Making a song fit a 12

[beads]

Last year I bought a 14 because some of my sheet music dips below middle C. Here is an example of such a song. The chorus, which leads off, starts on Bb below middle C and uses that note two more times. The verse is a bit higher, never going below Eb above middle C. Song is in Eb. The difference in register between the verse and chorus is a feature of this tune. I found that playing the chorus an octave up and then playing the verse lower, as written, sounded very nice and allowed it to all fit on a 12. Simply moving everything up an octave worked, but I felt the verse got a bit high. I think this might be a good alternative for some songs with written notes only found on a 14. 
Harmonica is a Discovery. Mic is SM58 through a Focusrite Scarlett. No effects. Anybody else using this method to fit a tune to a 12?

[Gene Oh]

Thanks for posting. Appreciated, Rex!
Wish you a happy day.
Gene

[Gerundino]

You did a really good job. An inventive solution for the problem. It sounds very nice. In music, and maybe in real live too, what fits in the frame is the new reality.

[SlideMeister]

Nice job Beads, BUT for me, that's the exact reason I like a fourteen holer, or an Orchestra tuned twelve. I like to play mostly in the low-mid range and very seldom venture into the old "dog-whistle" zone. 

[Scotty]

There are certain songs and tunes which truly work on a 16 - my main reason for buying one - and then more of those.
I feel restricted on a 12, but while others might like a 14, to me it seems illogical not to then go the two extra notes to
a 16. I mean FOUR octaves - all at one's disposal, when needed. Amazing! They really are easy to play, once one
plays them for a while and becomes used to the size. When one sees a small child playing a 16, it becomes a bit silly
to think that an adult (male or female), unless very, very petite and with very small hands, couldn't play a 16 chrom.

Now, even with a bone chiseled out of my left hand AND severe wrist and thumb arthritis in both hands, I've managed to
get back to playing my 16's - and even the very heavy GoldBar. How could I not?  I didn't buy it as a decoration.
What I also found was that once I began playing a 16, all of the other sizes came far more easily to me. Something to keep
in mind? I still take my cx-12's in A along as my go-to travel chromatics, fwiw. Of course, it's all one's personal choice, but
don't write off 16's if one's never tried them - because someone else thinks of them as 'too big'.

scotty

[beads]

My guitar has a 26 inch scale, so size isn't the issue. The day the above video was made I had that particular 12 warmed up and I was enjoying some tunes, but then turned the page to a tune that needed the 14. Instead of skipping the tune, I came up with this solution and liked it better than moving all the tune up an octave.

[Scotty]

I wasn't really focusing on you and the tune, Beads. More on others (who might be reading these threads later) who
also hear constantly about 14 being 'the perfect size' and others who repeatedly say that a 16 is 'too big'. My post
was mostly about that aspect of it. I enjoyed what you did - should have said so earlier. Mea culpa.

scotty

[SlideMeister]

Yeah, while the range of a sixteen is of course, the best, for me, the 12 is the perfect size, the fourteen ain't, but I can put up with it longer than I can a sixteen.

[beads]

I wasn't really focusing on you and the tune, Beads. More on others (who might be reading these threads later) who
also hear constantly about 14 being 'the perfect size' and others who repeatedly say that a 16 is 'too big'. My post
was mostly about that aspect of it. I enjoyed what you did - should have said so earlier. Mea culpa.

scotty

No problem,  we're all good. I didn't take it as a personal critique. 10 vs 12 vs 14 vs 16 is an important topic for new players and thus it deserves attention. Good for you to bring it up. I read pages here on the topic when deciding where to invest my money. Eventually I decided on 2 sizes. An Orchestra 12 would be ideal for me, but I'm happy with what I  have and don't want to switch to another brand to get that note arrangement. Some of the best players on the planet use a 12 while other top notch players use a 16, so I'm in good company either way. 

[beads]

Probably in a few decades there will be no deciding between keys and ranges. Self contained midi harps will provide all options in one unit at a fraction of the cost of what will then be our "legacy design" harps.  Our grandkids will marvel at what we could do with these antiques.

[wolfman]

 Do you have something on
the drawing board Rex ?

 Roman

[brorat]

Probably in a few decades there will be no deciding between keys and ranges. Self contained midi harps will provide all options in one unit at a fraction of the cost of what will then be our "legacy design" harps.  Our grandkids will marvel at what we could do with these antiques.

I’m guessing you’re right on target, Rex!  My grandson marvels at what I can do with a slide rule😱😱

[beads]

Do you have something on
the drawing board Rex ?

Yes. Retirement, watching the Grandkids grow up,  and playing an old fashioned mechanical chromatic.   

 Roman

[wolfman]

You're a double Slider Doug.

  Roman

[Gene Oh]

Beads asked, "Anybody else using this method to fit a tune to a 12?"

Yes, I did when playing a tune called "You raise me up" sung by Josh Gorban. The tune is written in Eb, F, and F#. The first note starts at Bb below C4. So, I chose to play one octave higher only the first phrase "When I am down and oh my soul so weary" and the rest as written in the music sheet. To me, it was a bit weird, but still worked.

Gene

[brorat]

You're a double Slider Doug.

  Roman

Good catch Roman.
Guess the slide thing must be built into my being😱😱

[Ed McCullough]

Yep, playing with as hasrmonica that reaches the lower notes seems the only way to go. You made it sound natural.

[Laina]

I find choosing a diferent key or small changes of phrasing in the original can get round playing a whole song an octave up. To my ears a higher octave may not always sound so good but appreciate there are times when staying true to the original key matters,  especially with classical music.
Listening to many brilliant musicians on 12 holers is a great inspiration for trying different approaches. Not easy in practice but fun to explore.

[Age]

I was always impressed at how Toots stuck with that twelve holer for all those years.

[brorat]

I find choosing a diferent key or small changes of phrasing in the original can get round playing a whole song an octave up. To my ears a higher octave may not always sound so good but appreciate there are times when staying true to the original key matters,  especially with classical music.
Listening to many brilliant musicians on 12 holers is a great inspiration for trying different approaches. Not easy in practice but fun to explore.

I'm with you, Laina.  When I'm playing a 12, I enjoy finding a way to make the change to a different octave sound smooth and "natural".  Sometimes I do it when I could play all the notes without swapping octaves.  It just gives a bit of diversity and life to the song.  Also, since I don't really care for the sound of the highest notes, it's fun to figure how to avoid them, too. 
Lots of mental games going on at the same time you're playing notes.  I think it's called "making music"!

[beads]

One thing the Max De Aloe method taught me is to not avoid the high end. It takes a lot of practice to make those notes sound nice, but it is possible.

[RichChrome]

Interesting and effective solutions to making a song fit on a 12 hole chrome. I have both a 14 and a 16 that I use for certain songs because they sound better using the lower register, but my preference is still the 12 hole, so I will usually learn to play the song in a different key as well so that I can play it on a 12 if need be. Also I like beads comment on playing in the higher register, playing a 12 chrome will force you go up an octave and play those higher notes   

[Grizzly]

My favorite 12 currently is a CX 12 Tenor. What I'm playing these days is Christmas songs and carols, mostly in C, a few in F, and their relative minors. They don't go higher than the Tenor's range, and I have all those notes below Middle C, especially the frequent Bs I need.

A standard C is ideal for playing flute music. Compatible ranges.

Tom