Blues tuning for 10-hole harp--now with DIAGRAM

[IaNerd]

NAME: I call this "Byrnes 10-Hole Blues" tuning.

BASIC CONCEPT: Rethink Richter-Diatonic, to make blues more playable with without the use of so many partial draw bends, overblows, etc.

WHEN/HOW: June of 2017, through Seydel's Configurator. This was a Noble Classic Low, as the first note is C3.

LAYOUT:




Notes of the Minor Hexatonic Blues Scale in G: G — A#/Bb — C — C#/Db — D — F — G.

Chords in this setup:

I Gmaj yes (x2), one with 7th
ii Amin no
iii Bmin yes, partial
IV Cmaj yes (x3)
V Dmaj no
vi Emin no
vii F#dim no
--------------------------------
Also: Gmin, Bbmaj, C#min (partial), Dmin (partial, x2)


DETAILS:

The first five channels are Standard Richter. For the life if me, I could not find any way to make that any "better".

Channels 6-10 represent a new thinking, whereby all of the Minor Hexatonic Blues Scale notes (see above) are accessible as unbent blows and draws. The blow notes in channels 6, 7 and 10 were chosen not to BE PLAYED, but rather to make the DRAW-BENDS of those channels complement the unbent blues scale notes. Note that in the high half of the harp there are a number of enharmonic relationships between bend and unbent notes of the blues scale.

As a variation on this theme, the top five channels of this setup can be dropped into channels 1-5 or 2-6 of a six-hole harp (e.g. Big Six).

I am too shy to post my own sound or video. However, if someone with more chops than me (= pretty much everybody) wants to give it a try, pm me.

[IaNerd]

UPDATE:

I'm dusting off and re-introducing this tuning for three reasons.

One reason is that my method of diagramming tunings has improved.

Another reason is that Brendan Power has mentioned (in an email communication) that he is working on an Overblow Booster which would be compatible with "regular-breath" tunings like PowerBender, PowerDraw etc. (i.e. a single insert for the blow reedplate). So I have now reconsidered this tuning with regard to its overblow abilities.

The third reason is that I was recently inspired by this video https://youtu.be/31c00hW0JUI in which Will Wilde demonstrates some all-draw techniques to climax a blues solo.

The tuning that I presented here last year is half-Richter, half-Other. The Other half is built around this set of ideas:
(1) The minor hexatonic blues scale is bluesy and cool.
(2) Bending notes can be bluesy and cool.
(3) Bending from one blues scale note to another blues scale note can be extra-deliciously bluesy and cool.

And so the right half of this harp maximizes those blue-to-blue bends. Counting one of the overblows, there are nine bends from one blue note to another.

This tuning should make for some lightning-fast single-note play in the right half.


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