Ukeya

pink eye

the last

asinew

yellow box

Below is a very quick recording I made using my Hammond organ (XK-3c, not the M2 shown in the photo) and adjusting the tuning between 440, 430, and 450.

The organ is played to the same backing track as my last melodica comparison.

Verse 1 = 440 
Verse 2 = 450
Verse 3 = 430
Verse 4 = 450
Verse 5 = 440

You can hear me slide the tuning up and down on a couple of the verses, but on some verses there was no playing as I adjusted the tuning.

You can see that your hearing adjusts pretty quick to the new tuning. 

I was playing lead mostly, but the difference can be more dramatic when comping with chords and using pads on digital keyboards.

Through experimentation, you can get some interesting effects. Pro keyboardist and producers use this technique to bring something different to the table.

If only melodicas came with a quick tuning knob!

Lowboy 

Hammond Organ Tuning (430 to 450) Played with Song .WAV

I have been working with Randy at bit at the Lone Wolf Blues Company as I have been experimenting with getting a blues sound from the melodica. Randy gave me a Harp Attack pedal to try out. The Harp Attack pedal provides a mild tube-amp like distortion, adding some fullness, presence, and warmth to the melodica sound. 

I like the Harp Attack pedal, but I like his Harp Break pedal even more, as it gives me breakup and more harp tonality and bass. This pedal is nice for when you want warmth and presence without the breakup.    

I played four melodicas through a Shure SM57 microphone, a compressor that removed a bit of bass from the original signal, and then through a Lone Wolf Blues Company Harp Attach effects pedal. I compared the sounds of the melodicas with and without the Harp Attack pedal.

Except for adding reverb, no other processing was added. So the comparisons below do not benefit from the tonality (additional bass and a rounding of the higher frequencies) that the Harp Delay would normally bring. I always use a Harp Delay, but I wanted this comparison to really show what the Harp Attack could do all by itself. The following times are approximate:

First verse, 0 to 34 seconds--Suzuki A-34c melodica
Second verse, 34 to 58--Suzuki A-34c plus Harp Attack pedal
Third verse, 58 to 122--Hohner HM Piano 26 melodica
Fourth verse, 122 to 146 Hohner HM Piano 26 plus Harp Attack Pedal
Fifth verse, 146 to 208, Hohner Piano 26, small keys, metal body, melodica
Sixth verse, 208 to 230, Hohner Piano 26, small keys, metal body plus Harp Attack pedal
Seventh verse, 230 to 254, Hohner Piano 36 melodica
Eighth verse, 254 to end, Hohner Piano 36 plus Harp Attack pedal

So you can hear how the Harp Attack adds depth and presence to the sound.  It makes a big difference.

So you can have a clean sound with no effects, a warm sound with the Harp Attack, or a warm and dirty sound with the Harp Break.

Thanks to www.guitarbackingtrack.com for providing an assortment of backing tracks including the one used on this recording.

Lowboy


Four melodicas with and without LWBC Harp Attack pedal.WAV

This is a rough cut of an original composition utilizing my favorite instruments: Moog Voyager monophonic analog synth (bass), Hammond organ, and three melodicas. There is also a MIDI drum track that I edited a bit. The first solo is played on a modern Suzuki S-32c soprano melodion; the second solo is played on a Hohner Piano 32 keyboard harmonica; and the third solo is played on a vintage Yamaha Piano 32 Pianica.

BUMB--Original Song Featuring Three Melodicas.WAV

I recorded two takes of a keyboard harmonica solo over a great blues backing track that you can find online by searching on "slow blues backing track."

I was not listening to the first take when I made the second take.

I was not intending to play the tracks back together. But by accident, I started to listen to one of the tracks not realizing both faders were up. When I realized what happened, I continued listening, and it turned out both tracks were complimentary to each other. So, I left them both in the final mix. 

The keyboard harmonica was a Hohner piano HM-32 with medium 3:1 compression and the high-end frequencies rolled way back. I ran the signal through a Vox C10 tube amp and recorded the amp using a stereo mic.

Lowboy Bootay

Melodica Blues 001.WAV

Lowboy Bootay

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