Features and Layout | → Top of Page |
Based on the cross played Richter Tuning in blues harp manner this concept optimizes the diatonic harp for unlimited playing of blues as well as for chromatic playing of jazz and jazz blues.
The Optimized provides
• all important notes in blues1 as mainly draw notes for optimal forming of tone (1 2 b3 3 4 b5 5 6 b7 8)
— On the cross played Richter Tuning sixth and root note are blow notes in the upper octave.
• evenly allocated drawbends for constant bluesy sound and ergonomic flow of playing (1 2 b3 3 4 b5 5 6 b7 8)
— he cross played Richter Tuning features only the 2, b3 and b5 and these only in the lower octave as drawbends; in the upper octave the b3 has to be played as an overblow and the b5 as an overdraw.
• an unchanging allocation of notes in every octave
— The Richter Tuning requires a different pattern of playing in every octave.
• chromatic playing exclusively by additional drawbends (1 b2 2 b3 3 4 b5 5 b6 6 b7 7 8)
— The Richter Tuning requires draw bends, blow bends, overblows und overdraws for chromatic playing.
• fundamental chords (partly by limitation on first, third and tension):
I (Ij7) IV- (IV-11) V (V13) bVII- (bVII-7) bII (bII13) III-
An example of the tuning in A: A (Aj7) D- (D-11) E (E13) G- (G-7) Bb (Bb13) C#- |
— The cross played Richter Tuning lacks especially the dominant chord.
Optimized Blues Tuning in A
Blow | G3 | A#3 | D4 | F4 | G4 | A#4 | D5 | F5 | G5 | A#5 |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |
Drawbend -1 | B3 | F#4 | B4 | F#5 | B5 | |||||
Drawbend -½ | G#3 | C4 | D#4 | G4 | G#4 | C5 | D#5 | G5 | G#5 | C6 |
Draw | A3 | C#4 | E4 | G#4 | A4 | C#5 | E5 | G#5 | A5 | C#6 |
Overblows | A#3 | D4 | F4 | A4 | A#4 | D5 | F5 | A5 | A#5 | D6 |
As the optimized note arrangement repeats in every ovtave, the octave pattern can be variably positioned on the harmonica.
For example a Marine Band 364/24 in A that begins with the fifth of the octave pattern in hole 1 draw:
Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
Blow | d3 | f3 | g3 | a#3 | d4 | f4 | g4 | a#4 | d5 | f5 | g5 | a#5 |
Draw | e3 | g#3 | a3 | c#4 | e4 | g#4 | a4 | c#5 | e5 | g#5 | a5 | c#6 |
Octave pattern of the Optimized Blues Tuning
Playing patterns of Richter and Optimized Blues Tuning in comparison | → Top of Page |
The octave pattern of Blues Optimized tuning begins in the following scheme similar to the second position of the Richter tuning in hole 2.
Blues Scale on the Optimized Blues Tuning:
Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
Blow | b6 | b7 | b2 | 4 | b6 | b7 | b2 | 4 | b6 | b7 |
Whole tone bend | 2 | 6 | 2 | 6 | ||||||
½-bend | b3 | b5 | b7 | b3 | b5 | b7 | ||||
Draw | 7 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 1 |
Blues Scale on the Richter Tuning:
Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
Overdraw | b5 | |||||||||
Blow | 4 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 4 |
Blowbend | ||||||||||
1½-bend | ||||||||||
Whole tone bend | 2 | |||||||||
½-bend | b3 | b5 | ||||||||
Draw | 5 | 1 | 3 | 5 | b7 | 2 | 3 | 5 | b7 | 2 |
Overblow | b3 |
Dorian Blues Scale on the Optimized Blues Tuning:
Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
Blow | b6 | b7 | b2 | 4 | b6 | b7 | b2 | 4 | b6 | b7 |
Whole tone bend | 2 | 6 | 2 | 6 | ||||||
½-bend | b3 | b5 | b7 | b3 | b5 | b7 | ||||
