Subject: RE: ukelele to replace recorder
From: Captain Birdseye - PM
Date: 15 Jul 09 - 12:17 PM

"piers .there are diatonic harmoincas that have the missing note,there is one called a [melody maker] lee oskar, youyhave to plat as if in crossharp position, and there are others as well.
contact Steve Shaw"

Thank you for the information, Captain Birdseye. I'll have to save it for a later date, because the exchequer doesn't currently permit investing in additional harmonicas, much as I would love to do so.


Subject: RE: ukelele to replace recorder
From: WalkaboutsVerse - PM
Date: 15 Jul 09 - 12:28 PM

"Don't know the details, but I'm sure there are fully chromatic harmonicas, with a slide system, pressed on one end."

Yup, there are chromatic harmonicas and I've got one in C/C#. The tuning is similar to the lowest full octave in Richter tuning, except that all of the octaves are complete. I play mine a lot. It would be convenient to have more in other keys, because some keys are harder to play than others. It's particularly hard to play lots of draw notes one after the other.

My problem is that I like to play the harmonica and the guitar simultaneously and you can't do that with a chromatic, since it won't fit into the rack and you can't operate the slide.

Subject: RE: ukelele to replace recorder
From: Tootler - PM
Date: 15 Jul 09 - 07:01 PM

"The great advantage of recorders is that they are fully chromatic, though as usual some keys are easier to play in than others."

Yes, indeed!

"For folk music I usually play Mollenhauer dream recorders. [...]"

This is what I chose for my recorder students. I had their parents buy the plastic ones because they're still quite young. They do sound good; better than my Aulos recorders, though I probably wouldn't buy one for myself. I would prefer a more penetrating sound, since I play solo (with or without accompaniment) rather than in an ensemble.

"As to harmonicas, I use standard 10 hole diatonic harmonicas with the three blow reed tuned up a tone - [...]"

How do you tune it up? I've seen that Hohner sells a set for repairing (and possibly modifying) harmonicas, but I haven't bought one.

Hohner sells an "Extreme Bending" Harmonica with standard Richter tuning, but with auxiliary reeds that are supposed to make it possible to play chromatically. I'd quite like to try one next time I have 99 Euros lying around. Has anyone here tried one? I wonder whether it's possible to play the "accidentals" without too much "bendiness".

Playing folk music isn't really that big a problem. Some songs can't be played or require some adjustment, but what I mostly play is popular music from the 1920's - 1940's and that's mostly not possible on Richter harmonicas.

Subject: RE: ukelele to replace recorder
From: GUEST,Neovo - PM
Date: 16 Jul 09 - 04:09 AM

"I recall there was a resurgence of interest in the recorder in schools some years ago because it was thought to help children with asthma to play a wind instrument - lung development."

I think this is a good idea. I have had respiratory problems in the past and I've noticed an improvement from playing wind instruments, especially the trumpet.