221-Tuning for 10-hole harmonica

Anything apart from the two mainstream default harmonicas (Solo-tuned fully-valved chromatic, and un-valved Richter 10-hole diatonic). Alternate tunings, different construction, new functionality, interesting old designs, wishful-thinking... whatever!
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Kniri
Posts: 17
Joined: Thu Mar 01, 2018 7:05 pm

221-Tuning for 10-hole harmonica

Post by Kniri » Fri Mar 02, 2018 8:00 am

Layout Alternate Harmonica Tuning "Kniri 221"

G/B/D/F/A/C/Eb/G/Bb/Db blow
A/C/ E/G/Bb/D/F/Ab/C/Eb draw

(draw-bendings at holes 1,3,4,6,7,9 and 10)

5 mixolydian scales: G, C, F, Bb, Eb
5 natural minor (aeolian) scales: Am, Dm, Gm, Cm, Fm

scale: G A B C D E F G A Bb C D Eb F G Ab Bb C Db Eb
steps: 221221221221.......

16 Triads are possible (3 notes in a row) in the circle of 4ths
G,C,F,Bb,Eb,Ab-major / A,D,G,C,F-minor / B,E,A,D,G dim ( G7,C7,F7,Bb7,Eb7)

14 Chords (4 notes in a row)
blow: G,B,D,F---B*,D,F,A----D,F,A,C----F,A,C,Eb----A,C,Eb,G---C,Eb,G,Bb---Eb,G,Bb,Db
draw: A,C,E,G---C,E,G, Bb---,E,G,Bb,D---G,Bb,D,F---Bb,D,F,Ab---D,F,Ab,C---F,Ab,C,Eb

Website: www.kniri.ch BluesAccordion

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IaNerd
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Location: Iowa, USA

Re: 221-Tuning for 10-hole harmonica

Post by IaNerd » Fri Mar 02, 2018 2:43 pm

Very interesting. Thanks for sharing.

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IaNerd
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Location: Iowa, USA

Re: 221-Tuning for 10-hole harmonica

Post by IaNerd » Fri Mar 02, 2018 2:47 pm

Q: Do you see applications of 221 to "chromatic"/slide harp? What might that look like?

Kniri
Posts: 17
Joined: Thu Mar 01, 2018 7:05 pm

Re: 221-Tuning for 10-hole harmonica

Post by Kniri » Fri Mar 02, 2018 5:16 pm

Thanks for the interest !

My idee:

Layout: „Chromatic 221“

SLIDE IN: G/B/D/F/A/C/Eb/G/Bb/Db  blow
A/C/ E/G/Bb/D/F/Ab/C/Eb  draw

SLIDE OUT: Gb/Bb/Db/E/Ab/B/D/Gb/A/C  blow
Ab/B/ Eb/Gb/A/Db/E/G/B/D  draw

Kniri
Posts: 17
Joined: Thu Mar 01, 2018 7:05 pm

Re: 221-Tuning for 10-hole harmonica

Post by Kniri » Sun Mar 11, 2018 8:03 pm

Layout "Kniri 221"
G/B/D/F/A/C/Eb/G/Bb/Db-----  blow
A/C/ E/G/Bb/D/F/Ab/C/Eb-----  draw

8 Triads (blow)    G      B      D   //  F      A      C  //  Eb      G      Bb  //   Db
                     G -major            F-major           Eb-major
 
                                       G      B  //   D      F      A   //  C      Eb      G  //    Bb      Db
                                                                 D-minor          C-minor               
 
                                           G   //  B     D      F  //   A      C      Eb   //  G      Bb      Db
                                                       B dim/ G7       A dim/ F7           G dim/ Eb7
 
8 triads (draw)       A  //   C      E      G  //  Bb     D      F  //    Ab     C        Eb
                             C-major             Bb-major            Ab-major
                                            A      C      E   //   G     Bb     D   //  F       Ab     C   //    Eb
                                              A-minor              G-minor              F-minor
                                            A      C  //  E      G     Bb  //  D      F       Ab  //  C        Eb
                                                             E dim/ C7          D dim/ Bb7

mayeran
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Joined: Tue Jun 06, 2017 11:09 pm

Re: 221-Tuning for 10-hole harmonica

Post by mayeran » Wed Apr 11, 2018 8:45 pm

Your idea of customisation is really interesting!

