DE29512316U1 - Harmonica tuning - Google Patents

Description

Description

Harmonica tuning

Previous harmonicas can basically be divided into two groups: diatonic and chromatic instruments.

1. Diatonic harmonica tunings: Use of notes from a scale, arranged in such a way that they produce a tonic chord when the instrument is blown and a dominant chord when pulled (Fig. 3).

Disadvantages of the diatonic harmonica:

a) An instrument is designed to play in a single key (+ its "related" church modes*). This means that if you want to play in all 12 keys, you need 12 different harmonicas.

b) Although it is possible to bend the drawn or blown tones down by one, two or three semitones (so-called "bending") depending on the cavity of the human mouth by changing the cavity, not all tones of the chromatic scale are playable (gray shaded tones in Fig. 3).

c)Because the three octaves have different tone arrangements and the cells have different interval sizes compared to each other, the instrument appears confusing and complicated for the beginner.

2. Chromatic harmonica tuning: Use of tones from a major scale, where a slider on the side allows the scale to be played a semitone higher, so that all tones of the chromatic scale can be produced (Fig. 4). In addition, valves between the blow and draw reeds ensure that the harmonica sounds louder.

Disadvantages of the chromatic harmonica:

a) Due to the complicated slider technique, it is difficult to play fast chromatic melodies and to use the instrument in several keys.

b) During the production process, the manufacture of slides and valves is relatively complex. This means that the chromatic instrument is significantly more expensive than the diatonic harmonica.

The invention specified in the protection claim is based on the problem of constructing a harmonica tuning which, by combining the two types of instrument, combines their advantages and eliminates their disadvantages.

The advantages achieved by the invention are, as already mentioned in the claims

-Easy production of all tones of the chromatic scale -Playability in all keys

-simple, symmetrical arrangement of tones

-cost-effective producibility

*e.g. in C major: C-Ionian, D-Dorian,.E-i>hiJgiSel3, F*-}yd!scli, G-*jixolyafec2,.A-Aeolian, B-Locrian

The harmonica tuning consists of a whole tone/semitone structure, starting with the lowest blown tone. Bending the draw tones down enables the production of all tones of the chromatic scale (Fig. 1). From any tone, a major or minor scale can now be built up and played without any problems. This is practical for the harmonica player (no changing instruments) and cost-effective (no additional harmonicas necessary), and also makes it possible to play pieces with many harmonic changes (such as jazz standards) smoothly and quickly. The harmonica is therefore equivalent to other wind instruments in jazz, classical music and many other musical styles.

The distance between two adjacent blown or drawn tones is a minor third (three semitones). This is the appropriate interval for producing the effects characteristic of harmonicas, such as trills (quick changes between two tones) and double tones (playing two tones simultaneously). Complete chords are rarely heard from most modern harmonica players.

Because the notes in the three octaves are arranged in the same order and the cells are tuned the same (blast tone to the next higher draw tone: major second; draw tone to the next higher blow tone: minor second), it is relatively easy for beginners to learn to play the scales in all keys: it is only necessary to master three scales (starting with the blast tone, draw tone or down-bent draw tone). These can then be shifted, similar to string instruments. A C major scale, for example, is shifted by one cell to Eb major, shifted by two cells to Gb major and shifted by three cells to A major (Fig. 2).

Note 1: As is international practice, I have used the symbols B instead of the German H and Bb instead of the German B.

Note 2: The symbols Ab, Bb, Db, Eb and Gb can be interchanged enharmonically also referred to as G#, A#, C#, D# and F#; for the sake of clarity I have only used one designation in each of the illustrations.

Claims (1)

Protection claims Harmonica tuning, which is characterized by the fact that -it has a tone arrangement which, when playing blow and pull tones alternately, starting with the lowest blow tone, results from a diminished scale consists of.
-the intervals between adjacent blowing or pulling tones are small Thirds correspond,
-The range is two octaves and a major seventh; which corresponds to a 12-cell harmonica body. Christian Neumann