Brendan Power & Alternative Harmonicas Forum

I offer this discussion even though I am not sure if the idea is useful. This Forum’s many experienced and insightful members might see possibilities that I am missing.

I feel compelled to share this idea because I am surprised and intrigued by what I found when I applied my Chromatic with Offset Tonics (COT) concept (at viewtopic.php?f=9&t=874#p3904 ) to Brendan Power’s own PowerChromatic tuning.

We see (below) that in the slide-in layer, the breath pattern is reversed for all the diatonic scale degrees except the tonic. This layer has the exact format of a well-known chromatic tuning called ”Classical”. While the PowerChromatic layer gives us draw-bends for four notes of the scale, the Classical layer gives only two.

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Another way to look at it would be as Minor Solo Tuning in D

Hmm, I'm not seeing that. But what you say helps me to see the slide-out layer as Dorian (which is minor) Classical tuning in D.

It would be, starting on hole #2:

DE FG AB CD DE

But you're right: because the doubled D notes are different breath, it's not the same as the Solo pattern (where doubled C notes are blow).

I am more surprised than I should be -- and strangely delighted -- that this works both ways ....



download/file.php?mode=view&id=853

I see now, Brendan. When you said "Minor" in your post above, you did not mean natural minor; rather, you were referring to Dorian, which is also minor.

Sorry Patrick! I went off on a tangent, talking about a different way of looking at the PowerChromatic scale only and not attending to your main point.

Combing COT with PC in either direction might give a curious result on paper, but I'm not sure its that musically appealing compared to just raising the slide notes a semitone. Or am I missing something?