It is a very positive step forward and I have deep respect for the author's efforts in this method book. Over more pages added to the original book, including two Toots Thielemans' solos!
A comprehensive method for the Chromatic Harmonica that treats it like a musical instrument in all respects! At last a method for jazz harmonica! Max de Aloe's book finally closes a big gap. Well-written and full of understanding, Max's book will be the reference for some time to come. Max has written a very profound study book for the chromatic harmonica. It has really useful scale and theory exercises and also a lot of attention for something very important: sound.
I recommend this to anybody who seriously wants to play this beautiful instrument. I wish to congratulate you sincerely on your method for chromatic harmonica. I consider it a precious 'companion' for all harmonicists who seriously want to deepen the knowledge and the technique of this instrument. Bravo, very good job! The harmonica is widely regarded as a very simple music instrument or even as a kid's toy. Yet only few people know about the chromatic harmonica, certainly one of the most complicated of all instruments, and its high musical potential which has been proved by artists such as Larry Adler, Jean Toots Thielemans or Stevie Wonder.
In my studies, I could not find many methods to help me. I kept looking for good material. This is a great option for harmonica players on different levels, and musicians in general. Lots of ways are suggested to practice and develop skills. Congratulations Max, for this fine job! It is possible using the advantages of the invention to produce purer overblow and overdraw tones, to produce the tones more easily, to produce the tones with less air pressure, and to learn more quickly how to produce the necessary configuration of the vocal tract.
In a preferred method of practicing the invention, the player damps one or more reeds, such as a blow reed, without damping all the blow reeds and overblows into the cavity blow hole corresponding to the damped reed, causing the draw reed directly opposite the damped blow reed to vibrate, producing an overblow tone. The cavity communicates with both the damped blow reed and the draw reed made to vibrate through overblowing. The same method may be practiced in an overdrawing technique, in which one or more draw reeds is damped, and the blow reed directly opposite the damped draw reed and sharing a cavity with it is made to vibrate by overdrawing, producing an overdraw tone.
A full understanding of the invention can be gained from the following description of the preferred embodiments when read in conjunction with the following drawings wherein:. In using the harmonica of the invention, only holes of the seven reeds corresponding to the four overblow tones and the three overdraw tones are damped by the slide. See FIG. The remaining reed slots remain open. Reeds of a harmonica naturally function as closing reeds, that is, the reed is blown or drawn into the reed slot, shutting off the flow of air which allows the reed to spring back at a rate determined by its natural frequency.
With overblowing, as with overdrawing, the reed functions as an opening reed, which requires more energy; this energy is obtained by maximizing the resonant energy of the vocal tract and matching it with impedance of the reed. The invention is applicable to diatonic harmonicas that employ single reeds for each tone. The advantages of the complete chromatic scale that the invention facilities are best realized with harmonicas tuned with equal temperament intonation.
The blow reed plate 11 contains a plurality of blow reed cells, , each accommodating a blow reed 15 in a blow reed slot The blow reeds 15 are mounted on the blow reed plate 11 such that when the blow reed plate 11 is positioned atop the body 10, the blow reeds are positioned on the inside of grooves 17 contained in the body As illustrated in FIG. Correspondingly, as shown in FIGS. The draw reeds 20 are mounted on the outside of the draw reed plate 12 relative to the body The draw reeds 20 naturally vibrate only when the harmonica player draws air into the harmonica, in the direction of arrows labelled with a "-" sign in FIG.
A pair of air inlets, 18 and 19 in FIG. For convenience, the positions of the individual blow reeds 15 are labeled 30 through 39 and the positions of the corresponding draw reeds 20 are labeled 40 though 49, as illustrated on FIG. Each blow reed 15, for example that in position 30, has a corresponding draw reed 20, for example that in position 40, positioned directly opposite the blow reed, such that the matched pair of reeds share a common cavity The cavity 17, as illustrated in FIG.
