Orchestra Tuning
Hi Winslow,
I am researching and shopping for my first Chromatic. The info posted on the forum has be so helpful.
I am thinking I will start with a 12 hole model but would really like more bottom end available than on the standard C models.
I see there is the tenor or C tuning with the low octave as on a 16 holer. I've also seen the Seydel's Orchestra tuning which appears like the a 14 hole cut off at the top. The Orchestra tuning seems very functional as I am not sure how often those very bottom holes are used.
Could you share your thoughts on the the pros and cons of this approach? If the choice were between a C tenor and the Orchestra tuning what would be your choice and why?
Best,
Andrew
My initial focus is the blues and just what you descibe. So it sounds like I will want that full low octave and the tenor is the better choice. I do have some interest in Irish music and I expect I will miss the 4th octave for that but that it a ways down the road.
I have read your reviews on harmonicasession.com and they have been VERY helpful.
I see that there are stock tenors from Hohner (Standard 270 and CX-12) and Seydel (Deluxue). I've seen your comments comparing the 270 to the Deluxue. I do like the sound of the CX-12 and but not the looks and mouth piece. Are there any other stock options?
How big of a job is it to have a standard 12 hole C re-tuned to tenor? Is that practical if I find a 12 hole model I really like but that is not offered in tenor?
If I were to choose the Hohner 270 would it be a better route to get the standard 270 tenor and 'Deluxify' it or get the 270 Deluxue and have it retuned?
I play a lot of Celtic music, more Scottish than Irish, but I can tell you that the standard top octave wouldn't see a huge amount of use. And anyway, a C chromatic is not the optimal key - a low D chromatic is what I use most, though others use a G.
It's not practical to tune a standard C a full octave down to a tenor. To do that you have to add a huge amount of weight to the reeds, which can make them very sluggish. Better to just get a tenor.
The CX-12 Jazz shell is expensive but makes that instrument much nicer in the mouth. The Jazz doesn't come in a tenor so you'd have to either
a) Buy the shell and use it to replace the standard CX-12 shell on a tenor.
b) Buy a Jazz and then buy tenor reedplates for it.
While I have a big love for the 270, the standard nailed-together model can be leaky. If you want to Deluxe-ify a tenor, you could:
a) Buy both a Deluce and a 270 tenor (I don't see the tenor reedplates being offered for sale), and put the tenor reedplates on the Deluxe body. To make that work, though, you'd need to drill out the nail holes on the reedplates for screws.
b) Get one of Brendan Power's 3D-printed combs. You'd still have the work of fastening the existing parts to the new comb; in fact it would be more work than swapping tenor plates onto a Deluxe
c) Pay a customizer to do either a) or b)
Hi Winslow
I've been following up on the Hohner 270 Tenor we've discussed. I've learned the 270 super is no longer being made in the tenor. So if anyone wants one the remaining ones online might be worth a look. They are still making the CX-12 tenor. Do you happen to know if the plates from a CX-12 could be fit on a 270 comb?
Andrew
Wow, that's a drag that they're getting rid of the 270 tenor! Hohner has been getting rid of all its affordable low harps and replacing them with expensive ones the last few years.
CX-12 plates won't fit a 270 for two important reasons:
- They're a different size and shape that would take onsiderable work to fit to a 270 comb.
- The reeds are cross-tuned, requiring either re-tuning 24 of the 48 reeds or finding a cross-tuned slider that would fit a 270.
- Why would you want to do that anyway? The CX-12 is way more airtight and much easier to maintain.
My personal preference is for a harmoncia that starts on C (for a C chromatic). Having it go down to G is handy for melody notes that dip below middle C, and they're common enough to make that a consideration. But I'm just used to the C tuning.
Still, I reviewed the Saxony and several 14-holers in a 4-part series of articles awhile back, and also recorded examples of me playing them. You can find the articles here:
http://winslowyerxa.com/articles/harmonica-sessions/
Scroll own to the ones titled "Review of 14-hole chromatics."
Let me ask you, though: Are you planning to play chromatic for melody or for third position blues, or maybe something else?
The playing samples should give you some idea of using a 14-holer or Orchestra for melody. And I did record some examples of third position blues as well. But listen to Little Walter playing a 64. He takes melody all the way down to D above middle C, but he's also playing tongue-blocked splits and chords, putting notes to the left of that Middle D. He sometimes uses the notes below the range of a 14-holer or Orchestra. Modern players like Dennis Gruenling (per the formative influence of George Smith) often play a lot of lines in octave splits, which would require the low C/D hole if you want to take the line down to Middle D. If that's the sound you want, a tenor might be a better choice.