jonsparrow
288 posts
May 13, 2009
12:49 PM
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i been expanding my listening an im starting to get interested in chromatic harps a bit. but i know nothing about them. what are some good brands? also can you do bends on a chromatic? an what happens when you hit the button? does it go up an octave or switch keys?
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Blackbird
78 posts
May 13, 2009
12:57 PM
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Think of the button on a chromatic like the black keys on a piano. The blow and draw holes are white keys. The button switches the holes to sharps and flats. So far, the chromatic harp is smarter than I am, so the above analogy is a generalization that will probably be corrected or refined by players of chromatics with experience. I find it very intuitive to find melodies on, whereas I must hunt around or bend for the same on a diatonic. Chromatics aren't really made to bend notes - maybe some people do, but the button tends to allow for the notes you'd have to bend on a diatonic to be readily available on a chromatic. I have a Hohner super chromonica in C.
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jonsparrow
289 posts
May 13, 2009
1:02 PM
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thats realy interesting. that would be good for playing any song you want then. like other then blues. how do you like your chromatic? would you recomend it?
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cm16600
86 posts
May 13, 2009
1:03 PM
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I am not sure,but i as understood if you learn to play 3rd position on a diatonic,you will get quite close to chromatic breath patterns .It might help to swap to chromatic later on .
Last Edited by on May 13, 2009 1:04 PM
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jonsparrow
290 posts
May 13, 2009
1:07 PM
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i checked the archive people mentioned the hohner 280 for a 16 hole. but thats $200. is there a cheaper 16 hole that still has good quality?
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Blackbird
79 posts
May 13, 2009
1:32 PM
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Having not tried other chromatics, I find the embochure a bit odd compared to diatonics. The comb is thicker, and the holes are larger - I still don't always get a clean note from it, but mechanically it's in good shape. Just an adjustment for me to get used to so far. I like it, but it reminds me how much I need to study my music theory for faster grasp of playing other than just listening by ear.
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Blackbird
80 posts
May 13, 2009
1:33 PM
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Jon - I think I paid around 140 for my chromatic. They seem to have a standard price range between about 100 and 180 before they get really fancy, or really budget minded.
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Aussiesucker
273 posts
May 13, 2009
2:45 PM
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I have a couple of Chromatics ie an old Hohner Super Chromonica & a newish Suzuki SCX48. The Suzuki is my preference ie more airtight and better on the lips. That said Chromatics are not nearly as airtight as Diatonics.
Its possible to bend notes on a chrom but not necessary as all the notes are there. Also as they are a more expensive toy I tend to look after them more.
As far as I feel about them:-
1) I use them rarely ca 2- 3 times a month.
2) They are heavy and large ie won't fit in your pocket.
3) The windsaver valves are a real pain in the arse. You need to warm the chrom up before playing otherwise the valves tend to stick and pop.
Have a search on Brendan Powers site as he is a master both on the chrom and on diatonics. Lots of Youtube videos. But dont be fooled as Brendan also uses special tunings on just about every instrument he plays.
Another good site to get info on chroms is Slidemeister.com.
I went into chroms because I wanted to extend my knowledge of the harmonica and find ways of playing music that is difficult on a diatonic. I have found however that I have gained more musically from getting some Lee Oskar alternative tunings ie Natural Minors, Harmonic Minors & Melody Makers.
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The Gloth
38 posts
May 13, 2009
3:39 PM
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I got a Koch Harmonica 10 holes, it's not valved and it bends almost like a diatonic. It's also more resistant and easier to play than the Larry Adler valved 12 holes I also have. But the Larry sounds better I think.
I have been told that the Hohner CX12 is very good too. Modern design, so probably more confortable to hold and to play.
Last Edited by on May 13, 2009 3:40 PM
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jbone
70 posts
May 13, 2009
6:00 PM
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nobody has mentioned hering. they make some nicely built chromatics, not sure about 16 hole but i have a couple of 12's. the 5148 is more or less the basic hering chromatic. i like them a lot but have not tried much more in a "real" chromatic. the 5148 when i last bought one was around $85, but it's been a couple of yrars so expect them to cost more. they are made in brazil and sometimes ordering one can take a long time to get it to your door. they seem to have issues shipping to the usa unless it's a huge order i think. but i don't regret getting them regardless.
