NEW: Seydel All Minor

Anything apart from the two mainstream default harmonicas (Solo-tuned fully-valved chromatic, and un-valved Richter 10-hole diatonic). Alternate tunings, different construction, new functionality, interesting old designs, wishful-thinking... whatever!
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triona
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NEW: Seydel All Minor

Post by triona » Tue Jun 04, 2019 11:52 am

And now come:

https://www.seydel1847.de/epages/Seydel ... _HARMONICA (DE)
https://www.seydel1847.de/epages/Seydel ... rrency=EUR (EN)

https://www.seydel1847.de/epages/Seydel ... D=44220160 (DE)
https://www.seydel1847.de/epages/Seydel ... rrency=EUR (EN)

Seems to me like a more sophisticated approach to Dr. Antaki's Tune Master Harmonica concerning suitability for daily use. Good ear or tuning device necessary anyway. But that is what guitarists are used to since centuries anyway.


dear greetings
triona


edit: typo
Last edited by triona on Tue Jun 04, 2019 8:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Aw, Thou beloved, do hearken to the Banshee's lonely croon!
sinn féin - ça ira !
Cad é sin do'n té sin nach mbaineann sin dó


https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1yI3H ... 9ktgzTR2qg

EdvinW
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Re: NEW: Seydel All Minor

Post by EdvinW » Tue Jun 04, 2019 2:16 pm

NEAT! I'm buying one right away! :D

There are so many minor modes that it's impractical to keep one harp for each, especially one in every key! If this works as advertised you can play major, natural minor, harmonic minor and Dorian, and maybe maybe, with practice, even shift between ascending and descending melodic minor mid-tune.

I've more and more been experimenting with various chromatic harmonicas to let me play in all these different modes, and I'm very excited to see how this compares :)

As if the above advantages were not enough, this setup lets you set some notes BETWEEN major and minor! Some tunes need to have an odd note which should be between minor and major, but I've been hesitant to set up harps which are deliberately out of tune just to for these few tunes. Tunable thirds, sixths and sevenths should hold be enough to cover a large proportions of these tunes, and this feature alone would had been enough for me to buy one :)
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EdvinW
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Re: NEW: Seydel All Minor

Post by EdvinW » Tue Jun 04, 2019 3:16 pm

The order is placed for a Seydel All Minor in A!

I'll let you know when it's arrived :)
Edvin Wedin

Lizzy
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Re: NEW: Seydel All Minor

Post by Lizzy » Tue Jun 04, 2019 5:10 pm

Lol...And maybe set top coverplate on the bottom and vice verse :lol:

EdvinW
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Re: NEW: Seydel All Minor

Post by EdvinW » Tue Jun 04, 2019 6:37 pm

I didn't think of it at first, but of course this would also let you play a Mixolydian scale in first position!
Lizzy wrote:
Tue Jun 04, 2019 5:10 pm
Lol...And maybe set top coverplate on the bottom and vice verse :lol:
As crazy as it sounds, this could actually have uses! You could take a country tuned harp and switch back and forth to a normal Richter ;) :geek:

Edit: Hmm.. The country tuning application might be tricky to realise as the plates would be turned so their left side ends up on the right.
Last edited by EdvinW on Wed Jun 05, 2019 11:07 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Tyler
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Re: NEW: Seydel All Minor

Post by Tyler » Tue Jun 04, 2019 8:11 pm

Interesting. a few curiosities:

No restraints, so the sliding mechanism could possibly move around a bit?
Extra holes in cover affecting tone/timbre?

There could be some really cool applications for this idea in general!

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triona
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Re: NEW: Seydel All Minor

Post by triona » Tue Jun 04, 2019 10:28 pm

Seems to be plenty of possibilities to experiment with.
The mixolydian scale in first position is only one, but a very interesting variation.

If top and bottom coverplates are interchangeable is a thing that is to try and to prove. But maybe it will not work, depending on the direction of the slides' movement, and on the maximal and minimal distance each slide is able to move, and on the exact position of each slide in relation to the respective reeds which they should affect.

Tyler wrote:
Tue Jun 04, 2019 8:11 pm
Interesting. a few curiosities:

No restraints, so the sliding mechanism could possibly move around a bit?
This is a subject to try. Maybe or maybe not.
At least: With no restraints fine tuning will be possible better. If the slide would be prone to unwanted and uncontrolled movement and hence detuning while playing, this would be a severe fault in construction. Let us wait, how it will turn out. And any statement about the durability of the construction is not possible before it has been used some time.
Tyler wrote:
Tue Jun 04, 2019 8:11 pm
Interesting. a few curiosities:
...
Extra holes in cover affecting tone/timbre?
Maybe or maybe not. But I can not imagine, that it will affect tone and timbre seriously. Maybe it will sound a little bit different than with standard coverplates. But this must not necessarily mean, that it sounds worse. Let us take pot luck.


