Tutorial With Many Sound Examples

Dear Harmonica Player!

Thank you for your interest in the SEYDEL ORCHESTRA S - SESSION STEEL Solo. As
you can see in the figure below the ORCHESTRA S is a solo-tuned diatonic harmonica
with 10 ten holes. The ORCHESTRA S is available in the key of LC and in G (not shown
here).

Orchestra-Tuning

The tonal layout is nearly the same like on a chromatic harmonica. All notes from the
major scale are available throughout a two-and-a-half octave range and one half of the
lower octave is added to holes 1 and 2. So the root note of the major scale can be found
in hole 3 blow - the name of this tuning is "Orchestra Tuning"

The position of the root note is highlighted with a "V" stamped into the upper coverplate
which is useful to find the root note more easily at the beginning.

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What makes the ORCHESTRA S a unique instrument?

The diagramms displayed below show the ORCHESTRA S compared to a usual solo-
tuned harmonica (SOLIST PRO 12 Solo, refer to fig. below, middle) and the Richter-
Tuning (Standard Blues Harmonica, refer to fig. below bottom).

The ORCHESTRA S has no upper register like the SOLIST PRO 12. The pitch of this
register is very high generally and only few player use these very high sounding notes in
the upper octave.

On a Richter Harmonica the breathing pattern is changed in holes 8 -10 - if one likes to
play the major scale and the 7th note of the scale is missing completely (in C-major the
B is missing) - these are shortcomings that prevent especially beginners from playing in
the upper register. The lower register on a Richter-harmonica offers nicely sounding
chords - in fact this is a main part of the concept of playing chords along with melody on
a Richter diatonic - but therefore some important notes of the major scale a lacking,
namely the 4th note (F on a C-harmonica) and the 6th note A. This makes playing
melodies in the lower register very difficult (or impossible) for many players.

In contrast the ORCHESTRA S offers all notes of the major scale as well in the lower
register - so for playing these notes bending skills are not required at all.

This note layout makes the ORCHESTRA S an ideal companion for playing
melodies in many musical genres.

Comparison: ORCHESTRA S vs. SOLIST PRO Solo C and vs. Richter-tuned Blues
harmonicas

The orchestra-solo-tuning and its compact size combined with SEYDEL's durability makes
the ORCHESTRA S a great choice for musical education in schools. The note layout is
basically the same as that of a chromatic harmonica, making the ORCHESTRA S a great
starting harmonica for learning to play a chromatic.

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Playing with tabs (tabulature) on the ORCHESTRA S

Many players use the so call-tabulature notation (=Tabs) instead of sheet music to learn
to play melodies. All tabs that are made for chromatic harmonica (with no slide-in notes)
are suited for using them with the ORCHESTRA S. Please note that the notes in 1 blow
or draw (Tabs: 1 resp. -1) on the ORCHESTRA S must be played in hole 3 (blow or
draw).

The Tabs for playing a major scale on a solo tuned harmonica looks like this:

e. g. in C-Major: C D E F G A B(H) C >>> 1 -1 2 -2 3 -3 -4 4

On the ORCHESTRA S the first C (=root note of the scale) can be found in hole 3 blow
(see the "V"-check mark on the upper coverplate) and the scale ends with the C in 6
blow.

Most tabs are written for the most commmonly use Richter-diatonic - these tabs cannot
be used for the ORCHESTRA S because of the different note layouts. However, SEYDEL
offers a nice tool for re-arranging tabs the so called "SEYDEL Tab-Tool". This software is
the ideal tool for translating tabs for Richter harmonicas into suited tabs for solo-tuned
instruments.

The SEYDEL Tab-Tool can be found on the SEYDEL webpage (Download or online-use).

Minor-Blues (or also Irish Folk) on the ORCHESTRA S

For playing minor-blues the so called 3rd position is probably the best choice - or to put it
into other terms - if you start on the C in the circle of fifth (corresponding to 1st position)
the G (2nd position) can be found next (clockwise) and the D can be found bystepping
one position further, which represents the root note of the 3rd position.

The D can be found in hole 3 draw and 7 draw on the ORCHESTRA S - in between these
root notes you can play all notes of the so called Dorian scale, which sounds very similar
to a Natural Minor scale.

So if all the notes of the C-major scale are used with the D as the starting note (and last
note) it is possible to play the complete Dorian scale without any problems - this scale is
often used in minor-sounding Irish Folk tunes and most notes of the Minor-Blues Scale
are there, too.

Circle of Fifth

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Missing notes (half-steps) can easily be added by playing bending notes which makes
improvising in D-minor very easy (on the LC-variant of ORCHESTRA S).

