What harmonica tunings consist of repeating banks of five holes?
At the moment, I can think of two: Pentabender and Fourkey.
Do you know of others? Please share.
It is my intention that this thread becomes a reference list of such tunings, and not a discussion of particular tunings.
List of tunings with five holes per octave
- IaNerd
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List of tunings with five holes per octave
Last edited by IaNerd on Sat Feb 16, 2019 10:16 pm, edited 2 times in total.
- IaNerd
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Re: List of tunings with five holes per octave
Forum member oldstudent has already shared the following here: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=249#p1440
Any others? Anyone? Bueller? Anyone?One-key "Pentabender" tuning (plays C major scale without bends; has F major pentatonic in blows, G major pentatonic in draws):
DE.FG.GA.AB.CD.DE.FG.GA.AB.CD.
Two-key "Pentablues" tuning (plays C and G major scales without bends; has F major pentatonic in blows, D major pentatonic in draws):
DE.FF#.GA.AB.CD.DE.FF#.GA.AB.CD.
Three-key tuning (plays C, G, and D major scales without bends; has F major pentatonic in blows, A major pentatonic in draws):
DE.FF#.GA.AB.CC#.DE.FF#.GA.AB.CD.
Four-key tuning (plays C, G, D, and A major scales without bends; has F major pentatonic in blows, E major pentatonic in draws):
DE.FF#.GA.AB.CC#.DE.FF#.GA.AB.CD.
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Re: List of tunings with five holes per octave
The ones you mention are members of the class pentatonic tunings, discussed in this thread:
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=249
Edit: You obviously were quicker than me here
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=249
Edit: You obviously were quicker than me here

Last edited by EdvinW on Sat Feb 16, 2019 10:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Edvin Wedin
- IaNerd
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Re: List of tunings with five holes per octave
Forum member winslowyerxa has already shared the following here: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=249&start=20#p1920
As long as we're talking about pentatonic tunings, without trying to accomplish anything other than a pentatonic scale, there's the Magic Harp tuning that Pierre Beauregard and Rickard Salwitz patented back in 1993:
EG. AC. DE. GA. CD. EG. AC. DE. GA. CD.