As previously stated, the draw reeds in positions normally sound only when air is drawn into the harmonica. That is the way the diatonic harmonica is designed to operate. However, it has been established that during an overblow procedure, wherein the resonance of the vocal tract is critically altered and pressure is increased, certain of the draw reeds can be made to vibrate a semitone higher than this natural frequency.
Conversely, certain blow reeds can be made to produce overdraw tones a semitone higher than their natural frequency. Unexpectedly, it has now been found that the overblow and overdraw tones produced by this technique may be more easily achieved and made more pure by damping the less functional reed in the same cavity 17, as shall subsequently be described.
A preferred embodiment for producing the improved harmonica tones of the invention is illustrated in FIG. The slide 50 has a series of dampers 51, 52, 53 and 54, which are sized and positioned to effectively close off certain of the blow reed slots 16 and to damp the corresponding blow reeds within those openings.
In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. In use, the slide 50 is moved to the left such that the dampers 51, 52, 53, and 54 close the blow reed slots corresponding to the blow reed positions 30, 33, 34, and 35, respectively, as shown in FIG. The slide 50 is preferably fitted with an automatic returning mechanism, such as a spring 58 which returns the slide from a damped position as seen in FIG.
As illustrated in FIGS. The embodiment illustrated in FIG. The dampers of the invention close only the blow reed slots 16 in the blow reed plate 11, but do not close the cavities 17 in the body 10, such that air is not precluded from otherwise entering or leaving any of the cavities Furthermore, the dampers of the slide 50 close only some of the blow reed slots 16 in the blow reed plate 11, not all of the blow reed slots Even when the slide 50 is engaged, covering certain of the blow reed slots 16, the blow reeds 15 corresponding to unobstructed blow reed slots 16, for example those in positions 31, 32, and , may be played normally.
The blow reeds are attached to the inside surface of the blow reed plate. It is, therefore, possible to put a slide on the smooth outside surface of the blow reed plate. This is done in a preferred embodiment of the invention. The draw reeds, however, are placed on the outside of the draw reed plate and prohibit the application of a slide. Damping pads can be slid over the vibrating ends of the reeds and this has been found effective, as illustrated in FIG.
A highly preferred design for the draw reed slide is to accurately mill a recess in the comb to accommodate the slide on the inside of the draw reed plate as in FIG. See also FIG.
Some diatonic harmonica players also play a chromatic model. To avoid confusion from buttons and slides that look similar but function in vastly different ways a cover may be rotated into place over the reed slot in order that the button 80 protrudes at a right angle from the cover as illustrated in FIGS. As illustrated, the slide 50 may include a plurality of slots 55a-c for receiving a pin, screw or other fastening means 56a-c, respectively, which slidably attach the slide 50 to the blow reed plate As also seen in FIG.
The slide 50 further includes a reinforcing member 50d which is substantially parallel to the slide member, spaced therefrom, and is connected to the damping members In the embodiment shown in FIG. The length of the collar 57b may be altered to adjust friction against the slide 50 when the screw 56b is tightened in place. The screws 56a-e are threaded into threaded openings in the blow read plate 11 not shown. The length and position of the slots 55a-e on the slide 50, in conjunction with positions of the threaded holes in the blow reed plate, determine length of travel of the slide and its position relative to reed slots The blow reed slide 50 is fitted with a return device, such as a spring 58 which allows the slide 50 to be returned to a non-damping or rest position following damping of the particular reed or reeds.
A preferred embodiment of the invention includes, in addition to a slide 50 for overblowing, a second slide 60 for producing purer tones more easily through overdrawing. Like the overblow slide 50, the overdraw slide 60 has one or more dampers sized and positioned to damp one or more draw reeds 20 by covering the corresponding draw reed slot In the embodiment of FIG.
In a highly preferred embodiment of the invention, the draw reed slide 60 has a third damper for covering the draw reed slot 21 corresponding to draw reed position Dampers 61 and 62 each include a tongue, 63 and 64, respectively, to guide the slide after engagement to its resting position. It has been determined that the overdraw slide 60 of the FIG. That is, when the overdraw technique is used, the vocal tract is appropriately configured, and air is drawn in through the harmonica with such force that the blow reed in positions 36, 38 and 39 is made to vibrate, producing the tones on a C harp of C -6, G -6 and C -7, respectively.
