Introduce yourself

Anything apart from the two mainstream default harmonicas (Solo-tuned fully-valved chromatic, and un-valved Richter 10-hole diatonic). Alternate tunings, different construction, new functionality, interesting old designs, wishful-thinking... whatever!
User avatar
dominico
Posts: 58
Joined: Wed Mar 20, 2024 3:31 am

Re: Introduce yourself

Post by dominico »

Hello there,

I'm an engineer currently living near Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.

I was at SPAH last year so I may have run into some of you already in person. With any luck I will be at SPAH again this year.

I used to play a lot of clarinet, and then bit of piano (not enough to be much good), and I've been playing harmonica for a while now; it started when I needed something to do after blowing out my achilles tendon playing sports I'm 20 years too old to be playing and I was couch-ridden for many months. I haven't put it down since.

I mostly play rock, some blues, and more recently, jazz standards.

I play almost exclusively Wilde Tuning, which is very similar to PowerBender, in fact I can convert between the two by only changing a few reeds.

After playing the Wilde Tuning for a while I decided that, while great for rock and blues, it can be a bit clunky in Jazz unless you happen to be playing in 2nd or 4th position. So I created a "Paddy Wilde" Tuning for my jazz playing, and discovered that makes playing easier in a bunch of positions. The downside being that the blow notes are not nearly as expressive, the root of 4th and 5th position, the 5 of 3rd position. Bothered me that they are blow notes.
So I got into half valving. I got good at valved blow bends: more expression on the blow notes, with a half valved "Paddy WIlde" tuning I can easily play chromatically up and down a diatonic harp. That said, 7th through 9th positions, the "Levy positions" are still very painful as they are nearly exclusively bends.

I began to wish for a way to have easy access to all the notes and so I stared searching for the "perfect chromatic", ideally one where I can play in all keys which already feel familiar to positions I already play on a diatonic, where I can have expressive bendable draws on as many notes as possible.

Back in the diatonic rock and blues land, If I could only bend from the 4 down to the flat 3, and from the 5 down to the 4, I could really track those tasty Angus Young licks on the harmonica.

I always have a harmonica in my pocket. The more I play this instrument the more my love/hate relationship with (how awesome it is / frustrations with its limitations) grows. I like playing a Low D, because its the same tonal range of a guitar, but I find the low end sluggish and have been looking for ways to improve reed response. Playing 2nd position in a low D is almost the exact same range as playing 3rd on a G, I can't fathom why I wouldn't be able to get a Low D harp to respond as quickly as a G, so I'm learning everything I can about the physics of these things to get better response out of them.

Armed with a 3d printer, a garage full of tools, my engineering degree and my physics / math minors, I will continue tinkering with these things and hopefully get closer to harmonic nirvana.

I look forward to bouncing ideas back and forth with everyone here.

Thank you,
-Dominick
User avatar
triona
Posts: 410
Joined: Thu Mar 30, 2017 3:24 pm
Location: Aue / Germany

Re: Introduce yourself

Post by triona »

Hello Dominick,
welcome here.
dominico wrote: Wed Mar 27, 2024 5:33 amI created a "Paddy Wilde" Tuning
That sounds interesting. What does the layout look like?
Is it like this?

Image


dear greetings
triona
Aw, Thou beloved, do hearken to the Banshee's lonely croon!
sinn féin - ça ira !
Cad é sin do'n té sin nach mbaineann sin dó


https://www.youtube.com/@triona1367
https://soundcloud.com/triona-966519605
User avatar
dominico
Posts: 58
Joined: Wed Mar 20, 2024 3:31 am

Re: Introduce yourself

Post by dominico »

triona wrote: Wed Mar 27, 2024 7:30 pm Hello Dominick,
welcome here.
dominico wrote: Wed Mar 27, 2024 5:33 amI created a "Paddy Wilde" Tuning
That sounds interesting. What does the layout look like?
Is it like this?