Draw | 7 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 1 |
Dorian Blues Scale on the Richter Tuning:
Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
Overdraw | b5 | |||||||||
Blow | 4 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 4 |
Blowbend | ||||||||||
1½-bend | ||||||||||
Whole tone bend | 2 | |||||||||
½-bend | b3 | b5 | ||||||||
Draw | 5 | 1 | 3 | 5 | b7 | 2 | 3 | 5 | b7 | 2 |
Overblow | b3 |
Chromatic Scale on the Optimized Blues Tuning:
Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
Blow | b6 | b7 | b2 | 4 | b6 | b7 | b2 | 4 | b6 | b7 |
Whole tone bend | 2 | 6 | 2 | 6 | ||||||
½-bend | b3 | b5 | b7 | b3 | b5 | b7 | ||||
Draw | 7 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 1 |
Chromatic Scale on the Richter Tuning:
Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
Overdraw | b5 | |||||||||
Blow | 4 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 4 |
Blowbend | b6 | 7 | ||||||||
1½-bend | b2 | |||||||||
Whole tone bend | 2 | |||||||||
½-bend | b3 | b5 | b2 | |||||||
Draw | 5 | 1 | 3 | 5 | b7 | 2 | 3 | 5 | b7 | 2 |
Overblow | b6 | 7 | b3 |
Comparison of playing patterns in tablature | → Top of Page |
Notes | a | bb | b | c | c# | d | d# | e | f | f# | g | g# | a | bb | b | c | c# | d | d# | e | f | f# | g | g# | a | bb | b | c | c# |
Blues Scale | 1 | b3 | 4 | b5 | 5 | b7 | 1 | b3 | 4 | b5 | 5 | b7 | 1 | b3 | |||||||||||||||
Optimized "A" | 1o | 2o↓ | 3- | 3o↓ | 3o | 4o↓ | 5o | 6o↓ | 7- | 7o↓ | 7o | 8o↓ | 9o | 10o↓ | |||||||||||||||
5- | 9- | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Richter "D cross" | 2o | 3o↓ | 4- | 4o↓ | 4o | 5o | 6- | 6ob | ↔ | 7- | 7od | 8o | 9o | 9- | 10bb | ||||||||||||||
Dorian Blues Scale | 1 | 2 | b3 | 4 | b5 | 5 | 6 | b7 | 1 | 2 | b3 | 4 | b5 | 5 | 6 | b7 | 1 | 2 | b3 | ||||||||||
Optimized "A" | 1o | 2o↓² | 2o↓ | 3- | 3o↓ | 3o | 4o↓² | 4o↓ | 5o | 6o↓² | 6o↓ | 7- | 7o↓ | 7o | 8o↓² | 8o↓ | 9o | 10o↓² | 10o↓ | ||||||||||
5- | 9- | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Richter "D cross" | 2o | 3o↓² | 3o↓ | 4- | 4o↓ | 4o | 5- | 5o | 6- | 6o | 6ob | ↔ | 7- | 7od | 8o | 8- | 9o | 9- | 10o | 10bb | |||||||||
Chromatic Scale | 1 | b2 | 2 | b3 | 3 | 4 | b5 | 5 | b6 | 6 | b7 | 7 | 1 | b2 | 2 | b3 | 3 | 4 | b5 | 5 | b6 | 6 | b7 | 7 | 1 | b2 | 2 | b3 | 3 |
Optimized "A" | 1o | 2- | 2o↓² | 2o↓ | 2o | 3- | 3o↓ | 3o | 4- | 4o↓² | 4o↓ | 4o | 5o | 6- | 6o↓² | 6o↓ | 6o | 7- | 7o↓ | 7o | 8- | 8o↓² | 8o↓ | 8o | 9o | 10- | 10o↓² | 10o↓ | 10o |
5- | 5o↓ | 9- | 9o↓ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Richter "D cross" | 2o | 3o↓³ | 3o↓² | 3o↓ | 3o | 4- | 4o↓ | 4o | 4ob | 5- | 5o | 5ob | 6- | 6o↓ | 6o | 6ob | 7o | 7- | 7od | 8o | 8bb | 8- | 9o | 9bb | 9- | 9od | 10o | 10bb | 10bb |
↔ |
Key | ||||
Blow note: | 1- | 1½-bend: | 1o↓³ | |
Draw note: | 1o | Overblow: | 1ob | |
½-bend: | 1o↓ | Overdraw: | 1od | |
Whole tone bend: | 1o↓² | Blowbend: | 1bb | |
↔ | Beginning from here the blow notes are higher than the draw notes |
Alternative for Chord Rhythm | → Top of Page |
Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
Blow | d3 | f#3 | g3 | a#3 | d4 | f4 | g4 | a#4 | d5 | f5 | g5 | a#5 |
Draw | e3 | g#3 | a3 | c#4 | e4 | g#4 | a4 | c#5 | e5 | g#5 | a5 | c#6 |
Tonic | Subdominant | Dominant |
→ Pop up: Positions of Optimized Blues Tuning | → Top of Page |