A family of new modded-Richter tunings

[IaNerd]

To add a bit of complexity to the tuning above, we can raise the 5 blow by three semitones.

By the way, I see that there is a continuous Gmin chord from 3 to 10 in the draw layer. Please feel free to suggest ways that, within this tuning, that strip of Gmin harmony could be useful.

http://www.brendan-power.com/forum/down ... iew&id=527

[IaNerd]

Here are two more elaborate versions of the Tue Mar 19, 2019 2:29 pm (above).

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[IaNerd]

The tuning shown here http://www.brendan-power.com/forum/view ... t=80#p2056 (above) has a repeating pattern in holes 5-7 and 8-10. We can therefore delete holes 8-10, resulting in a loss of tonal range but no loss in function.

This 7-hole tuning is too large for a Seydel Big Six. But it would be perfect in a Kongsheng Baby Fat.

http://www.brendan-power.com/forum/down ... b8faa27c32

[IaNerd]

The tuning just above would certainly work. But as a re-tuning project, it involves moving the 7 draw upwards by three semitones. Maintaining Richter's reversed breath pattern for that hole makes the re-tuning easier.

Using stock Kongsheng Baby Fats, the following re-tunings are possible:
Stock F becomes new G "blues". (This is, however, in a high register.)
Stock D becomes new E "blues".
Stock C becomes new D "blues".
Stock Bb becomes new C "blues".
Stock A becomes new B "blues". (Not the most useful blues key.)
Stock G becomes new A "blues". This one is nice and low.

UPDATE, December 26, 2019: Yesterday I attempted the A-becomes-B re-tuning as above. I failed at re-tuning the 7 blow down a full two semitones, which was disappointing. The rest of the harp played very well, though. I like this alternate tuning and will likely ask Kongsheng to prepare some for me, especially in the keys of A, C, D and E. If Kongsheng ever develops low enough reeds for the Baby Fat, I would also like to get this tuning in "Low" (for this tuning) G, i.e. converted from a stock tuning of Low F (which does not yet exist).

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[IaNerd]

As I stated in the UPDATE just above, that concept might be a very good tuning, but as a re-tuning project its 7 blow note is problematic (for me, at least).

Here I recast that idea into a ten-hole format, and the problem of the re-tuning the 7 blow disappears. I have ordered a Kongsheng Mars (my first) in Low F to test this. I will report back later.

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[IaNerd]

I now see that the tuning just above is a cousin to third position standard Richter, where an F harp would be used to play G blues, and a tonic is at the 4 draw.

Most of this tuning's departures from Richter involve getting the low chords back to what they would have been (albiet inverted) in second position C, a.k.a. crosssharp G.

[EdvinW]

I always check this thread when it's updated, but unfortunately I'm often in a hurry. This time I wasn't, and so, fortunately, I took a look a few posts back

Two things sparked my interest:

Firstly, in your latest tuning, the two F notes in hole 7 look a bit odd. I understand why you put them there, but have you considered lowering 7B to an Eb? You loose the major F chord, but you gain an inverted Cm, and holes 4-7 would look like holes 2-5 from a Natural Minor. Except for gaining two notes (the E by bending) that could be used for riffs, this would add expression to the remaining drawn F.

I'm not saying my suggestion is a strict improvement, as you DO lose the Fmaj, I'm just interested to hear your thoughts on my thoughts!

Secondly, in the second tuning in your post from Mar 23, 2019, I spotted something interesting in hole 5: blow is higher than draw in a single hole! I don't think I've ever seen that in other people's tunings before, have you used this before? In my experience, it is a useful tool in changing the harmonic characteristic, albeit a tricky one.

I mentioned it in your thread on retuning Easttop EDHarmonicas, and it seems the context (hole 3) is rather similar

[IaNerd]

In the comment above, Edvin asks if I "have considered lowering 7B to an Eb?". No, I had not. But now I will! Thanks.

As for the inverted breath pattern in the hole 5, I was just exploring getting a IVdom7 in the blow layer while also providing a bend-less b3rd for the blues scale.

As a general -- and often broken -- rule, I try to avoid inverted breath patterns and even holes with no draw-bending.

[IaNerd]

I made a prototype of the January 2 tuning shown above and tried it out. I liked the main G blues scale (from 4 draw to 8 draw) so much that I decided to string two of them end-to-end in the tuning below.

Note that I used Edvin's Eb advice in the upper G blues scale. This gives the blow holes 1 through 8 a C major IV chord, and the blow holes 7 through 10 a C minor iv chord.

This tuning has two virtually identical G blues scales, plus a C blues scale (for when playing over the IV chord), and even a D blues scale (for when playing over the V chord). None of those scales require overblows or overbends.

In the diagram below, the first of two G blues scale is traced with a bright blue line. A virtually identical G blues scale follows it but is not traced out. The C blues scale is traced with an orange line. The D blues scale is traced with a magenta line.

Note how -- with the exception of the Bb in 3 draw -- the first five holes of this tuning are standard Richter.

I like to have a solid I chord triad in the low end and in line with a solid IV triad. In this tuning, the I chord is a dyad only. If this tuning is extended to the left in a 12- or 13-hole harp, then the I chord could be a solid triad.

Dropping the 5 and 6 blows to Eb is worth some further consideration. It would make possible an easier C blues scale in the harp's middle octave. Other pros and cons, anyone?

ERROR: The 5 draw should not be highlighted in the diagram below.

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[IaNerd]

The post above considers -- but does not show -- the 5 and 6 blow notes as Eb. The diagram below does show this. Additionally, it shows a simpler and more central C blues scale (for when playing over the IV chord) which is made possible* by one of those new Eb notes. It is traced out with an orange line. Note that the upper C blues scale is still there, but is not traced out in this diagram.

Interestingly, eight of the first ten notes -- the lower half of the harp -- are identical to standard Richter. Most this tuning's departures from standard Richter are in the upper half of the harp. Notably, every hole has a "regular breath pattern", i.e. a hole's draw note is always higher than its blow note. This feature is also seen in PowerChromatic, PowerBender, Wilde Rock, and other modern alternate tunings.

*ADDENDUM, February 6: The Eb of overblow 4 already made this scale possible, but I was thinking in terms of not relying on overblows. Ymmv.

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