SBS and 365 Questions

[Winslow Yerxa <76450.3230@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

TO: internet:harp-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Norbert Brunhuber asks:

        >Could you be so bold as to suggest uses for either model?
        >I mean, which is more useful for what?

The regular 365 in C is best for playing in regular tuning an
octave lower (The SBS in C diverges from regular tuning from Hole
5 upwards. At least it seems that way if you expect Hole 5 on an
SBS to be like Hole 5 on a 365 or an 1896). It's also a lot of
fun for those high blow bends in holes 11-14 that you can't get
on the regular Marine Band or on the SBS.

The SBS on the other hand, gives you a lower extension to the
range. This makes it easier to play a pure major scale in both
crossharp and third position. it's also great for chording - two
octaves of pure major triads. This can be especially effective
with tongue-blocked chording patterns.

The SBS also gives you range displacement. The 365 in C gives you
a lower-octave instrument. The C, D and G SBS do this, but with
the caveat of the tuning changing in Hole 5. And the G and A SBS
give you a range displacement to a high harp, if you start with
the regular tuning in Hole 4. The 365 can't do this.

        >Also, why aren't these harmonicas more popular? It seems
        >like you are getting more in one package.

Price. They cost much more. Also, they're unfamiliar compared to
the 10-hole models. And retailers are less likely to carry them,
which means players won't learn about them by seeing them
casually the way they will with 10-hole models.

        >Why doesn't the final hole in the SBS always work?

I wish I knew.

        >Finally, why don't they make the low A and low G
        >normally? I could see benefits for them as well as the
        >normal A and G SBS setup.

If there's enough demand, maybe they will. The extremely low keys
are a bit harder to make properly, and they are definitely harder
to play. The low pitched reeds are so long they tend to hit the
cover plates and buzz. And they require a very light touch to
make them sound. And they're much harder to bend in the bottom
three holes.

=========

Todd Huss asks:

        >I have the 12 hole Marine Band 364 (I believe) which is
        >tuned an octave lower than the regular 1896. I was
        >wondering if other people were having trouble bending the
        >2 draw and 3 draw. I can bend the 3 draw pretty well
        >except for requiring some more air than on normal harps,
        >however, the 2 draw I can only get down a semi-tone.

This is typical of the low C. It took me 20 years to get that
Draw 2 bend. I never tried that hard, just kind of a passing
"Dang!" whenever I attempted it. But then Steve Baker showed me
that he could do it, and a week later I had it.

It takes a VERY OPEN throat. The size of your vocal cavity
creates the resonant frequency for the bent note - the lower the
note, the bigger the cavity, and you'll practically swallow your
tongue getting it. But it can be done.

==========

Ted Allbritton proposes an SBS retuned from this:

SBS in C:        |                                       |
                 |                                       |
     __1___2___3_|_4___5___6___7___8___9___10__11__12__13|_14_
DRAW | D | G | B | D | G | B | D | F | A | B | D | F | A | B |
     =========================================================
BLOW | C | E | G | C | E | G | C | E | G | C | E | G | C | E |
     ---------------------------------------------------------

To this:

RETUNED SBS:     |           |                           |
                 |           |                           |
     __1___2___3_|_4___5___6_|_7___8___9___10__11__12__13|_14_
DRAW | D | G | B | D | G | B | D | G | B | D | F | A | B | D |
     =========================================================
BLOW | C | E | G | C | E | G | C | E | G | C | E | G | C | E |
     ---------------------------------------------------------

thereby giving three octaves of one kind of tuning.

This kind of tuning has been around for some time for regular
10-hole harps, basically tuning the whole harp as a repetition of
the tuning cell formed by Holes 1, 2 and 3. Brendan Power has a
version of it he calls "Power Tuning." (See HIP No. 4 for a
review of his 3 albums, where he uses this tuning.)

There's no reason not to do this if you want this kind of
consistency in tuning. Sometimes this is preferable, other times
it's nice to have the variety of different possibilities
presented by the constantly changing Richter tuning, where each
octave is different.

If you're careful and experiment with old harps, you can learn to
retune them yourself. You shave mass off the free end to raise
the pitch, and off the end near the rivet to lower it. Don't go
too far too fast. Take a little bit off, play it for awhile to
settle the new pitch, THEN check the tuning, and make further
adjustments as needed. Check for burrs along the edge that might
interfere with its free movement in the slot, and be careful not
breathe in any brass fragments.

Any good harp repair technician can do it for you if you don't
want to try it. There was a list of them a few weeks ago on the
List. Joe Filisko can do an excellent job, not only tuning but
optimizing in general, but he's not cheap and he prefers to work
with brand-new harps.