hohner makes a cheaper but completely functional chromatc that many more accomplished players rag on. it's the chrometta. comes in 8, 10, 12, and maybe more holes. it is a "low end" instrument but the cost is less than other more painstakingly built harps. this was not my first chromatic, i bought a hohner 270 in D a long time ago, and it was just too high for me to like at all. had i known anything at all about chromatics i would have bought a C or maybe G. at that time i didn't even know there WAS a third position, so it was pretty much a waste. later on, i tried to seal the crappy wood comb and ended up ruining that harp. but as for the chrometta, this is the harp i made my first breakthroughs into third position on. the mouthpiece has big holes which make it easy to make sound. the body is rounded which is nice on the lips. covers are smooth and rounded also. it has windsavers and is tuned like any chromatic so a later transition to a better quality harp is easy. and for the $$ i found it to be a pretty good value and quite functional. my mistake with harps has always been trying to get way more volume than the reeds can possibly supply. and drawing too hard on a chromatic, and killing a reed, ends up being pretty expensive. a chromatic can be bnent slightly, but the windsavers make it a tricky business and i've learned to just not bend much at all on one any time. the plus side is, there are 4 note runs up and down the scale on a chromatic which are just almost too much fun to play!
i don't use the slide at all. i should, but i am just not that musically educated and never seem to make the time or develop the desire to delve that deeply into the i9ntricacies of music. that may sound foolish i admit, but i have come a long way doing just what i do. few players near me here play chromatic. i have a corner on a small market. and what i do with chromatic- mostly blues, funk, a little jazz, even some country- comes off very well almost all the time.
so for my $$ and inexpensive and fairly play-able option is a chrometta model, and they may well make a 12 hole. or take the plunge and get a hering 5148. both will serve you well if taken care of and not abused.
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Aussiesucker
275 posts
May 13, 2009
11:00 PM
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Further to my post above I think that were I in the market to buy a chrom now I would have a very close look at the Hohner CX12. It seems to be well built and very user friendly ie simple to strip apart & maintain.
If money were no object the Suzuki Fabulous Chrom is the ultimate but eg you would probably need to trade the Ferrari in on one.
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chromaticblues
73 posts
May 14, 2009
8:35 AM
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jonsparrow The chrom is a cool harp, but it is different! I would suggest finding out what harp was used by the people that you have been listening to.
The Hohner 260 is the cheapest good harp! The CX-12 is a very easy harp to play. I found the hering and Hohner 260/270/280 to be very close in sound and quality. As far as bends and stuff that can be done on a chrom! MY name is Kevin Baker. I'll be doing some Youtube vids soon. That will give you a good idea of how much you can bend and why you should learn to do it!
I use to play the CX-12, but can't afford them anymore. Vibrato is real easy with them and sounds great. I play the hohner 260 and like them a lot. It takes some getting use to, but its a lot of fun.
William Clark and Mark Hummel are good examples of how a chrom can be used!
Last Edited by on May 14, 2009 10:16 AM
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the frozen canuck
33 posts
May 14, 2009
8:45 AM
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hey gang i,just bought a Hohner Super Chromonica 270,here in canada they sell for 200.00tax in.Like jonsparrow trying to expand my musical interest,the sm band i play with we do a couple of songs were it`s in F#,can`t play that on a diatonic harp so there is a lot more wood sheding to do. Have fun harping
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Preston
345 posts
May 14, 2009
8:49 AM
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The diatonic is a fully chromatic instrument. Try an E in third position for F#.
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Scoltx
49 posts
May 15, 2009
3:45 AM
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A cheaper alternative to just get your feet wet I think would be the Marine Band 364 Soloist. Tuned like a chromatic in C but without the slide for the sharps/flats. This would be good for D Minor Blues the way a Chrom is typically used in a blues context. They're like 40 bucks. I believe Adam mentioned Nat Riddles used one from time to time.
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nacoran
13 posts
May 16, 2009
5:09 PM
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I'm not sure a Marine Band Soloist would help learn the notes for a chrom. The hard part is knowing when to hit the button in each key. I think most tremolos are laid out soloist style, so if you want a cheap way to retrain for the top and bottom octave they might do the trick, and then you have a tremolo just for those few weird times when you want one too.
In Asia some players play two tremolo harmonicas stacked right on top of each other, one in the key of C, the other in C#. They switch back and forth between the two so they can play in any key (basically C is the white keys on a piano and C# is the black). There is a special bracket that hooks the two harmonicas together.
I bought the Huang Musette 24 to give it a try but it doesn't come with the bracket to hold them together. Of course, you can't really bend on a tremolo either, so you won't get a bluesy sound that way. I'm trying to learn to play the diatonic chromatically but I have a long way to go. You could always stack a cheap C and C# blues harp on top of each other! (I think actually, any two keys a half-step apart would work!?)
Tombo makes some harmonicas that are laid out in two rows like a piano so you don't have to worry about the button, but it's a different layout and you can't play cords on them as easily as a Richter tuned harmonica and it's really hard to get Tombos (except Lee Oskars) in the U.S. I think they may be blow only instruments too, so you can't sneak a breath while still playing.
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