Image


dear greetings
triona
Very close! I also raised 7 blow to an A:

C | E | A | C | E | E | A | C | E | A
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10
D | G | B | D | F | G | B | D | G | C

I play it half valved, so the missing Eb is a valved blow bend on 2, 5, 6, and 9 blow, and the Ab is now available as valved blow bend on 3 and 7 blow.
User avatar
triona
Posts: 410
Joined: Thu Mar 30, 2017 3:24 pm
Location: Aue / Germany

Re: Introduce yourself

Post by triona »

Thank you.
I missed that the Will Wilde Rock Tuning is repeating the "Richter-note-duplication" of 2d=3b in holes 6d=7b. Considering this your alteration to Will Wilde on 7b as well makes sense.

Maybe I should have a try on this, because I like to play Paddy Richter as well as Will Wilde Rock tuning. Paddy I use mainly for Irish folk. Will Wilde I use mainly for march music (like e.g. Yorckscher March).

I just do not like valves very much. But I do not really understand blow bends either. Maybe I have played them already since long. But I never did this consciously. But I think this is a question to discuss at another place than here.


dear greetings
triona
Aw, Thou beloved, do hearken to the Banshee's lonely croon!
sinn féin - ça ira !
Cad é sin do'n té sin nach mbaineann sin dó


https://www.youtube.com/@triona1367
https://soundcloud.com/triona-966519605
User avatar
dominico
Posts: 58
Joined: Wed Mar 20, 2024 3:31 am

Re: Introduce yourself

Post by dominico »

SPAH 2024 registration, flight, and hotel are booked.

Hope to see some of you there!
burkeingraffia
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Apr 07, 2024 6:47 pm

Re: Introduce yourself

Post by burkeingraffia »

Hi, my name is Burke Ingraffia. I am a songwriter, guitarist, and wannabe harmonica player living in the Richmond, VA area. I have been looking for this sort of community for a long time, as I am also a coder and techie by day.

I have been playing Lee Oscar harmonicas mostly. Here is a song of mine on the harmonic minor tuning, playing a song I wrote called "Traveling at Night." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLL65GvCfwg

I have some neck problems due to cancer when I was an infant and spent a long time looking for the best neck holder. The best one I have found (and I have no affiliation) is from Farmer's Foot Drums here: https://www.footdrums.com/product/gecko-harp-holder/. All of the others out there are either too little or two much, with not enough pivot points for someone like me with a short and small circumference neck. It's not perfect, so I'm still looking for something better that doesn't even require a neck but can also be backed off of the mic easily.

When I discovered the MINIMIDI-JOYSTICK I was intrigued. I'd love to see how people are using it with vocal mics to play virtual instruments with the voice or breath.
User avatar
triona
Posts: 410
Joined: Thu Mar 30, 2017 3:24 pm
Location: Aue / Germany

Re: Introduce yourself

Post by triona »

Hello Burke,

welcome here.
burkeingraffia wrote: Sun Apr 07, 2024 7:13 pm I have some neck problems due to cancer when I was an infant and spent a long time looking for the best neck holder. The best one I have found (and I have no affiliation) is from Farmer's Foot Drums here: https://www.footdrums.com/product/gecko-harp-holder/.
The Farmer / Seydel Gecko indeed seems to be the best neck holder on the market at the moment to my experience too. Only harmonicas with covers of brass or any other non-magnetic metal - like e.g. Easttop, including Brendans's Lucky13 - can not be fixed to the holder. I have been told that magnetic tape attached to the harmonica cover could help. But up till now I could not find a tape that has sufficient adhesion.


dear greetings
triona
Aw, Thou beloved, do hearken to the Banshee's lonely croon!
sinn féin - ça ira !
Cad é sin do'n té sin nach mbaineann sin dó


https://www.youtube.com/@triona1367
https://soundcloud.com/triona-966519605
Post Reply