Are Lee Oskars "almost" equal temperament?
Thu, 06/28/2018 - 16:36
Hi Winslow.
I've stumbled upon your post in Harp-L, where you mentioned that Lee Oskar harmonicas are not Equal Temperament, but close to it.
Would it be fair to say that if Lee Oskar's are "almost" equal temperament, then the cords are not very "smooth", and thus, it is not the best choice for Chicago Blues with lot of slaps and pulls?
Fri, 06/29/2018 - 10:57
#2
Thank you so much for these
Thank you so much for these questions and answers - I learn a lot! Keep it up.
Lee's recommended temperament (bottom of Page 13 in his "Art of Harmonica Maintenance") raises most of the notes 10 cents from A440, except for the major thirds (Blow 2, 5, and 8 and Draw 3 and 7), which are raised only 8 cents. So it's almost equal tempered, and from the point of view of smooth chords, it might as well be equal tempered.
The classic Chicago blues chordal sound comes from the very smooth 7-limit just intonation used on old Marine Bands that puts thirds 14 cents flat and fifths 2 cents sharp – and Draw 5 and 9 at 31 cents flat! Either that or 19-limit just (which gives you some other options for Draw 5 and 9, which sound smooth in chords but really sour in melodies) are what will deliver that sound. Various compromise tunings are also usable - it's a matter of what sounds good to your ear, and also the extent to which you find the lowered notes usable in the context of the music you play.
Lee is very much a single note melody player and his recommended temperament reflects it.
Norton Buffalo used to gig with two complete sets of diatonics, one tempered for chords and the other for single-note melody. I don't know the details of his favored temperaments, and he was enough of a geek to get very specific in his choices.