The sound reminds on typical pieces from "Chromatic Blues" - but additionally some
notes can be played with bending like on a usual Richter diatonic. Therefore, besides a
Natural Minor tuned diatonics, the ORCHESTRA S is the most compact way (compared
to a Chromatic harmonica) for bringing soul and color to your blues improvisation.

When playing a minor Blues in 3rd position (D-minor) on the ORCHESTRA S (in LC)
players will also appreciate the extended major scale in the lower register. The root note
of the dominant chord (A) is available in hole 1-draw (and 5 draw), making it similar to
playing in 2nd position on a standard Richter-tuned harmonica.

Minor-Blues-Scale in middle register on a ORCHESTRA S (LC) for improvisation in D-

Minor - only one bending note is required, which makes playing the Blues scale very
easy!:
... -3 -4 5 -5' -5 6 -7 ...

If one mastered the overblow-technique, all 12 notes of the chromatic scale can be
played on the ORCHESTRA S:

All playable notes on the ORCHESTRA S

The typical fat, chromatic sound is produced by playing octaves or other intervals with
the splitting technique. Split notes are played by blocking one, two or three holes in the
center, allowing airflow through the holes on either side of the tongue. This produces a
full sound and is also well-suited to playing intervals in folk melodies.

The splitting technique allows you to play octaves by covering three holes with the mouth
and blocking the three center holes with your tongue, then allowing the air to flow
through the single holes to the left and to the right. Other intervals are available by the
same technique but by blocking more or less holes in the center with your tongue.

An example of a chromatic blues harmonica piece is "Blues in the Dark", played by the
legendary Georg Harmonica Smith - he uses a standard C/C#-tuned chromatic
harmonica, with the slider depressed all the time to play the song in Eb-minor.

Chicago blues master Little Walter discovered very early that blues can be played on a
chromatic harmonica and many of his recordings demonstrate his amazing ability to play
in 3rd position on a Chromatic.

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The minor VI chord with the Dorian scale delivers a jazz-like sound (D minor6 chord: D F
A B). A solo-tuned harmonica is well-suited for playing swingy, jazz/blues numbers and
minor blues pieces. Amplifying that sound through a blues harmonica microphone and an
amplifier will deliver the classic punch and tone that elevates the humble harmonica to
new levels.

Holding and Playing the ORCHESTA S

Hold the instrument with your left hand (best) - the low notes should be on the left side.
Clean melodies depend on clean single notes.

As a first step try to find a relaxed "mouth shape"(embochure) that is similar to

whisteling - a good start is whistling a low note and afterwards to play a note on the
harmonica using the same kind of breathing. This playing technique is also called
"puckering". If you play low notes you should provide them a bigger cavity for making
them sound full and loud. The embouchure is then similar to vocalising a deep "U".

Playing high notes on the harmonica requires the same attention to embouchure. Speak
the letters “a” and “e” to feel the shape of the mouth cavity and tongue position. In both
cases the same is true for both blow notes and draw notes. Most importantly, remember
to breathe through the instrument using your diaphragm. Deep, controlled breathing
allows you to deliver a deep, full tone.

Your embouchure, the shape of the mouth cavity in combination with the position of your
lips, tongue, and teeth, affects the tone of the instrument. You form a functional unity
with the harmonica.

Left: Mouth cavity for playing low notes (vowel sound “U”); Middle: Mouth cavity for
medium-pitched notes (vowel sound “A”); Right: Mouth cavity shape for playing high-
pitched notes (vowel sound “E”)

Tongue blocking is another technique for playing single notes whereby you cover some of
the holes with your tongue and allow airflow between the edge of the tongue and the side
of our mouth. This allows you to play single notes with accompaniment (chords). The
tongue can be lifted and slapped back onto the holes producing a rhythm and
percussiveness. It is possible to play with the tongue blocking technique to block two,
three, and even four holes.

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Getting out single notes - by using pucker technique (A) or tongueblock
technique (B)
Puckering and tongue blocking complement each other and it is best to practice both
techniques to fully utilize the harmonica and bring a professional sound to your playing.

The ORCHESTRA S is tuned to lend itself well to any musical preference. No matter if
you are a beginner or professional, you will find your musical expression, in perfect
tuning.

Version 1 – ©2014 – Production: Bertram Becher

C.A. SEYDEL SÖHNE GmbH

Robert-Koch-Straße 1
D-08248 Klingenthal
+49 (0) 3 74 67 - 2 25 48
+49 (0) 3 74 67 - 2 24 53 (FAX)

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