Re: Re: stacked diatonic harmonica?

Hi Rex

Thanks for that link i hadn't seen that before... it's a bit like the
Hohner Sextet for tremolos but adapted for diatonics. You're right
about the holes on the LO but no one "can confirm nor deny" (as
politicians like to say!) that that is what they were for. I'd be
interested to know from Lee Oskar himself - but the idea took place as
they were designing the tooling and abandoned 25 years ago.

The Asians literally stack one tremolo on top of another and slide
them to and fro which is fine as the cover plates are flat but with a
diatonic one can't do that. Stacking does allow one to play faster...
Clyde's idea is just for holding different tunings conveniently as i
see it.

james


2008/10/6 beads594 <[email protected]>:
>
> Hi James,
>    I am no expert but I have heard  that the holes were already there. Tombo
> makes the LOs and they sell harps in Asia where stacking is popular. Tombo
> makes
> other harps that Lee chooses not to sell in North America. I think his big
> inovation was
> the alternate tunings. I like the LOs and have them in different tunings.
> I saw these at SPAH this year:
> http://cdmplanning.hypermart.net/Harp-Holder.htm
> I don't know how practical they would be and didn't try one.
>
> Rex
> --- On Fri, 10/3/08, James Freer <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> From: James Freer <[email protected]>
> Subject: Re: [big-harmonica] Re: stacked diatonic harmonica?
> To: [email protected]
> Date: Friday, October 3, 2008, 4:15 PM
>
> Thanks Rex
>
> What i think is interesting is that during harmonica development no
> one seems to have thought that stacking a diatonic is no different to
> the Hohner Double Bass or similar types. A 12 hole soloist with
> another above tuned c# is a slideless chromatic - cheaper and better
> than a Koch.
>
> What is interesting is that Lee Oskar thought something along these
> lines as he put two slots either side in his diatonics but took the
> idea no further. Anyone able to contact him and ask... i'd be very
> grateful!
>
> james
>
> 2008/10/3 Rex <beads594@yahoo. com>:
>> That is definitly one workable option. Especially if you like to drop
>> chords into your playing. On the few tunes that I play using two
>> harps I find myself usually using harps tuned a 5th (up, or a 4th
>> going down) apart. For instance, on "What a Friend We Have in Jesus"
>> you can play the first part on a G harp in 12 position (key of C). If
>> you play this in first position on a C Richter harp you have the
>> problem of the missing A in the lower octave. But 12th position on
>> the G will not allow the bend in the bridge part of the tune and it
>> has a missing note also (the F# needs to be an F). So I switch to a C
>> harp and play that part in first position. Then back to a G to
>> finish. I do not bolt the harps together. As far as switching for
>> just one note, I don't do that. I will switch harps to play an entire
>> section of the tune and pick an easy spot to make the switch.
>> I've never had a chromatic, most of the tunes I want to play do not
>> need one. The chrome players seem to complain about windsavers a lot
>> and I want to keep my harps simple and easy to maintain. If you want
>> to play classical music my method would not work, but for the Gospel
>> and Old Time tunes I like it works fine.
>>
>> --- In big-harmonica@ yahoogroups. com, "James Freer" <jessejazza2@ ...>
>> wrote:
>>>
>>> True. When i started playing i wasn't keen on a chromatic and
>> efforts
>>> at bending were ok for a semitone on easier holes. When i learnt
>> about
>>> asian playing of tremolo i thought stacking was worth pursuing for
>> me
>>> as i wasn't keen on tremolo (i do wonder how accurate tuning of
>>> tremolos can be if a 10 hole can be out by 20% which is what i've
>>> read.
>>>
>>> Soloist are available but there is little choice... Hering being the
>>> best imho. I didn't get round to tuning a soloist from C to Db.
>>> Playing a soloist on its own and bending gives you
>>> [hole] note
>>> [1]Db [2]Gb [3]Ab [4]C (already got) [5]Db [6]Gb [7]Ab [8]C
>> (already
>>> got) [9]Db [10]Gb [11]Ab [12]C (already got)
>>>
>>> I thought one was better off with 10 holes and a key C and Db. This
>> is
>>> koch tuning. One misses out with five notes but gains the chords...
>>> and more choice of harp. Missing notes are lower octave - F, A, Gb,
>> Bb
>>> and upper octave B. I thought that was a better compromise.
>>>
>>> am i right?
>>>
>>> thanks
>>> james
>>>
>>> 2008/9/24 Rex <beads594@.. .>:
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > The stacked diatonic is still not fully chromatic in the lower or
>> upper
>>> > octave. A stacked solo tuned would be. Two Melody Maker tuned
>> harps a
>>> > half step apart would give you two chromatic octaves, but you
>> would
>>> > have to tune one harp yourself because all keys are not available
>> from
>>> > Oskar.
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > ------------ --------- --------- ------
>>> >
>>> > Yahoo! Groups Links
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ------------ --------- --------- ------
>>
>> Yahoo! Groups Links
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
> 

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