Fwd: [Harp-L] Easy (Easier) Chromatic Jazz Tunes



The Chrometta 8 is a cute little pocket chromatic, but, yeah, the
range is limited.

Sound to me like you're serious enough to spring $75 for a 3-octave
model. But I'd recommend something less leaky than a Chrometta. They
can be customized for greater airtightness, but something like a
Hering 5148 would give you superb airtightness and plenty of range.
They come in several keys, from stanard C (middle C lowest note) down
to Tenor C (an octave lower).

Some jazz tunes can be problematic on the standard C, as they dip down
to maybe Bb and don't sound good an octave hither (for example, "Round
Midnight). Bb, G, F, or tenor C instruments (or whatever you prefer)
can help with this, as long as you can deal with whatever
transposition issues this may create.

One general hint: on chromatic, jazz tunes tend to lie better in flat
keys than in sharp keys relative to the key of the instrument. On a C,
for instance, F, Bb, Eb, and even Ab, lie very nicely. C actually
works decently as well. Sharp keys tend to require more breath
changes, have fewer alternate patterns, and when the slide is moved in
and out, tend to move between a scale and non-scale note instead of
between two scale notes.

Winslow

--- In harp-l-archives@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, Thomas Duggan <p89trd@...> wrote:


Hi all,

I usually play diatonic but I got a chromatic Harmonica two
Christmases ago from
my ex. It's a chrometa 8. I've spent the last few days picking out bits of
tunes, but have only had luck finding a few tunes that can be
transposed, that
will fit the range and are interesting. Does anyone know any narrow
range jazz
standards that would lie well on the smaller chromatics? Most of the
standards
I usually play (on guitar/bass/diatonic harp) surprisingly have a
wider range
than I can fit on my chromatic. I've only found a couple of tunes so
far (folk
tunes aside).  

If I get good enough on the chrometa I'm going to treat myself to a
chromatic
with a wider range.... So this is obviously of the upmost importance...

Cheers,

Thom

-- 
"Nobody made a greater mistake than He who did nothing because he
could do only
a little". -- Edmund Burke

The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in
moral 
philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for 
selfishness. -- John Kenneth Galbraith
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