I mentioned my preference for having the notes laid out according to their pitch, rather than how they are fixed to the reedplates inside the harp: Low notes on the bottom row, High notes on the upper row, and Bends in the middle. I find it helps me memorize phrases, because their shape reflects the rise and fall of the notes in the air.
However, that runs contrary to the conventional way of showing diatonic harmonica diagrams. All current manufacturers have adopted the construction of a blow reedplate on top of the comb, and draw reedplate on the bottom. (It doesn't have to be that way of course! You could just as well have them the other way around - but that's the way it is, all diatonic harps are the same...)
Reflecting that, tuning diagrams invariably reflect the construction of the harp: blow reeds are shown on the upper row, draw reeds on the lower row. But, in a sonic/spatial sense, that often conflicts with their note pitches. Generally the blow note is lower in pitch than the draw - but the standard harmonica diagrams ignore this altogether!
Ever since my early playing days, I've favoured regular-breath tunings, where the blow note is ALWAYS lower than the draw, in every hole. It's led me to create several tunings based on this principle (mainly PowerBender, PowerDraw, PowerChromatic, and their variations). It's also the basis of some other well-known Alternate Tunings: Diminished, Augmented, and Spiral Tuning (also known as Circular).
For such regular-breath tunings where the pattern is the same throughout the harp, to me it makes logical music sense to show tuning diagrams and phrase maps which reflect the pitch of the notes. As an aid to memory, I find SEEING the notes rise and fall on the page/screen helps reinforce their actual sounds in the air, and helps me internalise them faster. Here's an example of an Em scale on a Lucky 13 in PowerChromatic Tuning:
- Lucky 13 PowerChromatic Tuning in C - E Minor.png (57.07 KiB) Viewed 15018 times
This is all very well for regular-breath tunings, but what about the much more common harmonica tunings which have the blow and draw notes flipping positions: Richter and Solo? These are the dominant harmonica tunings, deeply entrenched over more than a century of worldwide use. They switch between the blows and draws being higher or lower depending on where you are on the harp. Richter makes a complete flip at hole 7, Solo does it once per octave. Could such a pitch-based tuning diagram system apply to these irregular-breath tunings as well?
After some thought this morning I came up with a way that they could, and am interested to hear what you think about it...
It would be possible by getting rid of the rigid Blow/Draw horizontal rows and replacing them with note colours according to breath (or some other designation clearly distinguishing between them). For example, using black ink only, you could have capital letters for BLOW notes, small letters for draw, or similar... Or Bold letters for blow, plain for draw... Or use two radically different fonts according to breath...
That way you would still have the low note in each hole on the bottom row of the diagram, bends in the middle row/s, and the high notes above, regardless of whether they are blows or draws. But whether a note is blow or draw would be instantly obvious from a glance at the diagram.
Assuming the harp is un-vlaved, Overbends (Overblows and Overdraws) would also be available. Since Overbends are always a semitone higher in pitch than the highest note in each hole, so they would go on the very top row.
I haven't seen a harp tuning shown that way before, but perhaps it's been done? If so, please let me know - I'd love to check it out! It wouldn't surprise me if someone has used this method before, because it does have a powerful musical logic to it. Plus, it would look quite attractive too
The advantage of this approach is that you really SEE what a tuning looks like in terms of its note structure, rather than where the reeds are physically placed on the reedplates. Since we're talking about graphics here, a picture is always worth a thousand words! I drew up a few tunings according to this principle, using different fonts for the blow and draw notes:
- Tuning Diagrams According to Pitch and Breath.jpg (369.03 KiB) Viewed 14975 times
Many will not like this way of showing tunings I'm sure, but I hope it gives food for thought anyway! Interested to hear your reactions, positive or negative.
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