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What's the best way of playing chromatically
on Richter based harps?
The answer to this question really depends on
the harmonicist background and is for sure a matter of personal
taste.
In our opinion the easiest option (in terms of
technique) is to turn to the CX-10 because it only needs regular
bends as on a regular bluesharp, provides many enharmonic notes
and has a real bluesharp sound. But it is big and expensive,
which can be a major drawback for blues players wanting to own
at least the most common keys (C, A, D, G, Bb).
For player with a good ear who don't especially
seek the blues, a very good option is the XB-40 as it only requires
"natural" bends and allows a great expressivity. But
it is big, requires a very good pitch accuracy and has a rather
chromatic sound.
For blues die hard fans, the customized regular
bluesharps are very small, affordable and very familiar. But
they necessitate to master the overblows to play chromatically.
Here is a summary of the harmonicas characteristics:
| |
Ease of use |
Expressivity |
Sound |
Size |
Price |
| CX-10 |
10 |
8 |
10 |
Big |
Expensive |
| XB-40 |
7 |
10 |
5 |
Big |
Quite expensive |
| Bahson |
6 |
6 |
7 |
Small |
Quite expensive |
| Turboharp |
5 |
6 |
6 |
Small |
Affordable |
| Tony Ramos's Marine Band |
6 |
8 |
7 |
Small |
Affordable |
| Honey Bee |
5 |
6 |
8 |
Small |
Affordable |
| Overdrive |
2 |
4 |
4 |
Small |
Affordable |
| Discrete Comb |
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Note:
- The customized bluesharps are noted 5 or 6 for the "Ease
of use" because they require overblows. This is not related
to the quality of the harp itself. Their "Sound"
notes are also impacted by the fact that overblows are particularly
difficult to make sound good.
Laurent Vigouroux
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