Chro vs. Diaton
Hi Winslow...Sorry if it sounds like a dumb question, but, is it generally accepted that playing a chromatic harp is very different than playing a diantonic? I am specifically referring to the amount of air required to get decent volume. I recently purchased a Hohner 270 Deluxe, and after adjusting the the gap on holes one and two, I am still finding that it requires more air than a diatonic. Before I adjusted the gap, I found holes one and two were choking on both blow and draw with a normal volume of air.
Homer.
Hi Winslow...I have another Chromatic question, if I may. Is there a diffference in the playability between the Super Chromonica 270 and the Super Chromonica 270 Deluxe, considering that there is a difference in the reed plate thickness, 1.05 mm vs. 1.2 mm? Is there also a difference in the reeds or is it just the reed plates? If there is a difference does a thicker reed require more air to vibrate?
Homer.
Hi, Homer.Differences in the 270 vs. the Deluxe due to differences in reedplate thickness are pretty small. A thicker reedplate in theory makes the reed swing wider to chop through the thicker plate, but other factors (reed adjustment, airtightness) can play just as significant a part. I don't notice a huge difference between the stock 270 and the Deluxe in that regard. However, the all-screw construction makes the Deluxe much easier to service, and the round holes are kinder to the tongue.
Thanks, again, Winsow, for your insights.
Hi, Homer. See my asnwers to the same question over in the Blues Chromatic category.
I was away for a week at the World harmonica Festival in Trossingen Germany (the Hohner hometown) and did not have much internet access, so sorry for the long wait for a response.