument at all times becomes a lot more important. Most blues players generally play chromatic in 3rd position for blues, but some guys like George Harmonica Smith have played in in 1st position, and that means you HAVE to use the slide and basically turn 1st position so that it more resembles 3rd position.
Most chromatics are laid out in what's called solo tuning, so what that is, it's basically the layout of a diatonic fromholes 4 thru 7 getting repeated and so you have, in the case of a key of C chromatic, 2 holes with the same note side by side. If you take the time to learn where all the notes are (too many players are too lazy to take the time to do this first), those little oddities can be made to actually work to your advantage, which I learned.
Most 16 hole chromatics generally only come in the key of C, tho Bends has one available in Bb. Many 12 hole models come in a number of different keys. I know for a fact William Clarke had Hohner 270 chromatics with him all the time in the keys of C, Bb, and F. George Smith had a 64 in C, plus 270's in Bb, F, G, and A.
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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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jim
163 posts
Jun 14, 2010
2:51 PM
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harpdude61,
this idiotic layout is called "solo tuning" and is standard for 99% chroms. That's what made me create the True Chromatic tuning.
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www.truechromatic.com
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harpdude61
211 posts
Jun 14, 2010
6:57 PM
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Jim,
I'll be honest. I have seen your link several times but never took the time to check it out until now. I studied the manual and I get it.
Even though I just tried my first chromatic, the layout of the true chromatic makes a lot of sense to me. The fact that you can play 24 three-note chords (12 major and 12 minor) is pretty cool. Once you learn the scales, seems you could play along with any chord progressions which opens up playing in a lot more genres.
Have others on the forum commented on the layout or better yet, tried it?
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boris_plotnikov
130 posts
Jun 14, 2010
8:33 PM
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I play regular solo-tuned chromatic for almost 6 years and I will not spent time working on new layout, but truechromatic layout seem to be very logical and interesting for anyone who is new to chromatic.
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http://myspace.com/harmonicaboris
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jim
164 posts
Jun 14, 2010
11:51 PM
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Harpdude61,
There are a dozen people who have such a chromatic now. I don't think any of them post or read this forum (I joined it not long ago).
I am learning it myself and can honestly tell you all positive and negative sides of it.
The good:
- Switching key +-5 semitones. You move two holes up or down and play everyhing exactly the same.
- Intonation. Because of very coherent logic, I manage to tune the True Chromatic very, very well. All chords sound great.
- Playing "natural" positions is easy.
The bad:
- Octaves are not the same. Though I never learned to hit an arbitrary note on a solo chrom. right), some can find it very important to have octaves. But that's the price you pay for having so many intervals and chords.
- Price. That was the stopping point for many people who wanted to give it a try. 200eur for tge basic config. But if you consider that it's a custom-built instrument, that is not too much.
Overall, I am making much faster progress with it than I was with a solo chrom. I can say that I have managed to get the ultimate Seydel chrom (meaning the top config) - sweet sounding brass reeds, and the best parts from the Saxony.
Unfortunately, the True Chromatic layout is very DIY-proof. Because the solo layout is so fucked up, you'd have to retune the top reeds as much as +5semitones up. I tried this on a chrometta, and the result after soldering sounds crappy.
I have one less expensive version available immediately if someone needs it.
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www.truechromatic.com
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jim
186 posts
Jun 21, 2010
3:02 AM
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Harpdude,
I'll have one TrueChromatic for a pretty low cost (compared to 200EUR regular price). So if you want to give it a try, let me know.
The reason for this one being inexpensive is that it's one of 4 prototypes - brass reedplates, wooden body, chromDeluxe windsavers.
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