Brendan Power & Alternative Harmonicas Forum

Many Irish & American fiddle tunes incorporate rapid repeating wide intervals into their melodies. These "fast jumps" are virtually impossible on regular harmonicas, but this clip of the popular session tune 'Drowsy Maggie' shows how they CAN be played on alternate types.

The tune is in Em, played on a Low D harmonica in Solo Tuning. The other reedplate on this Irish Session Harp slide harmonica is tuned a fifth higher, in A, and the slider selects between them. This emulates the top button setup on my DM48X Midi Harmonica (they raise the notes by a fifth and an octave, operated by the left hand fingers).

Now those previously impossible fast jumps are as easy as pressing a button!

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DJzWufWo ... hyd3U2bw==

Nice!
This is exactly what I do on the Seydel Sampler since the day it had come to the market.
And your Irish Session Harp is good for this as well. (I have one of the old ones from Hering.)
edit: I just recognized, that you played one on the upper half of the video too.

Lots of baroque tunes contain jumps like this as well. For this one - it is a little improvisation in this style - I played a Seydel Sampler tuned to D and A mixolydian:
https://soundcloud.com/triona-966519605 ... rock-teil2
It is just that you are the better player.


dear greetings
triona