I noticed on the Hohner web site that they make a chromatic harmonica in B which make it in C with the button in .
I saw a player in Cork who played ITM on a C chromatic. He played it with the button in so his home position was C#.He did this so it was more like playing the B/C box.He was rather good but I think he mostly played solo.
I would think that a B/C chromatic would play very much like a B/C box.
Has anyone here had any experience with playing ITM on any sort of chromatic harmonicas? Would a B/C chromatic be a good introduction to the B/Cbox?
I tried it, didn't like it much. Sounded too much like a metal clarinet for my taste.
Even with the "whammy bar" It's going to operate like a diatonic or an Anglo concertina. I've never played (experimented) with a B/C so I don't know how much it would help.
I looked at a B/C chart a couple of months ago and it seemed to me at the time that it the buttons were same noise on the push/pull. But anybody that has a clue is welcome to step in ....
I have a friend that plays C#/D accordion who has recently taken to the harmonica, and he is quite happy, finds it very comfortable. The harmonica without a button pushed is very much like the first row of his box, the only difference is, because the harmonica button moves you into D#, it isn't quite like moving to the second row of the accordion. But it is enough the same that he has taken to it like a duck to water.
I myself, as a neo-Luddite that gets confused by extra bells and whistles, have decided to stick to old-fashioned diatonic harmonicas. It limits the number of tunes you can play, but is far less confusing.
The main reason for B/C chromatic is that it might easily emulate the ornamentation of the button box. You can play tunes on any chromatic, because they can play any note. The problem is in getting the tunes out quickly and getting the ornaments to sound good. I've had some success with a G chromatic, but as was pointed out here earlier, the tone sometimes leaves something to be desired. It's a matter of taste.
I don't know how much the harmonica would help in learning the button box, but it's wonderful in its own right.
I'm the harmonica player Al Brown mentioned. I use a D chromatic which shifts to D#. I think that one of the advantages of the B/C box is that fewer bellows direction changes are generally required in rendering a tune. This advantage does not necessarily translate to the harmonica, however. Runs of notes all on the exhale or inhale are a problem to do cleanly, whereas close combinations of exhale/inhale are technically easier and give the tune more drive.
Thanks for that information Conanicus I had also considered a d/d# as a possibility. But really didn't know where the advantages to either system. thanks
I used a B/C chromatic for awhile, though I used one pitched lower than a standard B/C instrument so I could match fiddle range - I re-tuned an E chromatic in order to do this.
I was unaware of B/C boxes at the time. My reasoning was that while keys like D and A were kind of choppy - lots of breath changes, keys a semintone higher, like Eb and Bb - were very smooth - could be played with very smooth breath changes. This was especially useful for ornaments, as breath changes generally make them too choppy and hard to play at speed.
By using a B instrument, playing in Eb position would sound in concert D, and Bb would come out in A. Ab would come out in G.
I made one change to the tuning layout. Instead of having the blow notes tuned CEGC, CEGC, etc. (Or BD#F#B, BD#F#B, etc.) I made them CEGA, CEGA, etc (or BD#F#G#, etc.). This duplication of A (or G#) gave me that note as both blow and draw, allowing for even more flexibility in phrasing.
Eventually I lost interest in playing chromatic with a large-ish fiddle group (San Francisco Scottish Fiddlers, anywhere from 40 to 120 fiddlers) and started playing the new XB-40 diatonic instead, using mostly the keys of G, A, and low D. Designed by irish music master, former Hohner employee and recent Irish resident Rick Epping, this harp for me really rocks for celitic tunes. It's loud, responsive, and because of its wide pitch flexibility, allows me to use one harp during a set that might go through changes in key or changes between major and minor in the same key (or both).
One further note on the B/C chromatic.
The biggest flaw I found with the B/C chromatic was that for G minor tunes, it makes you play in the equivalent of G# minor, which is a bugger. A chromatic pitched in the key of E actually works a bit better than the B/C instrument:
Concert D major is played as Bb, D minor is Bb minor (sound hard but is just like A minor), G is Eb (easy for minor and not bad for major), A is F (pretty easy for both major and minor), and the occasional E tune is dead easy. Again, I retune every fourth hole draw down from E to C# (and the slide-in note in teh same hole, F, down to D). Even the occasional tune in F is fairly easy. (Bb and Eb become F# and B respectively, but hey, you can't have everything).
B/C chromatic harmonica
B/C chromatic harmonica
I noticed on the Hohner web site that they make a chromatic harmonica in B which make it in C with the button in .
I saw a player in Cork who played ITM on a C chromatic. He played it with the button in so his home position was C#.He did this so it was more like playing the B/C box.He was rather good but I think he mostly played solo.
I would think that a B/C chromatic would play very much like a B/C box.
