The octave sound is an iconic tone colour for many types of free-reed instruments – accordions, bandoneons, harmonicas. It’s achieved by having two reeds in the airstream, tuned an octave apart in pitch. This creates a rich sound, full of overtones - and louder than a standard single reed sound.
THREE INNOVATIVE CHROMATIC HARMONICAS
Despite having double the number of reeds of a standard chromatic (96 reeds instead of the usual 48 reeds in a 12-hole size), my new octave chromatic harmonica (the OctaChrom), remains very compact in size. This is achieved by having the two banks of reeds on thin 7mm combs, resulting in an overall size not much thicker than a standard chromatic harmonica. And because both combs are in line vertically, it suits holding with a hand-held microphone for easy amplification.
In association with my X-Reed tech partner André Coelho, we’re combining two legendary Hohner 270 Chromonicas together to create the OctaChrom. Renowned for its excellent tone and response, the Hohner 270 also has the advantage of being available in both regular C range and the Tenor C range, an octave lower. I’ve combined the two to create the OctaChrom, in key of C standard Solo Tuning. Other options are available (please see CUSTOM OPTIONS below).
The OctaChrom plays with an octave tonality all the time. For those players who would like to have their regular single-reed chromatic sound PLUS the rich octave sound available instantly on demand, we have the instrument for you! Check out my radical alternative octave chromatic harmonica design: the OctaChrom Selectable.
CUSTOM OPTIONS by André Coelho
The price on this page is for the standard model X-Reed OctaChrom, in regular Solo Tuning key of C. However if you want extra reed work done (slot embossing), a different key or an alternate tuning, André Coelho can do it! He’s very experienced making chromatic harmonicas with custom setups and non-standard tunings, and is open to whatever ideas you may have to make your OctaChrom unique to you. If you’re interested in specialist customisation, you should contact André to discuss the job, and agree a price and schedule for the extra work between you.
The octave sound is an iconic tone colour for many types of free-reed instruments – accordions, bandoneons, harmonicas. It’s achieved by having two reeds in the airstream, tuned an octave apart in pitch. This creates a rich sound, full of overtones - and louder than a standard single reed sound.
The diatonic octave harmonica has been popular since the 19th century, but no commercial chromatic octave harmonicas have ever been produced by any of the big manufacturers. Now, at last, chromatic harmonica players can power up their sound with the big reedy octave effect. And not just in one model, but two different ones!
THREE INNOVATIVE CHROMATIC HARMONICAS
If you want a chromatic harmonica that plays with an octave tonality all the time, check out my compact new OctaChrom. For those players who would like to have their regular single-reed chromatic sound PLUS the rich octave sound available instantly on demand, I have designed the perfect instrument for you: the OctaChrom Selectable.
As its name implies, this amazing chromatic harmonica can give you two distinct sounds – literally at the press of a button! I’ve combined two legendary Hohner 270 Chromonicas together in series, one in front of the other. Renowned for its excellent tone and response, the Hohner 270 also has the advantage of being available in both regular C range and Tenor C range, an octave lower. In my OctaChrom Selectable, I place the standard high C reeds at the front, and the Tenor C reeds at the rear. Because of their lower pitch, they aren’t affected by the Helmholtz Resonance Coupling phenomenon. This means the instrument plays perfectly in tune throughout the whole range.
In between the high and low sets of reeds I’ve added an air shifting slider. When it’s in the default closed position, the player’s air goes ONLY to the front C chromatic. This plays exactly like a regular chromatic harmonica, allowing all the standard vibrato and bending effects. But when the slider is switched to the open position by slightly moving a small button, suddenly the huge double-reed octave effect kicks in!
This allows the player to vary the sound instantly to enable a wide range of new effects. For example, repeating the same melodic phrase with singe or double reeds, or making chords and double-stops sound much bigger. It’s really exhilarating to have these two completely different tonalities available in the same harmonica.
The OctaChrom Selectable comes in the key of C in standard Solo Tuning. However, alternate tunings are available at an extra cost from my X-Reed tech partner André Coelho (please see CUSTOM OPTIONS below).
CUSTOM OPTIONS by André Coelho
The price on this page is for the standard model X-Reed OctaChrom Selectable, in regular Solo Tuning key of C. However if you want extra reed work done (slot embossing), a different key or an alternate tuning, André Coelho can do it! He’s very experienced making chromatic harmonicas with custom setups and non-standard tunings, and is open to whatever ideas you may have to make your OctaChrom Selectable unique to you. If you’re interested in specialist customisation, you should contact André to discuss the job, and agree a price and schedule for the extra work between you.
The tremolo sound is an iconic tone colour for many types of free-reed instruments – accordions, bandoneons, harmonicas. It’s achieved by having two reeds in the airstream, tuned slightly apart in pitch. This creates a type of undulating sound, a slow pulsing effect caused by the two reeds coming into and out of phase, which is pleasing on the ear.
THREE INNOVATIVE CHROMATIC HARMONICAS
My new design of tremolo chromatic, the TremoloChrom, overcomes the Helmholtz problem by having the two banks of reeds on separate combs one above the other - both of them close to the mouth. This leads to much better response throughout the range, even in the high octave of a standard C chromatic. Because of its thin 7mm combs, the overall size of the TremoloChrom is very compact: not much thicker than a standard chromatic harmonica. And because both combs are in line vertically, it suits holding with a hand-held microphone for easy amplification.
In association with my X-Reed tech partner André Coelho, we’re combining two legendary Hohner 270 Chromonicas together to create the TremoloChrom. Renowned for its excellent tone and response, the Hohner 270 also has the advantage of being available in all 12 key. This means that we can offer the X-Reed TremoloChrom in a wide range of keys in standard Solo Tuning, other options are available (please see CUSTOM OPTIONS below).
CUSTOM OPTIONS by André Coelho
The prices and key options on this page are for the standard model X-Reed TremoloChrom, in regular Solo Tuning. However if you want extra reed work done (slot embossing) or an alternate tuning, André Coelho can do it! He’s very experienced making chromatic harmonicas with custom setups and non-standard tunings, and is open to whatever ideas you may have to make your TremoloChrom unique to you. If you’re interested in specialist customisation, you should contact André to discuss the job, and agree a price and schedule for the extra work between you.