Why Use Alternate Tunings?

It's the fastest and easiest way to find a more expressive "new sound". Owning a variety of tunings makes playing more fun, spontaneous and versatile, without struggling with advanced playing techniques, such as "bends" and "overblows", trying to play notes that don't exist on a standard Major harp. Altered tunings make it easier to play many different types of music and explore new musical directions.

Lee Oskar Melody Maker
(similar tunings: Hohner "Country Tuned" and Huang "Jazz Harp")

The Melody Maker Incredible For Playing Melodies In Cross Harp! Melody Makers are the best harps available for playing single note melodies. They're great for playing Country, Pop, R&B, Jazz, Folk & Standards. This tuning makes it easier to play many songs...that can be difficult, or impossible, to play on a standard Major Diatonic in cross harp.   All of the notes that were missing on the Major Diatonic are right there on the Melody Maker!  These harmonicas provide a complete major scale, in cross harp, for playing exact melody without bending. Yet, the draw notes can still be bent for that bluesy feeling!   Melody Makers are designed to be played in cross harp (draw), not straight harp (blow). In cross harp, melodies can be played with an expressive, fluid style that is extremely difficult to achieve in straight harp.

Regular Richter Tuned (C)

Lee Oskar Melody Maker (G)

Hohner Country Tuned Marine Band (Cct)

Huang Jazz Harp (C)

Natural Minor

Natural Minor harps have a very bluesy, soulful sound that's perfect for playing MINOR Blues, Rock, Country, Reggae, Pop & Jazz.  This fabulous tuning is set up to play MINOR MUSIC easily, without straining the lips, the lungs or the mind! All of the notes and chords that were missing on the Major Diatonic, for playing minor blues, are right there on the Natural Minor.  Natural Minors are designed to be played in cross harp (draw), not straight harp (blow).  In cross harp, many of the draw notes can be bent and this allows for a much more expressive, fluid style of playing. Cross harp is a very popular style used by most players for today's music.

Regular Richter Tuned (C)

Natural Minor - Lee Oskar (Gnm) and Hohner Marine Band (Cnm)

Harmonic Minor

The Harmonic Minor tuning has a very soulful, Eastern European sound.  This multi-cultural harmonica is designed to play TRADITIONAL ETHNIC MUSIC that is important to the heritage of many cultures.  MINOR Eastern European, Gypsy, Yiddish, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Asian and European/American folk music, as well as various selections of jazz and classic show tunes, can be played easily with this harmonica.  

Regular Richter Tuned (C)

Harmonic Minor - Lee Oskar (Chm) and Hohner Marine Band (Cm)

Solo Tuned

These diatonic harmonicas are tuned the same way as a chromatic, but there is no slide to get sharps and flats.  Solo tuned harmonicas are usually 12 holes rather than 10 and cover three full octaves with all 8 of the diatonic notes (do, re, mi, fa, so, la ,ti, do) available without bending in each octave.  These are usually only made in the key of C.

Regular Richter Tuned (C)

Solo Tuned (C) - Huang Cadet Soloist, Hohner 364S Marine Band, Hering Master Solo

Low and High Tunings

The normal tuning range of diatonic harmonicas is from lowest to highest key : G, Ab, A, Bb, B, C, Db, D, Eb, E, F, and F#.  Many models also have available a Low F and a High G.  These have exactly the same notes as the regular models, only tuned one octave higher or one octave lower.  Also available in some models are Low D, Low Eb, Low E, and Low F#.  The only Low C that I know of in a diatonic model is the Hering Rhythm Blues, a 12 hole model that has the regular note pattern on the lower 10 holes as a 10 hole diatonic.

Steve Baker Special
& Other Hohner Marine Band Tunings

Steve Baker Special (Hohner 365SBS) - First three notes of the normal 10 hole Richter tuning (holes 4-6 here) are repeated one octave lower on holes 1-3.

Hohner 365-14 hole Marine Band

Hohner 364-12 hole Marine Band

Circular Tuning enables the player to play all kinds of melodies easily. Difficulties occurring on a Richter Harp are circumvented by a 'logical' order of tones. The major scale can be played simply by alternating draws and blows (no bending is needed). On a Circular up to 12 different chords can be played depending what holes are played at a time. Therefore it's not so easy to label this tuning correctly. At Seydel they follow the principle of usually taking the first note in Hole 1 blow, for naming the key of the harmonica. Using a G harmonica for example, in this case hole 1 blow is a G, Hole 1 draw in a A, and hole 2 draw is a C, the basic note for the key C major. Thus the major scale playable is 5 half-steps (a fourth) higher than the key the harp is labeled in! To make is simple, to play in a major scale on a Circular Tuning, use the draw 2 note as your base note for your scale, so to play in C major, use a G harp. If you think about the key you would normally select on a Richter tuned harmonica to play in cross harp, this is the reverse. On a Richter tuned harp to play cross harp in G you would use a C, to play a Circular tuned harp in C, you use a G.

Circular G (use to play the C major scale)