Has anyone here had any experience with playing ITM on any sort of chromatic harmonicas? Would a B/C chromatic be a good introduction to the B/Cbox?
# Posted on October 10th 2005 by McMandolin
Re: B/C chromatic harmonica
This is the Hohner site http://www.hohnerusa.com/hchromatic.htm
# Posted on October 10th 2005 by McMandolin
Re: B/C chromatic harmonica
I tried it, didn't like it much. Sounded too much like a metal clarinet for my taste.
Even with the "whammy bar" It's going to operate like a diatonic or an Anglo concertina. I've never played (experimented) with a B/C so I don't know how much it would help.
I looked at a B/C chart a couple of months ago and it seemed to me at the time that it the buttons were same noise on the push/pull. But anybody that has a clue is welcome to step in ....
# Posted on October 11th 2005 by Owell Mabee
Re: B/C chromatic harmonica
I have a friend that plays C#/D accordion who has recently taken to the harmonica, and he is quite happy, finds it very comfortable. The harmonica without a button pushed is very much like the first row of his box, the only difference is, because the harmonica button moves you into D#, it isn't quite like moving to the second row of the accordion. But it is enough the same that he has taken to it like a duck to water.
I myself, as a neo-Luddite that gets confused by extra bells and whistles, have decided to stick to old-fashioned diatonic harmonicas. It limits the number of tunes you can play, but is far less confusing.
# Posted on October 11th 2005 by AlBrown
Re: B/C chromatic harmonica
The main reason for B/C chromatic is that it might easily emulate the ornamentation of the button box. You can play tunes on any chromatic, because they can play any note. The problem is in getting the tunes out quickly and getting the ornaments to sound good. I've had some success with a G chromatic, but as was pointed out here earlier, the tone sometimes leaves something to be desired. It's a matter of taste.
I don't know how much the harmonica would help in learning the button box, but it's wonderful in its own right.
# Posted on October 11th 2005 by TaoCat
Re: B/C chromatic harmonica
I'm the harmonica player Al Brown mentioned. I use a D chromatic which shifts to D#. I think that one of the advantages of the B/C box is that fewer bellows direction changes are generally required in rendering a tune. This advantage does not necessarily translate to the harmonica, however. Runs of notes all on the exhale or inhale are a problem to do cleanly, whereas close combinations of exhale/inhale are technically easier and give the tune more drive.
# Posted on October 12th 2005 by Conanicus
Re: B/C chromatic harmonica
Thanks for that information Conanicus I had also considered a d/d# as a possibility. But really didn't know where the advantages to either system. thanks
# Posted on October 12th 2005 by McMandolin
Re: B/C chromatic harmonica
I used a B/C chromatic for awhile, though I used one pitched lower than a standard B/C instrument so I could match fiddle range - I re-tuned an E chromatic in order to do this.
I was unaware of B/C boxes at the time. My reasoning was that while keys like D and A were kind of choppy - lots of breath changes, keys a semintone higher, like Eb and Bb - were very smooth - could be played with very smooth breath changes. This was especially useful for ornaments, as breath changes generally make them too choppy and hard to play at speed.
By using a B instrument, playing in Eb position would sound in concert D, and Bb would come out in A. Ab would come out in G.
I made one change to the tuning layout. Instead of having the blow notes tuned CEGC, CEGC, etc. (Or BD#F#B, BD#F#B, etc.) I made them CEGA, CEGA, etc (or BD#F#G#, etc.). This duplication of A (or G#) gave me that note as both blow and draw, allowing for even more flexibility in phrasing.
Eventually I lost interest in playing chromatic with a large-ish fiddle group (San Francisco Scottish Fiddlers, anywhere from 40 to 120 fiddlers) and started playing the new XB-40 diatonic instead, using mostly the keys of G, A, and low D. Designed by irish music master, former Hohner employee and recent Irish resident Rick Epping, this harp for me really rocks for celitic tunes. It's loud, responsive, and because of its wide pitch flexibility, allows me to use one harp during a set that might go through changes in key or changes between major and minor in the same key (or both).
One further note on the B/C chromatic.
The biggest flaw I found with the B/C chromatic was that for G minor tunes, it makes you play in the equivalent of G# minor, which is a bugger. A chromatic pitched in the key of E actually works a bit better than the B/C instrument:
Concert D major is played as Bb, D minor is Bb minor (sound hard but is just like A minor), G is Eb (easy for minor and not bad for major), A is F (pretty easy for both major and minor), and the occasional E tune is dead easy. Again, I retune every fourth hole draw down from E to C# (and the slide-in note in teh same hole, F, down to D). Even the occasional tune in F is fairly easy. (Bb and Eb become F# and B respectively, but hey, you can't have everything).
Winslow
# Posted on October 14th 2005 by Winslow Yerxa