1st chromatic harp
I`ve been learning diatonic for 3 1/2 years and would like to start incorporating chromatic into my study and practice time. I just don`t want to make a foolish purchase. Any sugestions on what make/model and key? Thanx to everyone who posts on the forum. Alot of questions and concerns that I`ve had have been answered there. Wish David could have started this 3 1/2 years ago.
All good advice. I like the Hohner 270 Deluxe. A great playing/sounding harmonica, very comfortable (round mouthpiece holes), and being a 12-hole I'm less likely to get lost (advice from Winslow many years ago :-). The CX12 is also very nice, but some people don't like how big it feels in the mouth and it has a very dark tone (hard to be heard when you're playing with a band... doesn't cut as well as a metal chro).
I like the 270 Deluxe as well. In recent issues of harmonicaessions.com, I reviewed several 12-hole chromatics, including the 270 Deluxe, CX-12 Jazz , Seydel Saxony, Bends Tonica, and Suzuki G-48. I included several playing examples, including amplified blues.
Thank you both for your input. There are just so many to choose from and your invaluable expierience narrows it right down. Thanx again. Dave
I've got a Hohner Super Chromatic that I clean the wind savers periodically on which helps. However (this is the squared-holed model) the notes are sometimes hard to pull, even with gentle coaxing and not very responsive to quick manuvers. I've noticed that Hohner will service this model for $94, but a new one is not much more. If I bought the 270 Deluxe model you recommend David, would I notice that it's easier to get notes than the Super model? It's about twice the price and I'm wondering if other than the round holes I'm getting anything worth the dough.
Advance thanks for any thoughts you have and as always, thanks for all you do.
A chromatic can be hard to play for a number of reasons. I doubt it has anything to do with the specific model. I played the standard nailed-together 270 Super Chromonica for years and loved it. So did Toots Thielemans, who can achieve amazing speed. Even the Toots model he plays now is just a gussied-up 270.
Two reasons come to mind that the harmonica itself might be sluggish and unresponsive, but the player's technique always has to be looked at as well. It sound, though, like you've got a good handle on the need not to slam hard on the chromatic as it will definitely balk at aggressive attacks.
So the instrument can have two main problems.
One is that the reeds may be gapped really low or really high. Low gapping will make it sensitive and responsive but only to vvery gentle attacks and low breath flow. Excessively high gapping will make it respond better to hard playing but make its response sluggish at normal volumes and making feel like you're sucking air through a sieve. However, it's rare to find an entire harp with extreme gapping throughout its range.
The culprit I most suspect is lack of airtightness, and my first area of focus is the mouthpiece/slide assembly. The mouthpiece is the topmost of 4 layers, all screwed down with two screws at either end. If these screws are too loose, the mouthpiece leaks. Too tight and you can't move the slide.
I'm going to ask you to run a test.
First, I'm calling the FRONT of the harp the side where the holes face you, and the BACK of the harp the side that faces away from you when you play.
Set the harp with the back lying on a table and the front facing up. Press down on the mouthpiece at either end. Does it feel like it has any give? Does it seem to squish down or does it hold firm? If it has any give, or if you can see light between the layers, it's too lose and is leaking.
Even if you can't detect leakage by sight or touch, the mouthpiece may be loose.
Find a screwdriver that will fit the mouthpiece screws. Now, try tightening the screw closest to Hole 1.
WARNING: Don't tighten too hard. The screw is biting into wood and could strip out and not be able to tighten. This might already be the problem, but let's hope not.
Snug up the screw firmly, though. Now try moving the slide. If it won't move, back off the screw a quarter-turn and try again. You want the screw as tight as it will go without hampering slide movement.
Once you get the let mouthpiece screw tightened optimally, do the same procedure for the screw near the button.
Once you have the mouthpiece tightened, try playing it.
(While you're at it, check the coverplate screws and get them tightened as well.)
If it's improved, that's great. If not, then you have other issues that really only a tech can solve (unless you're brave, very careful, and handy with small tools.)
One advantage of the 270 Deluxe is that the reedplates are held on with screws and can also be tightened easily, unlike the nailed-on reedplates of the standard 270.
Mr. Yerxa,
Thank you so much for your advice and suggestions. I tightened up the mouth piece screws per your instructions and it seems to have fixed the problem! One of the ongoing issues I've had is that my slide bar sticks any time I initially play. Hohner told me that many times that's caused by our saliva. Apparently some people's saliva (like mine) causes this problem. I had thought that loosening the screws a little might be a good way to minimize the problem.....WRONG!
Thanks for catching me in the act, I am very grateful. On maintenance: I live in a very rural area near the Oregon border and I haven't been able to find any harp techs around here. Do you have any suggestions who I might contact via the internet to service such a harp if needed?
Again, my thanks to you for your knowledge and guidance!
Have you ever tried the Chinese Swan models? That's what John Nemeth plays with and says he likes best. I haven't tried them yet but they are fairly inexpensive.
The most widely used type of chromatic harmonica for classic blues is a four-octave chromatic in C with 16 holes. Hohner Model 280 (or 64, because it has 64 reeds). Super 64, and Super 64X are the main Hohner models. The standard 280 is the lowest priced and is a fine instrument; it's what Little Walter used for his classic recordings on chromatic.
Hering and Suzuki both make four-octave chromatics. Hering instruments are airtight and responsive, but many players find the tone too bright for blues, and the reeds don't stand up to heavy playingas well as Hohner or Suzuki reeds.
Suzuki makes some excellent chromatics as well - check ouy the SCX64, and the Sirius 64, which is just now being introduced.
The four octave chromatics give you an extra low octave below Middle C. When you're playing in D using the big open D minor6 draw chord, that extra low range really makes for a big, dark, gritty sound. You can hold in the slide to play the same way in the key of Eb.
But to play in the same way in other keys, you may need another key of chromatic. The big 16-hole chromatics come only in C, but the smaller 12-hole chromatics (with a three octave range) comer in 7 or 8 keys. You will find recordings where players such as William Clarke, Paul deLay, and George Smith played other keys of 12 hole chromatics, using the draw chord as the home chord (this is also called third position, which may already be familiar to you on diatonic).
If you're going for a three-octave chromatic, then Seydel is also worthy of consideration. This Eastern German manufacturer is actually older than Hohner and has 12-hole chromatics in several keys. I'd recommend their Deluxe model.
A word about keys and ranges on 12-hole chroamtics. The 12-hole C chromatic has the same range as a diatonic 10-hole C harp. In the Hohner line, all other keys are pitched lower. So the F, E, Eb and D are all like the low versions of diatonics. They even make a tenor C, an octave lower than a standard C.
However, in the Seydel range, the 12-hole chromatics in D, Eb, E, and F are all higher than the C harp. Generally, you want the lower pitched sound for a chromatic in blues.
For now, I'd recommend that if you're looking to emulate the chromatic you've already heard on blues records, taht you get a Hohner 280.