THE LEGEND LIVES ON
Whether it’s a melody from a long forgotten movie or a tune from childhood that you keep hearing in your head, we all have certain songs that are imbedded in our memory and take us back in time. With the Super Chromonica 270, we can recapture those moments. Almost unchanged since its inception, it’s still the original chromatic harmonica and the instrument of choice for generations of players who have left their mark in folk, pop and jazz.
!Refurbished and specially customized harmonica!
A refurbished harmonica is a pre-owned instrument that has been professionally restored to its optimal playing condition. It undergoes thorough cleaning, repairs, and tuning to ensure it performs like new. Ideal for musicians looking for high-quality sound at a more affordable price, a refurbished harmonica offers a reliable and eco-friendly choice for both beginners and seasoned players.
This Super Chromonica 270 is designed to play Irish music in a tuning known as “Irish tuning” otherwise known as Eddie Clarke tuning, tuned to C#/D and utilises a Powercomb too. Of course this tuning is also great for playing jazz and blues. In fact this tuning is far is ideal for any genre. It is particularly popular in Ireland for playing traditional Irish music and in India for playing traditional Indian music.
Creating an optimal chromatic harmonica for Irish Traditional Music (ITM) ornamentation involves not just tuning considerations but also understanding and incorporating historical and stylistic nuances from prominent players in the field. Influences from musicians like Sean Walsh, who taught the late Eddie Clarke, have significantly shaped the Irish style of chromatic harmonica playing. This style, which Cathal Johnson of Harmonicas Ireland also plays, involves unique techniques for ornamentation. Let’s delve into a detail, integrating these elements effectively.
Optimal Chromatic Harmonica for ITM Ornamentation
Tuning and Note Layout
For ITM, ornamentation such as cuts, taps, rolls, and crans are crucial. The best chromatic harmonica player in ITM, Sean Walsh, taught Eddie Clarke to play in a style now known as Irish style chromatic harmonica playing. This style utilises this special tuning for ornamentation and decorations by flicking on the button in and out, enabling rolls that emulate fiddle rolls, which are not possible on a normal tuned 270 chromatic harmonicas.
The tuning involves tuning the sharp notes down a whole tone to play a semitone down rather than up, providing a unique layout that is ideal for ITM.
Here’s how it can be done:
Customized Reed Plates: Combine reed plates from different harmonicas to achieve the desired tuning, ensuring that when the slide is engaged, the notes lower by a semitone. For example, use a Hohner 270 in D and a C tenor. Take the bottom C# reed plate and replace the bottom reed plate on the D (i.e., the D#) with the C#. This makes a lovely chromatic for playing ITM. Carefully retuning reeds to ensure they produce the correct pitch when the slide is both engaged and disengaged is another way to make a chromatic. These are also available from Harmonicas Ireland.
Key Considerations for ITM
Many ITM musicians, including pipers, concertina players, and fiddle players, play in Eb, C, D, and G. Therefore, having chromatic harmonicas in these keys that go down a semitone rather than up is ideal for playing ITM.
Conclusion
In summary, creating an optimal chromatic harmonica for ITM ornamentation using Irish style tuning systems is best. This setup enhances the playability of traditional Irish ornamentations, providing both the traditional diatonic layout in solo tuning and the versatility of chromatic notes with the slide that go down a semitone rather than up. Regular maintenance and precise tuning adjustments will be key to ensuring the instrument remains responsive and in tune.
Incorporating this tuning and the techniques pioneered by Sean Walsh and Eddie Clarke, will further enable the execution of ITM-specific ornamentation and rolls, bringing the rich nuances of Irish music to the chromatic harmonica. Other great exponents include the Murphy brothers, with their unique techniques of flicking the jaw for cuts. Mick Kinsella is another great exponent of the Eddie Clarke/Sean Walsh Irish style of playing. Rick Epping, though mostly a diatonic player, is another great musician. Listening to other players within the field of Irish music is very important. The best exponents live and play in Ireland today and, indeed, in the past, such as Eddie Clarke and Mary Brogan (RIP). These players have been brought up within the tradition and are steeped in it, their playing is accurate and spot on without any deviation from the roots. It is so important not to over look that they not only play in a very traditional, personal, and deeply rooted style but their knowledge of the tradition is also far greater than those from outside of this unique upbringing and environment in Ireland. Studying from these people will bring one’s playing closer to authentic Irish music.
Purchasing Products
Key information
- Prices are listed in Euros.
- Postage & Processing charges are added at the cart.
- Some of our products are sent from Ireland and some are sent from UK or Germany.
- WE CANNOT REPLACE ANY ITEM THAT GOES MISSING IN THE POST IF IT WAS SENT WITHOUT TRACKING.
- BEFORE SIGNING FOR YOUR PACKAGE PLEASE CHECK ITS CONTENTS
- The “Thank you” email is confirmation we’ve received your order. Unless International Tracking is specified on the postage info, you just need to wait till it is delivered. International postage normally takes from 1-4 weeks.
- In the case of hand-made harmonicas we will inform you of the postage lead time directly.
Guarantees & Repairs, Returns & Refunds
Product faults
If for any reason you find fault with an item after receiving it, you must inform us in the first week of ownership. Email us, if it is concerning a harmonica, and please attach an MP3 sound clip and/or photo of the issue you’re experiencing.
If the problem can’t be fixed by email or phone, the harmonica or other item must be returned by you in as-new condition no later than 3 weeks after it was received. Once we receive it we will examine the reported issue. If there is indeed a problem, we will then repair or replace and re-ship at my expense, covering your return postal cost in addition. If there is no problem with the item, we will either re-post at your expense (with postal payment up-front), or offer you a refund minus 10% of the original price. This is because used harmonicas will require ultrasonic cleaning to return them to a hygenic condition.
Assuming either way that we post the harmonica or other item back, if you decide then not to keep it, it must be posted back by you in as-new condition no later than 1 week after it was received the second time. In that circumstance, once we get it back again you will be due a refund minus 30% of the total cost of your order.
Always tap out moisture from your harmonica and go easy on it! It is important for long life of your harmonica.
All other returns received back within three weeks of initial delivery to the customer will be processed but postage will be paid for by the customer.
The vast majority of orders we send out arrive at their destination without issue. Occasionally some orders get delayed at customs. In these instances we ask that you please be patient and wait one month before contacting us.
Very occasionally a delivery does not make it to its destination. In these instances, after one month, we will offer a full refund or replacement item(s) for tracked orders only (see Key Information above). We do not offer any refund or replacement item(s) for orders sent without tracking.
Placing an order means that you understand and accept these conditions.
Last updated: 24th February 2021
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