chromaticblues
588 posts
Feb 14, 2011
11:20 AM
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Does anyone play half valved chrom?
Does anyone here use the bebop tuned chrom?
These are two very usefull ways of playing blues on the chrom, but I don't believe I've ever heard anyone use either!
Anyone?
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timeistight
17 posts
Feb 14, 2011
4:07 PM
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I have a half-valved CX-12, but I'm not sure it's really that worthwhile doing to a solo-tuned axe. I have a Hohner Slide Harp wending its way through the mail system. It's a half-valved, Richter-layout chrom. I think it may be more useful in that context.
I also have a bebop-tuned chom. I think it's great. It's a really subtle change but it does give a useful new note and doesn't take much away from solo tuning.
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JohnnieHarp
95 posts
Feb 14, 2011
8:34 PM
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> Does anyone play half valved chrom?
Brendan Power I believe ... think he's done about everything in terms of harp mods, tunings, 11 hole diatonics, etc.
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chromaticblues
592 posts
Feb 15, 2011
8:18 AM
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Yeah I know Brendon does. I was hoping to hear people talk a little in deapth about thier experience with it. I think the half valved bebop tuning is the best way to set up a chrom for playing blues.
@ timeistight I would think the CX-12 is one of the best chroms to half valve. I like the draw bends in the middle of the harp. I'm still experimenting. So I don't have it all figured out yet. My favorite chrom is the 10 hole 260. So most af my experimenting has been with the 260. Which I'm not totally satsfied with yet. I just have more work to do and so busy working on other peoples harps I jsut haven't gotten to it yet. The CX-12 seems to react to customizing better. There are just more obsticles to overcome with the 260.
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timeistight
19 posts
Feb 15, 2011
9:21 AM
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I'm sure you know this, chromaticblues, but on a solo-tuned harmonica you only remove valves from the draw reeds on holes 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 giving you semi-tone dual reed bends on those holes and the regular, chromatic-style single reed bends on the rest. I think Brendan's half-valved chromatics are all in one of his alternate tunings, giving him access to deeper bends and bends on more holes.
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chromaticblues
595 posts
Feb 15, 2011
11:27 AM
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@ timeistight yes your right I do, but thanks for responding. I don't know everything! That I do know. To follow up on what your talking about. I would also take the valves off the 2, 6 and 10. There isn't much of a bend there, but it does sound nice (like the 5 hole draw bend on the diatonic)! Also I don't know if your familiar with the bebop tuning or not. It's not really a big deal. They just swap the reeds around on hole 4, 8 and 12. On those holes the blow note is higher pitched than the draw note. Well if you switch the reeds around (take out the blow reed and put it in draw reed slot and visa versa). All the notes go in order and all the draw notes are higher in pitch. Why is that important? Now you can remove all the valves on the outside of the reed plates and be able to bend and use the button! This is what I'm working on. I just haven't got a harp good enough to do it yet! Actually I suck at replacing reeds. I can make a good harp play great, but I can't fix a broken one yet. I'm not giving up though!
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timeistight
20 posts
Feb 15, 2011
12:18 PM
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I have a bebop-tuned 14-holer that I bought from Joe Spiers. I'm pretty sure he didn't swap any reeds around, just tuned the existing reeds down.
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chromaticblues
596 posts
Feb 15, 2011
12:29 PM
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On holes 4,8 and 12 the blow is "C". It is changed to "B". That notes is lowered. The draw is raised from "B" to "C". Thats removing alot of material at the end. You may be right! I just assumed that would be the easiest way to do it. Not that its easy. If it was easy I'd be doing it already! Can you take your coverplates off and tell me do you see solder on the reeds? I know I can add wieght to the tip of the "C" to bring it down to "B", but I'm not sure how to get the "B" up to a "C"?
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harpwrench
444 posts
Feb 15, 2011
1:20 PM
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I think there are different versions maybe? The one I retuned did not raise a B to a C. The pitch lowering on the blow notes was done with solder to facilitate easily retuning back to stock specs. I have a bebop tuned Super 64x that I'd part with if anyone's interested. This one was tuned by Gary Lehman (Suzuki USA tech), I don't like the thickness of it compared to my wood combed 64's.
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WinslowYerxa
4 posts
Feb 15, 2011
10:46 PM
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On a Bebop tuned C chromatic, the Blow C in Holes 4 and 8 (and hole Dot-4 on a 16-hole instrument) is lowered to B-flat, not B. And the corresponding C-sharps are lowered to B-natural. Nothing at all is done to change the pitch of the draw reeds.
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chromaticblues
597 posts
Feb 16, 2011
6:33 AM
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Thank you Mr. Yerxa. I like my idea of just swapping the reeds around. Mr. Yerxa can you tell me what the advantage that tuning is other than just not having two "C" notes. It does change things a bit. I think people that like 2nd position chrom (like Paul Delay and Norton Buffalo did) would like that. I was thinking that in 3rd position changing the C to B and visa versa would be very useful. I think it would be easy to learn to play in any key with the notes layed out like that. I don't know of anyone that uses this. This is just an idea I have had for a long time that I am now getting around to. I like playing 4 hole slits Little Walter style. Not the west coast true octaves, but with the standard tuning the way Little Walter played those four hole splits just doesn't make sense to me. I think with the tuning I mentioned it would make sense to a music professor and sound good. I know you are very much into playing chromatic and would appriciate anything you have to say on the matter!
Last Edited by on Feb 16, 2011 9:25 AM
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Gnarly
9 posts
Feb 16, 2011
8:41 AM
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Hi Joe! Thanks for taking that 64x off my hands, it's a good harp, just too polite for me.
I am that Gary Lehmann guy he mentioned.
Gnarly Heman is an anagram of my name 8)
The other tuning being mentioned is called classical tuning, I retuned a chrom for a fellow slidemeister member, and he just posted regarding it:
Quote:I tried it a few times, but never devoted enough time on it to become comfortable.
And don't forget, it gives you a minor second interval between 4 and 5, not much fun trying to avoid that . . .
I like Orchestra tuned bebop harps (blow is G Bb C E, draw is A B D F, button raises half step).
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chromaticblues
600 posts
Feb 16, 2011
9:42 AM
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@ Gnarly have you made any with the tuning I mentioned?
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