By damping the corresponding draw reed in positions 46, 48, or 49, and with the overdraw technique, these blow reeds produce a more pure sound more easily. The overblow and overdraw techniques can be used on all holes of the diatonic harmonica, but the desired tones can be produced more easily by normal blow and draw, or by draw or blow bending except for the tones described, on a C harp Eb-4,-Eb-5, F -5, Bb-5, C -6, G -6, and C -7 from holes 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9 and 10 respectively.
The slides 50 and 60 are preferably fabricated of brass or any other resilient material suitable for the purpose, which can be stamped or molded, such as metal or plastic, or machined by electric discharge, such as brass or graphite.
The slides 50 and 60 should be thin, to prevent adding too much weight to the harmonica, about 0. A lubricant, such as vaseline, may be used to ease friction on the slides 50 and 60 but is usually not necessary. When the draw reed slide 60 is used, it is preferred that the body 10 be milled on its underside to accept the thickness of the slide Such milling is not required with the blow reed slide 50, as the outer surface of the blow reed plate is flat and unencumbered with reeds, and the upper cover 13 provides enough clearance for the slidable motion of the slide It may be necessary, however, to cut a small opening 57 in the upper cover 13 to allow passage of the slide 50 through the cover 13, as illustrated in FIG.
Yet another embodiment of the invention might be used on the draw reed plate 12 where the presence of reeds 20 prohibits the use of a slide on the outside, as illustrated in FIG. As shown in this embodiment, the slide comprises a tube or rod 70 which rides within a pair of bearings 71 and 72 fixed to the reed plate, in this case, the draw reed plate The tube 70 further includes pads which slide into position to damp by immobilizing the draw reeds of positions 46, 48 and This device must be compact in order to fit beneath the cover A stop, such as a pin 75, may be placed in the tube to limit motion and place the damping pads directly over the reed slots and in contact with the reed when the device is slid to engage the pin with bearing A spring 77 keeps the dampers disengaged in the resting position.
One arm of the spring 77 engages with a pin in the tube 76 and the other arm is bent to fit into a hole in the reed plate. The fulcrum may be one of the screws used to hold the elements of the harp together. The slide 70 on the draw reed plate is coupled with the slide 50, previously described, that also limits motion of the two slides and positions the damping pads correctly. In another embodiment of the spring mechanism, a coil spring can be inserted between the comb and the spacer that separates and couples the overblow and overdraw slides.
The coil spring is held in holes drilled in the body and the spacer. A button 80 is attached to the damper pad 82 and protrudes through the cover plate Pressing the button 80 rotates the damping pad into position to cover the reed slot The damper pads of FIG.
It is still necessary to alter critically resonance of the vocal tract, but the alterations are less critical and the tone is not contaminated by vibration of the other reed when the device is used. If the harmonica player desires to achieve overblowing, the player pushes the overblow slide 50 of FIG. The player simultaneously alters the vocal tract, predominantly with the tongue, in order to obtain the proper resonance and then blows into the desired hole, i.
These draw reeds are directly opposite the damped reeds in positions 30, 33, 34, and 35, respectively. While the blow reed remains damped, the player overblows into a blow hole 17 communicating both with the damped blow reed, for example, in position 30, and with the opposite draw reed, for example, in position 40, thereby causing that draw reed to vibrate as an opening reed.
At the end of the overblow sequence, the player may return the overblow slide 50 to its undamped or rest position, that is, to a position in which none of the reeds are damped. Preferably, this is accomplished by a spring previously described or other return means to simplify the playing of the harmonica.
Similar procedures may be used with the overdraw slide. When used according to the present invention, the ten hole diatonic harmonica can be played with a full chromatic range of up to 38 tones, from C-4 to C -7 on a harp in the key of C, even by the intermediate player.
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