Blues harmonica

Abstract

Abstract: Harmonicas providing more notes and increased playability and musicality when playing blues scales. Disclosed harmonicas also provide functional minor scales.

Claims

1. A harmonica comprising a body providing a series of adjacent cavities and a plurality of reeds each of which is responsive to the passage of air to produce a musical note of a predetermined pitch, two reeds being associated with each cavity such that one reed is the blow reed responsive to blowing on said cavity and the other is the draw reed responsive to drawing on said cavity, said harmonica being characterized in that: (a) said blow reeds are constructed and arranged such that theft predetermined pitches by scale degrees are 1, 3, 5, 1,3 b, 5, 7 b, 1, 3 b, 5 and (b) said draw reeds are constructed and arranged such that theft predetermined pitches by scale degrees are 2, 5, 7, 2, 4, 6, 1, 2, 4, 6.

2. A harmonica comprising a body providing a series of adjacent cavities and a plurality of reeds each of which is responsive to the passage of air to produce a musical note of a predetermined pitch, two reeds being associated with each cavity such that one reed is the blow reed responsive to blowing on said cavity and the other is the draw reed responsive to drawing on said cavity, said harmonica being characterized in that: (a) said blow reeds are constructed and arranged such that their predetermined pitches by scale degrees are 1, 3, 5, 1, 3 b, 5, 7 b, 1, 3 b, 5 and (b) said draw reeds are constructed and arranged such that theft predetermined pitches by scale degrees are 2, 5, 7, 2, 4#, 6, 1, 2, 4#, 6.

Description

Detailed description—First Embodiment

(1) One embodiment “Blue1” (Table 11) has a blow major chord (1-3-5) configured across the blow reeds followed by a repeating blow minor seven chord (1-3 b-5-7 b) of the same pitch and across the draw reeds is a draw major chord (G) followed by a repeating draw minor seven chord (Dmin7) that is a fifth higher than the draw major chord. For ease of playability, only draw bends are present.

(2) TABLE-US-00011 TABLE 11 Blue1 Tuning Key of C C E G C Eb G Bb C Eb G D G B D F A C D F A Db Gb Bb Db E Ab B Db E Ab F A Ab

Operation

(3) Table 12 charts Blue1 G blues scale which gives musicians another full octave to work with. This upper octave features two 3-hole glissando sections, one on the blow holes (G,Bb,C) and one on the draw holes (C,D,F). There are four trills available in this section G/Bb, Bb/C, C/D, and D/F. Table 13 charts Blue1 D blues scale. Which improves on Richter by providing a 4-hole draw glissando section (A,C,D,F), adding another C note and adding a 5 b bend (Ab) for expressiveness. Table 14 charts Blue1 C blues scale, which has the integral Eb in the middle octave which gives us the ability to play up to and including cavity 10 comfortably. It features a 4-hole blow glissando section (G,Bb,C,Eb) and the three trills G/Bb, Bb/C, and C/Eb. Table 15 charts Blue1 A blues where the 5 bs (Ebs) are present to generate two full blues scales. Blue1 tuning also has a functional F blues scale (Table 16) that is absent in Richter tuning. This affords musicians the option of playing in Key of C with C as the One , F as the Four and G as the Five. This is valuable musically as well as economically. You don't have to purchase an entirely different harmonica to play the blues in Key of C.

(4) Further, Blue1 tuning has functional natural and harmonic minor scales. Table 17 charts Blue1 C natural minor and Table 18 charts Blue1 C harmonic minor. Additionally, Blue1 tuning provides the C phrygian (Table 19) and C dorian (Table 20) scales. This is valuable for composing and improvising in a minor key. As Blue1's holes 4-7 are a pattern that repeats as you progress up the harmonica, it easier to learn than a non-linear instrument. Table 21 depicts a 12-hole Blue1 harmonica to illustrate this sequence more clearly. Table 22 charts Blue1 by scale degrees.

(5) TABLE-US-00012 TABLE 12 Blue1 G Blues-G Bb C Db D F 19 notes C G C G Bb C G D G D F C D F Db Bb Db Db F

(6) TABLE-US-00013 TABLE 13 Blue1 D Blues-D F G Ab A C 20 notes C G C G C G D G D F A C D F A Ab Ab F A Ab

(7) TABLE-US-00014 TABLE 14 Blue1 C Blues-C Eb F Gb G Bb 15 notes G C Eb G Bb C Eb G — G F C F Gb Bb F

(8) TABLE-US-00015 TABLE 15 Blue1 A Blues-A C D Eb E G 19 notes C E G C Eb G C Eb G D G D A C D A E E A

(9) TABLE-US-00016 TABLE 16 Blue1 F Blues-F Ab Bb B C Eb C Eb Bb C Eb — — B F — C F — Bb Ab B Ab F Ab

(10) TABLE-US-00017 TABLE 17 Blue1 C Natural Minor-C D Eb F G Ab Bb G C Eb G Bb C Eb G — G D F C D F Bb Ab Ab F Ab

(11) TABLE-US-00018 TABLE 18 Blue1 C Harmonic Minor-C D Eb F G Ab B G C Eb G C Eb G — G B D F C D F Ab B Ab F Ab

(12) TABLE-US-00019 TABLE 19 Blue1 C Phrygian-C Db Eb F G Ab Bb G C Eb G Bb C Eb G — G F C F Bb Db Ab Db Ab F Ab

(13) TABLE-US-00020 TABLE 20 Blue1 C Dorian-C D Eb F G A Bb G C Eb G Bb C Eb G — G D F A C D F A Bb F A

(14) TABLE-US-00021 TABLE 21 Blue1 12 hole C E G C Eb G Bb C Eb G Bb C D G B D F A C D F A C D Db Gb Bb Db E Ab B Db E Ab B Db F A Ab

(15) TABLE-US-00022 TABLE 22 Blue1 by scale degrees 1 3 5 1 3b 5 7b 1 3b 5 2 5 7 2 4 6 1 2 4 6

Additional Embodiment Description

Embodiment Blue2

(16) An alternative embodiment of Blues tuning is shown in Table 23. The Fs of Blue1 are F#s here. This provides the 5 bs in the upper two octaves of the C blues scale and facilitates many other scales, but you now must access the F via a bend. It's a tradeoff. Table 24 charts Blue2 tuning by scale degrees.

(17) TABLE-US-00023 TABLE 23 Blue2 Key of C C E G C Eb G Bb C Eb G D G B D F# A C D F# A Db Gb Bb Db F Ab B Db F Ab F A E E Ab

(18) TABLE-US-00024 TABLE 24 Blue2 by scale degrees 1 3 5 1 3b 5 7b 1 3b 5 2 5 7 2 4# 6 1 2 4# 6

Conclusion

(19) As the reader can see Blues harmonica provides more notes and more trill and glissando sections when playing the blues. It also provides functional minor scales. Though the above examples are in a certain key, these can be made in all keys. Claims: