They are different. But I wouldn't say better. I've heard good things about the Swan hole and the East Top hole chromatics. I look forward to playing half-way proficiently one day. And want to try the other brands of chromatics.
On a side note Certainly it can't be the quality of my playing. I have my dad's old 64 Chrominca C that he saved up for and purchased in or ' I loved the sound of "Sophisticated Swing" that was kind of his specialty song, but he could play the heck out of a lot of big band and country songs.
Alas, the wood comb cracked quite badly in the '80's or so. He repaired it with some epoxy, but the wood kept shrinking. As I said, I still have it, but unfortunately, with the cracked comb and dried-up leather valves, it's unplayable now.
Still have the original wooden case too, though the spring on the latch broke ages ago. I bought a new one some 15 years or so ago and just love it. I've been concentrating on my diatonic for the lessons here, so I can get the basics better, before I start picking up my 64 again. But after reading this thread, I gave it a try. I could still play "Blue Prairie" pretty well after a couple of tries.
As I work through my lessons here, and start to pick up the Chromatic again, I'll probably get a hole just for portability's sake. It's great that you have so many memories associated with that instrument of your dad's, and it can be made playable again if you want.
It's possible to repair the old wood-bodied chromatics, and the pre-war ones like yours are especially valued. The combs are still available from Hohner. Leather valves can be reconditioned or replaced with plastic ones. Thanks Winslow! I actually hadn't really thought about getting it repaired. I'm guessing that Hohner co.
Or are there other people who do that? I will definitely be looking into those. I figure I can at least see how much it might cost.
Will keep you posted. So, I did look into repairing my dad's old 64 Chromonica, and, while it is possible , it will be expensive. In fact, it will cost as much as a new one. Though this didn't really surprise me, it did make me re-think the idea.
As I'd already mentioned, I had bought a new one several years ago and love it. So, instead, I decided to purchase another, hole chromatic. I figured that, with it being more portable, it would be a good way to go. I still love my 64, but I can carry the Chrometta 12 to work and other places much more easily.
I might still get dad's re-conditioned later on, but right now, the hole seemed like a better way to spend the money.
We accept major credit cards and PayPal. After watching the BluesHarmonica. Skip to main content. Tour the Site Click here to watch a video tour of what the inside of the site looks like. Levels of Achievement. Forums :: Blues Chromatic. Different sizes of chromatic - what do you use? Expert Winslow Yerxa. Chromatic harmonicas come in several sizes - 8 holes, 10, 12, 14, and I'm curious about which sizes people like to play and why. So what chromatics do you you use?
What do you like or dislike about them? Hi Winslow - I'm fairly new. I'll be curious about other comments and reactions.
Hi guys I had a Hohner , 10 hole chromatic key C , which I bought a few years ago and never really did anything with. Sizes and keys available. Got my 's and my 's mixed up! Closet Chromatic Player. Are the Hohner CX 12's good for blues? Jon M Harl. When I began to master the basic elements of the diatonic harp, several years ago, I started to wonder how difficult it would be to play the chromatic harmonica.
Sitting in the corner of the office was an old Hohner Chromonica II Deluxe — a remnant from many years ago. The resultant cacophony, however, seemed to be most appealing to the local dog population. Less so, sadly, to my colleagues. If we take a look at the construction of the chromatic harmonica, we can see, perhaps, how my expectations differed from the reality. In most cases it has two sets of reed plates — one mounted above the other — and a button that activates a slide, by which the air is directed to the top or bottom reeds the exception is cross tuned harps, more of which later.
The top reeds are usually tuned to an altered diatonic major scale, whilst the bottom reeds are usually tuned to the same scale, but a semitone higher. Thus, all twelve notes of the chromatic scale are available by using the slider to switch between which reeds are activated. My primary issue was that I was visualising the tuning as being akin to a piano keyboard — white notes on the top reeds, black notes on the bottom set.
In reality, however, the bottom reeds actually contain a complete set of notes from the scale that is one semitone higher than the top reeds so, on a C tuned chromatic, all of the notes from the scale of C. This results in some duplication as the two scales will have some shared notes C, D and F, in this case. In my naivety I expected to depress the button a few times and perform the sort of trills that Stevie Wonder achieved so effortlessly.
Instead, as I was visualising the notes incorrectly, I was getting the sort of atonal chromaticism beloved of Arnold Schoenberg. The other main difference I experienced, compared to a diatonic, was related to bending notes. Chromatics, generally speaking, can only bend notes down, and only by a semitone. There are some exceptions to this rule, but only in the case of non-standard chromatics, such as the Tombo S50 , which achieves its chromaticism without a slide.
Where they do excel, however, is in jazz and classical music, where their ability to play any note from the standard Western scales instantly, with no recourse to bending, and to pick out trills and grace notes with ease, is more important than achieving the wailing sound of the diatonic harp. EDIT: it may be better to save up a little more and buy a better quality 16 hole, which will set you up for the future.
If you get a quality 12 hole, sooner or later, you'll probably still want a quality 16 hole. I looked at the site, and it's quite naiive, musically. There are technical errors in note naming all over it, and the explanation wrong contradicts other information given previously. Just wish 'experts' were really that I have a 10, which is 2 holes short of a octave. It's missing the upper G-C. Sometimes I miss that, but the bigger issue is build quality. The layout packs the chromatic octave into 4 holes, C-C in a repeatable pattern.
That means there are 2 F reeds per octave, and 2 C. And 3 C for the middle octaves. It gives priority to a regular layout, as opposed maximizing the range. There are many hole and tuning variants out there, but you could say that a C-tuned 12 hole chromatic harmonica is the most "standard". That is what many professionals stick by. It's the equivalent of a 4-string bass guitar, or a key piano. It's a good starting point. If you're serious about this instrument, then you'll likely end up owning more than one anyway.
If built with similar tolerances and quality, a 16 holer will be more leaky to play than a 12 holer. I suggest you go for a 12 holer, or, if you really insist on range, a holer. About your confusion on the notes Each instrument has its artefacts, and having multiple options will eventually help you play lines faster and more fluently.
Sign up to join this community. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top. Stack Overflow for Teams — Collaborate and share knowledge with a private group. Create a free Team What is Teams? Learn more. Should I get a 12 hole or 16 hole chromatic harmonica?
Ask Question. Asked 5 years, 7 months ago. Active 8 months ago. Viewed 13k times. I wan to learn a chromatic harmonica and want to start with whatever is standard for a beginner I can somewhat play a diatonic There seem to be many types of chromatic available 12 hole, 16 hole, 10 hole, 22 hole, 22 hole but from my previous searches I found that some of them, for example the 22 hole one, does not give different notes for blow and draw I am now considering buying either a 12 or 16 hole one, but I am not sure which one is better.
The only motivation is getting more notes out of the 16 hole one for the same price, but I am not sure whether a 16 hole is a good idea Is there a standard one used by beginners, or does it not matter whether I start practice from a 12 hole or 16 hole one?
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