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!
Lizzy
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Re: NEW: Seydel All Minor

Post by Lizzy » Mon Jun 10, 2019 8:18 pm

If it was more space on the coverplates it could be fun to maybe use the slidemagnets as a whammy. Maybe on the bottom plate if you tilt the harmonica :)

EdvinW
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Re: NEW: Seydel All Minor

Post by EdvinW » Tue Jun 11, 2019 10:10 pm

I received mine today!

After some initial testing, I have some comments.

1: IT'S AWESOME! I can configure it to standard harmonic minor or standard natural minor, but more interesting are the scales which are not available as standard tunings: first position mixolydian, first position natural minor and first position jazz melodic minor. I've had some fun exploring these, and the chords they allow.

2: There are some magnet problems. On my harp, tuned in A, 6D sounds a bit choked when the magnet is on, and 2B doesn't sound at all when the magnet is "too much on". I need to adjust 2B carefully and play carefully to get it to sound. 10D I haven't really tried. The rest work as well as you can hope for when magnets are involved.

3: Quartertones are possible! For the first time ever, I have played a tune with a middle third on a harmonica :D

4: One needs to be a bit careful not to move the magnets around while playing. Also, the magnets can be moved vertically, perpendicularly to the slit

5: Many of the notes are correctly detuned by pulling the magnet all the way, and with these notes it is totally possible to retune while playing!

I'll try to record and post a video when I can. I'm sure to find more and more nuanced points later, and I still haven't tried putting them on upside down on my other harp ;)
Edvin Wedin

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Tyler
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Re: NEW: Seydel All Minor

Post by Tyler » Thu Jun 13, 2019 5:09 pm

Great review, @EdvinW. I was thinking a locking mechanism would be very useful on this device. I can't picture it exactly, but something.

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triona
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Re: NEW: Seydel All Minor

Post by triona » Thu Jun 13, 2019 8:15 pm

Tyler wrote:
Thu Jun 13, 2019 5:09 pm
I was thinking a locking mechanism would be very useful on this device. I can't picture it exactly, but something.
I presume a hard restraint might be counterproductive to finetuning - and to quartertone tunings as well. The latter maybe might not be an intended main feature, but as it has been mentioned very positive by Edvin.

But maybe Dr. Antaki's TuneMaster Harp is the better alternative anyway concerning to create a harp which is fully tuneable in quartertones, or even one with other intervals, e.g. as for oriental music like Arabic, Persian, Indian etc. For this it would be an essential advantage that the TuneMaster is retuneable over its whole range.

EdvinW wrote:
Tue Jun 11, 2019 10:10 pm
4: One needs to be a bit careful not to move the magnets around while playing. Also, the magnets can be moved vertically, perpendicularly to the slit
I presume this vertical tolerance might be the salient point. Its adjustment could be a little bit difficult to optimise, especially when considering about rationalisation of manufactural (or semi-industrial) production (like it is done by Seydel) at a reasonable price. Most probably best were a re-adjustable fixture of the knobs.

EdvinW wrote:
Tue Jun 11, 2019 10:10 pm
5: Many of the notes are correctly detuned by pulling the magnet all the way, and with these notes it is totally possible to retune while playing
Maybe this would be the optimal default condition of the slits. To re-adjust the maximal length of a slit by a file or drill or alike (i.e. to enlarge it on its lower end) would be more easy than to shorten a slot which might be too long.


But before I can dare to say more about this, I need to have and to play my own one. Otherwise this will be merely speculative. And now I am sure not to order more than one for a first try. Maybe there are possibilities to improve the item, which are easily to realize, and which can flow into the production of the following ones. It is better to tweak only one rather than three of them. :lol:


dear greetings
triona
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

ROBERT TEMPLE
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Re: NEW: Seydel All Minor

Post by ROBERT TEMPLE » Thu Jun 13, 2019 11:45 pm

I would think that the sliders would get accidentally moved out of the desired tuning, as noted above, due to one's hold on the harp. Having to worry about that seems like a problem. One should be able to play with abandon, not with kid gloves on. I may be wrong here, though, and I look forward to any responses to this potential problem. As this is such a new item, I expect several tweaks will come along, eventually, in order to make this a flawless, or as near to flawless, product as possible.

Lizzy
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Re: NEW: Seydel All Minor

Post by Lizzy » Tue Jun 18, 2019 11:04 am

Yeah, i agree with you. For me its little too easy to move the magnets, at least when i hold and play it in the way im used to. An option to lock the magnets would improve it.

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triona
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Re: NEW: Seydel All Minor

Post by triona » Tue Jul 09, 2019 8:58 am

Temporarily sold out.
The next ones are anounced to come around the middle of August.


dear greetings
triona
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

ROBERT TEMPLE
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Joined: Fri Oct 12, 2018 5:49 am

Re: NEW: Seydel All Minor

Post by ROBERT TEMPLE » Thu Aug 08, 2019 6:47 pm

I noted that the All Minor allows one to adjust for quarter steps. It would be great if all reeds could be adjustable. I play piano, too, and in my town we have three public pianos available 24/7. Two are okay to play harps against, the third is tuned to "A 430", or so says the tuner's note. That piano has wonderful, fluid action, but, as noted above, it is too flat to use with harps. So, if I could tune all reeds flat by a quarter step, I could play against that piano, as well. I have no idea why the tuner tuned the piano to A 430.

EdvinW
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Re: NEW: Seydel All Minor

Post by EdvinW » Fri Aug 09, 2019 3:41 pm

ROBERT TEMPLE wrote:
Thu Aug 08, 2019 6:47 pm
I noted that the All Minor allows one to adjust for quarter steps. It would be great if all reeds could be adjustable. I play piano, too, and in my town we have three public pianos available 24/7. Two are okay to play harps against, the third is tuned to "A 430", or so says the tuner's note. That piano has wonderful, fluid action, but, as noted above, it is too flat to use with harps. So, if I could tune all reeds flat by a quarter step, I could play against that piano, as well. I have no idea why the tuner tuned the piano to A 430.
This sounds like a job for TurboHarp's TuneMaster :)
Edvin Wedin

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triona
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Re: NEW: Seydel All Minor

Post by triona » Mon Aug 12, 2019 7:04 pm

Yes. This was my first thought as well.
The Seydel All Minor is not provided for this. It has a different aim.


dear greetings
triona
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

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