Thank you Brendan. I saw something about it (lucky 13) but I did not study it thorougly. 4 octaves is a very attactive feature for an harmonica.Congratulations! I wonder if such harmonicas could devote the first 5-6 holes for playing in pairs chords X1(blow)-X2(draw), X4(blow)-X3(draw), or X1=X4 and X1(blow)-X2(draw), X1(blow)-X3(draw) (or any other triad of chords from a diatonic scale e.g. X1=I ,X2=V, X3=IV or X1=I ,X2=IV X3=V or X1=I ,X2=V, X3=ii or X1=I ,X2=ii X3=V or X1=vi ,X2=V, X3=IV or X1=I ,X2=iii X3=IV or X1=I , X2=vi , x3=V or X1=I , X2=iii , X3=V etc) and the rest of 8-7 holes for 2 full octaves with circular tuning for melodies and a full set of 7 chords. Three chords is a simple and very usual set of chords for easy improvisations.
I thing in general that you have brilliant ideas, and I want to study which of them, could apply , with harmonicas based at least partly on the Ionian circular tuning,and then ordered to you. I had already ordered before I discovered you, 19 harmonicas in Seydel, diatonic, harmonic-minor, chromatic etc based on the Ionian circular tuning in various Keys (more than 3,5 K euro), besides about 10 with classical paddy-Richter. And I estimate I will order in time some of your brillian innovations, if they can be based on Ionian circular tuning which I feel very friendly.
I indeed prefer the circular tuning for melodies compared to the one in standard chromatic harmonicas (copied from Richter tunning , middle part).
The only advantage of the standard chromatic tuning is that it is periodic per each octave.
Nevertheless the cost of it is triple in the next sense:
1) There is significant loss in chord completness
2) We must reverse blowing drawng at the last notes 7 , 1 at each octave.
3) No breath-balance of blow-draw properties of the notes of the octave
I believe it is better to sucrifice the periodicity per octave and have periodicity per 2 octaves (minmum 2 octaves) and gain
1) Chord completness
2) no reversing of blow-draw at the last pair of each octave.
3) Because during the minimum of 2 octaves the blow-draw properties of the notes reverse, there is the possibility of breath-balance by shifting the melodic themes to the adjacent octave.
In that perspective your lucky 13 harmonica of 4 octaves tuned as in the enquire in this post (3-4- chords at lower octaves and 2 full higher octaves of circular tuning for melodies and all other chords ) might be the unswer to the question of the title of this thread. In short, the lower half and 2 octaves selected chords for fast chords , and upper half and 2 octaves for melodies ionian circular tuning (with all the chords too)
E.g, for C major and chords X1=I, X2=V, X3=IV
hole--1--2--3--4--5--6--7--8--9--10--11--12--13
blow C3 E3 G3 C4 E4 G4 D5 F5 A5 C6 E6 G6 B6
draw G3 B3 D4 F4 A4 C5 E5 G5 B5 D6 F6 A6 C7
or
hole--1--2--3--4--5--6--7--8--9--10--11--12--13
blow C3 E3 G3 C4 E4 G4 C5 E5 G5 B6 D6 F6 A6
draw G3 B3 D4 F4 A4 C5 D5 F5 A5 C6 E6 G6 B6
and for C major and chords X1=I, X2=ii X3=V
hole--1--2--3--4--5--6--7--8--9--10--11--12--13
blow C3 E3 G3 C4 E4 G4 C5 E5 G5 B6 D6 F6 A6
draw D3 F3 A3 G4 B4 D5 D5 F5 A5 C6 E6 G6 B6
or for C major and chords X1=I, X2=V, X3=ii
hole--1--2--3--4--5--6--7--8--9--10--11--12--13
blow C3 E3 G3 C4 E4 G4 C5 E5 G5 B6 D6 F6 A6
draw G3 B3 D4 D4 F4 A4 D5 F5 A5 C6 E6 G6 B6
As alternative to half chord-based and half-scaled based design of the tuning of the harmonica, we may have the multi-scales based design.
