Janet Lieberman asks about inexpensive starter chromatics.
The Huang Cadet Soloist for $7.95 (Kevin's Spring catalog, add $4.95 for shipping) or $6.75 (Farrell, plus $2.00 shipping) is NOT a chromatic, despite anything you might read. It is a solo tuned diatonic. Here is Richter (regular diatonic) tuning:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ======================================================================= DR | | | | | | | | | | | | D | G | B | D | F | A | B | D | F | A | |------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------| | | | | | | | | | | | BL | C | E | G | C | E | G | C | E | G | C | =======================================================================
Only the middle octave (Holes 4 thru 7) has a complete major scale. Solo tuning merely repeats the tuning of the middle diatonic octave for however many octaves the harmonica has, four holes per octave - 8 for a 2-octave instrument, 12 for 3 octaves, 16 for 4 octaves (as far as anyone has taken it).
The Huang Cadet Soloist is just a 3-octave solo tuned diatonic:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 ========================================================================= DR | | | | | | | | | | | | | | D | F | A | B | D | F | A | B | D | F | A | B | |-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----| | | | | | | | | | | | | | BL | C | E | G | C | C | E | G | C | C | E | G | C | | | | | | | | | =========================================================================
To make a chromatic, you need two of these, one in C and one in Db. The slide mechanism is what keeps the C and the Db harps from sounding at the same time, by blocking off the Db harp with the slide out, and the C harp with the slide in.
The sole purpose of the Cadet is to provide "training wheels" for the basic tuning layout before you graduate to the full chromatic.
The cheapest solo-tuned chromatic you can get in the U.S. is the 2-octave Chrometta 8 ($30 from Farrell, $29 from Kevin, plus the above-mentioned flat rate shipping charges). This has a mellow tone and a comfortable mouthpiece, but also a limited range, and I find that they don't last very well. But the size and weight make them nice pocket chromatics.
Turning to 3-octave instruments of a more durable cast (you can get a 3-octave Chrometta, but I wouldn't recommend it at about $43 when the Huang 1248 is a better value).
You can get a Huang Professional 1248 from Kevin for $49 or Farrell for about $42 (40% off $69.75). These harps are bright and extremely responsive - a little too much for me personally, but you might like them.
The Suzuki Leghorn is the same harp as the Huang 1248, for $47.95 from Kevin (Farrell doesn't carry them).
Herings will run you $52 from Farrell (Kevin doesn;t carry them), and they're a less-expensive substitute for a Hohner 270, which will run you $60 from Farrell, $59 from Kevin.
Of course, you can can also get Richter-tuned "chromatics" - tuned like a diatonic, but with a slide to raise the pitch a semitone. The (Hohner) Koch 980 runs $45 from Kevin, $41.37 from Farrell, while its valved counterpart, the Slide Harp, runs $54 from Kevin, $50.37 from Farrell (decided to pull up my calculator).
If you're really not sure, start with the Chrometta 8. William Clarke plays a Chrometta 12, and he's a fire-breathing blues dragon (I don't know why the thing hasn't melted in his hands).