@ availability:

Here a remark about Seydel's sales policy for novelties and ideas outside the main stream. This item is a "harmonica of the month"-offer, how Seydel is used to call this.

1. It will only be produced when there are at least 20 orders until the last day of June 2019. (In this case I expect that these will come.) Hence it will not be delivered before the middle of July 2019 at least. (*) (see below for correction of error)

2. Usually it will not be produced in series. But sometimes Seydel developed some new series out of limited special offers like this (e.g. the new Low- and Extra-Low-series or some special tunings).

This morning I talked to Florian Stark, the Seydel sales manager. He told me

@ 1. that the limitation for this offer possibly will be extended exceptionally until the end of July - but this is not for sure at the moment, depending on the sales);

@ 2. that the All Minor coverplates most probably will be continued to produce.
Those will be available further on separately (like spare parts) for modifying conventional standard harmonicas by the customer.

For explanation: The magnetic device and the slides are fully integrated within the coverplates (in difference to Jim Antaki’s Turboslide Harmonica). The All Minor coverplates are exchangeable with any standard coverplate produced by Seydel within the last years, be it Session Steel, 1847 Classic, Silver or Noble etc. Of course it will only work with stainless steel reeds.


dear greetings
triona


*) edit:
This is an error. I talked to Florian once more to resolve my misunderstanding. Exceptionally and different from former "harmonicas of the month" this offer will be dispatched at once, as long as on stock. When sold out, they will produce some more till end of June or July, if there will be more orders than stock.
Last edited by triona on Wed Jun 05, 2019 1:29 pm, edited 3 times in total.
Aw, Thou beloved, do hearken to the Banshee's lonely croon!
sinn féin - ça ira !
Cad é sin do'n té sin nach mbaineann sin dó


https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1yI3H ... 9ktgzTR2qg

Lizzy
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Re: NEW: Seydel All Minor

Post by Lizzy » Wed Jun 05, 2019 6:02 am

I imagine that the sliders need to have some friction to not move too easy. But imagine if Seydel could make coverplates with the sliders on different locations? It could extend your options even more. And if you could skip the coverplate screws and also replace them with magnets you would be able to swift tunings fast on a gig.

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triona
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Re: NEW: Seydel All Minor

Post by triona » Wed Jun 05, 2019 9:44 am

Lizzy wrote:
Wed Jun 05, 2019 6:02 am
I imagine that the sliders need to have some friction to not move too easy.
Have a look on the All Minor's coverplates:

1. Image

2. Image

3. Image 4. Image

5. Image

1. coverplates outside
2. coverplates inside
3. detail slide knobs outside
4. + 5. detail slide magnets inside


You can see, that the construction of the slides is very simple. Hence it might be quite easy to handle and to maintain them. This construction promises to be relatively durable as well.
Tyler wrote:
Tue Jun 04, 2019 8:11 pm
No restraints, so the sliding mechanism could possibly move around a bit?
I presume the magnet's force serves as a kind of restraint as well - besides its primary function of lowering the reed's pitch.


The only inconvenience I expect from these slides in comparison to a standard harmonica is, that they might disturb my lips's movement along the coverplates when playing fast and with full chords. With this I put the harp relatively deep into my mouth. So the slide knobs possibly might cause a friction to my lips, when they are in the position next to the mouth. I will see, whether this is a severe inconvenience or whether it will be tolerable to me. Players who do not play with the harp deep inside their mouth will not mind about this.

Lizzy wrote:
Wed Jun 05, 2019 6:02 am
But imagine if Seydel could make diffferent coverplates with the sliders on different locations? It could extend your options even more.
Looking at Seydel's marketing policy in the past and present, and considering the expected sales on this item, I presume they will quite surely not.


dear greetings
triona
Last edited by triona on Wed Jun 05, 2019 1:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Aw, Thou beloved, do hearken to the Banshee's lonely croon!
sinn féin - ça ira !
Cad é sin do'n té sin nach mbaineann sin dó


https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1yI3H ... 9ktgzTR2qg

Lizzy
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Location: Sweden

Re: NEW: Seydel All Minor

Post by Lizzy » Wed Jun 05, 2019 11:14 am

Triona: I did not expect Seydel would make any reality of this, rather that they both have the tools and opportunity to do it. 8-) I understand that many in most cases concentrate on the ordinary for the bigger mass and not for them few who wants the extraordinary. It would be harder to survive if they did it for the few.
Last edited by Lizzy on Wed Jun 05, 2019 2:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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