E.g. we may utilize half and the first part of the above harmonica to play the Blues 6-notes scale, and the rest the full diatonic scale (cyclic tuning) thus in total and for the C major scale as below
If we consider e.g. the C the blues 6-notes scale to to be the C Eb E F# G Bb (intervals in semitones 3-1-2-1-3-2) which is a 6-notes simplification of the double harmonic minor 7-notes scale C Eb E F F# G Bb (intervals in semitones 3-1-2-1-3-1-1. This double harmonic minor is a standard Byzantine 7-notes scale, besides the simple harmonic minor, which was also a standard Byzantine 7-notes scale), then the tuning would be
for C major and Blues+diatonic
hole--1-..-2-..-3-...-4...--5...--6...--7..--8..--9..--10..--11..--12..--13
blow C3.. E3.. G3.. C4.. E4.. G4...C5... E5.. G5... B6....D6...F6.. A6
draw Eb3. F#3. Bb4. Eb4. F#4. Bb4. D5.. F5.. A5... C6... E6... G6... B6
Notice that in the blowing row we have the chord C E G , 4 times initialy , while in the draw raw, the major chord Eb F# Bb and the major chord F# Bb Eb, and the augmented chord F# Bb D.
On the other habd if we consider that the Blues scale is the major country 6-notes scale C D Eb E G A C (interval structure 2-1-1-3-2-3) which is a 6-notes simplification of the 7-notes Byzantine parachromatic scale C D Eb E G Ab A C (interval structure 2-1-1-3-1-1-3) Then the tuning would be
for C major and country+diatonic
hole--1-...-2-...-3-....-4...--5...--6...--7..--8..--9..--10..--11..--12..--13
blow C3.. Eb3.. G3.. C4.. Eb4.. G4...C5...E5.. G5... B6....D6...F6..A6
draw D3.. E3... A4... D4... E4....A4...D5...F5.. A5.. C6.. E6... G6... B6
At the bow raw , we notice that we have the C minor 3 times and then the C major . At the dra raw no standard easy chords at the first 2 octaves here.
Similarly we could have more combinations of 2-scales like harmonic minor+diatonic etc
See an article about the first 4 blue notes of a diatonic scale here
https://simplerguitarlearning.blogspot. ... e-and.html
If we want to set the 3 basic major chords of a diatonic scale 1M, 4M, 5M at the blow row ,together with their closest from below diminished chords (that resolve to them) that is 7dim, 3dim, 4#dim , then this is possible with a bonus of two additional chords appearing in the draw row the 3minor and 6minor.
Here is how this can be done for the G major diatonic scale in the next table. The 3 basic major chords are Gmajor, Cmajor Dmajor in the blow row, and the 3 diminished chords that the resolve to them at the draw row are the F#dim, Bdim, C#dim. The bonus chords are the Bm and Em. The total 3 octaves scale has interval structure 2-2-1-2-4-1-4-1-2-2-1-4-4-1-2-2-1-2-2.
Or in notes at cyclic sequence starting from the blow note of the first hole and at the scale G major is the next
for G major
hole--1-...-2-...-3-....-4...--5...--6...--7..--8..--9..--10..
blow G3.. B3.. D4.. G4.. C5.. E5...A5...D6.. F#6... A6.
draw A3.. C4... F#4..B4... D4...F5...C#6...E6.. G6.. B6..
If someone does not want to utilize the resolving diminshed chords and wants to remain inside the diatonic scale one way to do it is as in the next table for the C major scale (notice that all the dtaw row is the 5M and 5M7 and 7dim while the blow row is the 1M and 4M and then again the 1M. Very symmetric tuning and easy to play. Remember that the goal here is not toplay all possible songs with such a tuning (thsiis done by the cyclic tuning) but toplay and improvise only under the 3 main major chord 1M 4M and 5M of the diatoninc scale. On the other hand if we want to substitute the 4M chord with the 2m minor chord as in Blues, then a more symmetric tuning than the Richter tuning is agan below for the G major scale. IN MY OPINION THE RICHTER TUNING IS NOT THE OPTIMAL TUNING TO PLAY IMPROVISATIONS OVER THE TRIAD OF CHORDS I ii V (or 1M 2m 5M) . The next tuning below for the Gmajor scale is CLOSER TO THE OPTIMAL FOR IMPROVISATIONS OVER THE TRIAD I ii V.
Besides the tuning as in the table below gor G major scale for the chord triad of Blues I ii V , there is still another alternative wchich ismore strictly restricted for these 3 chords, which for the scale C major is as in the table below