EdvinW
Posts: 259
Joined: Tue Jun 05, 2018 6:02 pm
Location: Sweden

Re: 221-Tuning for 10-hole harmonica

Post by EdvinW » Wed Dec 05, 2018 11:45 am

As a teenager, I used to carry an ocarina around my neck and play just about whenever I found the time, sort of like what I do with harmonicas nowadays. It had a range of a range of nine notes, fully chromatic, and I could adapt and fit just about any melody I could imagine. For most major songs I put the tonic a quarter up from the bottom, so the notes used would form a mixolydian scale from the bottom notes perspective.

This tuning gives this range, an octave + one note, in four consecutive keys, and in two of the keys you can even go two steps further if you bend the one note! (the seventh of your major scale, which you have to bend in many tunings)

As a bonus, the playing patterns are just normal spiral patterns, so for most of the scale there is no learning curve whatsoever!

I think I might have to get me a harmonica in this tuning! My first idea was to start at an e, to let me play in the major keys of A, D, G, C and F, and the minor keys of F#m, Bm, Em, Am and Dm. This would let me play simple tunes in all the popular fiddler keys in both Swedish and Irish music, in the compact format of a single diatonic harmonica.

This is already pretty neat, but as a fiddle tune in the key of A can't go below low g, it might be better to shift the whole thing one step to allow for the full octave in the top Dm scale. Another option would be to make 12 hole version. In that case I would stop the successive lowering of keys after hole 10, as a few extra notes in Dm would be handy, while a partial Bb scale would not.

The whole thing would then look like this:

Code: Select all

Blow: e  g# b  d  f# a  c  e  g  bb d  f
      1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10 11 12
Draw: f# a  c# e  g  b  d  f  a  c  e  g
... with maybe some holes at either end removed to make it fit 10 holes.

This would be something to carry in my pocket to at least be ready to play something in any key anyone (in traditional music) could reasonably ask for.
Edvin Wedin

Kniri
Posts: 17
Joined: Thu Mar 01, 2018 7:05 pm

Re: 221-Tuning for 10-hole harmonica

Post by Kniri » Sat Dec 08, 2018 3:41 pm

Layout Kniri 221 B* = H deutsch

Code: Select all

G/B*/D/F/A/C/Eb/G/Bb/Db blow 
1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10
A/C /E/G/Bb/D/F/Ab/C/Eb  draw 


A/C#/E/G/B*/D/F/A/C/Eb
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
B*/D/F#/A/C/E/G/Bb/D/F


C/E/G/Bb/D/F/Ab/C/Eb/Gb
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
D/F/A/C/Eb/G/Bb/Db/F/Ab


D/F#/A/C/E/G/Bb/D/F/Ab
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
E/G/B*/D/F/A/C/Eb/G/Bb

Code: Select all

E/G#/B*/D/F#/A/C/E/G/Bb
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
F#/A/C#/E/G/B*/D/F/A/C

F/A/C/Eb/G/Bb/Db/F/Ab/B*
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
G/Bb/D/F/Ab/C/Eb/Gb/Bb/Db


B*/D#/F#/A/C#/E/G/B*/D/F
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
C#/E/G#/B*/D/F#/A/C/E/G


Bb/D/F/Ab/C/Eb/Gb/Bb/Db/E
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
C/Eb/G/Bb/Db/F/Ab/B*/Eb/Gb


Eb/G/Bb/Db/F/Ab/B*/Eb/Gb/A
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
F/Ab/C/Eb/Gb/Bb/Db/E/Ab/B*


Ab/C/Eb/Gb/Bb/Db/E/Ab/B*/D
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Bb/Db/F/Ab/B*/F/Gb/A/Db/E


F#/A#/C#/E/G#/B*/D/F#/A/C
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
G#/B*/D#/F#/A/C#/E/G/B*/D


C#/F/G#/B*/D#/F#/A/C#/E/G
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
D#/F#/A#/C#/E/G#/B*/D/F#/A
Last edited by Kniri on Mon Dec 10, 2018 11:55 am, edited 4 times in total.

EdvinW
Posts: 259
Joined: Tue Jun 05, 2018 6:02 pm
Location: Sweden

Re: 221-Tuning for 10-hole harmonica

Post by EdvinW » Mon Dec 10, 2018 10:44 am

Some of the tunings posted here are difficult to read, but they could be improved easily. If you click the </> symbol above the box for entering text two brackets will appear. If you put the tuning between the two brackets, you have better control over what it will look like. Check how they will look with the "Preview" button under the input box.

This is well explained by Brendan in the following post: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=20

Even the posts you have already written can be fixed up by clicking the small pen in the corner of the post (only visible when you log in), and inserting the brackets. The tables would be even more useful if they were easier to read :)
Edvin Wedin

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