Solo tuning is a system of choosing the reeds for a
diatonic wind instrument
A wind instrument is a musical instrument that contains some type of resonator (usually a tube) in which a column of air is set into vibration by the player blowing into (or over) a mouthpiece set at or near the end of the resonator. The pitc ...
(such as a
harmonica or
accordion) to fit a pattern where blow notes repeat a sequence of
:
C E G C
(perhaps shifted to begin with E or with G) and draw notes follow a repeating sequence of
:
D F A B
(perhaps correspondingly shifted). Or, alternately, these blow notes and draw notes, raised by a
semitone
A semitone, also called a half step or a half tone, is the smallest musical interval commonly used in Western tonal music, and it is considered the most dissonant when sounded harmonically.
It is defined as the interval between two adjacent no ...
, to
:
C F
G C
and to
:
D F A C
Traditionally, this tuning is used with
chromatic harmonicas, as opposed to the more common and popular
diatonic harmonicas, which use
Richter tuning
Richter tuning is a system of choosing the reeds for a diatonic wind instrument (such as a harmonica or accordion). It is named after Joseph Richter, a Bohemian instrument maker who adopted the tuning for his harmonicas in the early 19th century ...
.
The first diagram below shows that solo tuning includes all the
major scale
The major scale (or Ionian mode) is one of the most commonly used musical scales, especially in Western music. It is one of the diatonic scales. Like many musical scales, it is made up of seven notes: the eighth duplicates the first at double ...
notes (C D E F G A B C) for all three octaves, while
Richter tuning
Richter tuning is a system of choosing the reeds for a diatonic wind instrument (such as a harmonica or accordion). It is named after Joseph Richter, a Bohemian instrument maker who adopted the tuning for his harmonicas in the early 19th century ...
has some missing notes such as A and F on the lowest octave. In order to include the four notes D F A B on the draw holes, solo tuning uses four holes for each octave, resulting in pairs adjacent of C notes on the blow holes, unlike
Richter tuning
Richter tuning is a system of choosing the reeds for a diatonic wind instrument (such as a harmonica or accordion). It is named after Joseph Richter, a Bohemian instrument maker who adopted the tuning for his harmonicas in the early 19th century ...
.
For example:
:
and
:
See also
*
Augmented tuning
*
Country tuning
Richter tuning is a system of choosing the reeds for a diatonic wind instrument (such as a harmonica or accordion). It is named after Joseph Richter, a Bohemian instrument maker who adopted the tuning for his harmonicas in the early 19th century ...
*
Diminished tuning
*
Harmonic minor tuning
Richter tuning is a system of choosing the reeds for a diatonic wind instrument (such as a harmonica or accordion). It is named after Joseph Richter, a Bohemian instrument maker who adopted the tuning for his harmonicas in the early 19th century ...
*
Major seventh tuning
Richter tuning is a system of choosing the reeds for a diatonic wind instrument (such as a harmonica or accordion). It is named after Joseph Richter, a Bohemian instrument maker who adopted the tuning for his harmonicas in the early 19th century ...
*
Melody Maker tuning
Richter tuning is a system of choosing the reeds for a diatonic wind instrument (such as a harmonica or accordion). It is named after Joseph Richter, a Bohemian instrument maker who adopted the tuning for his harmonicas in the early 19th century ...
*
Natural minor tuning
Richter tuning is a system of choosing the reeds for a diatonic wind instrument (such as a harmonica or accordion). It is named after Joseph Richter, a Bohemian instrument maker who adopted the tuning for his harmonicas in the early 19th century ...
*
Paddy Richter tuning
Richter tuning is a system of choosing the reeds for a diatonic wind instrument (such as a harmonica or accordion). It is named after Joseph Richter, a Bohemian instrument maker who adopted the tuning for his harmonicas in the early 19th century ...
*
Richter tuning
Richter tuning is a system of choosing the reeds for a diatonic wind instrument (such as a harmonica or accordion). It is named after Joseph Richter, a Bohemian instrument maker who adopted the tuning for his harmonicas in the early 19th century ...
References
* Chelminski, Rudolph; “Harmonicas are… hooty, wheezy, twangy and tooty”, ''Smithsonian Magazine'', November 1995.
* Häffner, Martin, and Lars Lindenmüller; ''
Harmonica Makers of Germany and Austria: History and Trademarks of Hohner and Their Many Competitors''.
Musical tuning
Free reed aerophones
{{music-stub