Please share your thoughts on these three options.

[IaNerd]

Screenshot 2025-02-10 150842.png (156.93 KiB) Viewed 6554 times

[Brendan]

I prefer Option A, because all the draw reeds bend throughout the range, apart from hole 4.

[triona]

I prefer Option A, because all the draw reeds bend throughout the range, apart from hole 4.

And what about hole 2?

[Brendan]

Ah, you're right!

[dominico]

I really like option A. So much so I may have to try it out sometime!

It seems very versatile, especially in 1st and 12th positions.

[IaNerd]

Thanks to the posters above for your kind and helpful comments.

An old friend of mine has called me Master of the Obvious. Let's check that ....

Something occurred to me recently and it might already be a well-known fact.

Assume that you have a slide-harp tuned double-diatonic in the sense that the slide-in layer is consistently two semitones higher than the slide-out layer. For example, the C major and D major scales. But has it been obvious that this same harp will also play in the key of G major with no bends?

In general terms: A slide-harp tuned in Do major with slide-out and Re major with slide-in will additionally play in So major with no bending required.

According to this, a handy two-harp combo could be: Bb\C (with F) and C\D (with G). Five major scales in two harps.

A more jazz-oriented harp could be: Eb\F (with Bb) . For Irish music: G\A (with D).

Self-evident?

Note: I am aware that a standard slide-harp tuning can play *12* major scales. But what I propose here could have its own advantages - especially if the overall layout is largely or entirely spiral/helical/circular/zircular in nature (e.g. Major Cross or what I show up above).

[triona]

A slide harp tuned in Do major with slide-out and Re major with slide-in will additionally play in So major with no bending required.[/b]

And to make this real, I would recommend the Seydel Samplar as a base:
https://www.seydel1847.de/epages/Seydel ... TaxModel=0

It is a double diatonic harmonica with a slide to switch between 2 keys which are situated on a reedplate with straight layout each.
The default standard tunings by Seydel are C + G, D + A and G + D in solo tuning (i.e. equal layout in each octave with doubled root note).
But the reedplates are freely interchangeable thanks to the straight layout of each key on one reedplate each. And many more tunings are available by Seydel's harp configurator. (The choice is depending on what reeds are available. But retuning is possible anyway.) There is the possibility for nearly any combinatin of different keys. So your idea could be realized easily as well.


I play Seydel Samplers in C + G and D + A mixolydian (= all G# of the standard A major retuned to G). The latter has the same notes on both of the reedplates, and the slide is shifting the note by a fifth respectively a fourth, depending on movement upwards or downwards.

I removed the default slide lock from all of my Samplers, because I switch rapidly and continuously between the two keys (respectively reedplates) while playing. And the slide lock can accidentally kick in while fast playing. Therefore I abandoned it, and the slide works like on a normal chromatic harmonica, just moved inwards by hand and outwards by spring.

I use the Sampler especially for playing baroque style music with its plenty of jumps by fifths and fourths and others. Here you can listen to a short example, played on a Sampler D + A mixolydian. I am sorry for the poor audio quality of the record. It has been taken by a smartphone among the public in a festival tent, where the gig had taken place.
https://soundcloud.com/triona-966519605 ... rock-teil2

[IaNerd]

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thanks to the straight layout of each key on one reedplate each

I love that.

[triona]

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thanks to the straight layout of each key on one reedplate each

I love that.

Me too.
The construction of the Hohner CX-12 for example would be ideal for experimentation with different combination of keys etc. But the zig-zag-layout is counteracting this.

And the reedplates and bodies of the Seydel Sampler and the Seydel Chromatic Deluxe and the Saxony and even of the Fanfare are all the same. (It is a modular system.) That means, you can change them all against each others. That might spare much retuning work. Reedplates are to purchase as a spare part as well.

The Seydel stuff is not cheap. But it is very effective to use it for experiments like that. And the steel reeds are lasting very long and have a good performance.