Tremolo harmonica
Tremolo harmonica are a type of harmonicas that are characterized by two reeds per note. In the tremolo harmonica, the two reeds are tuned slightly shifted so that one sounds slightly higher and the other slightly lower than the target note. This creates a special wavy or warbling tone, which is produced by the two reeds that are not exactly the same and the resulting waveforms of the sound waves. The speed of the tremolo can vary from model to model depending on the desired effect. Instruments in which the “hitting” is faster due to the greater frequency difference between the individual reeds and the target note are called “wet”, while those with which the hitting is slower and less noticeable are called “dry”.
The tonal variation of the tremolo harmonica is not an actual tremolo . “Tremolo” is often defined as a periodic change in volume, while the tremolo harmonica exhibits something completely different, namely a beat . This effect is well known in western reed instruments and is used under various names (celeste, vox jubilante etc.) on accordions , harmonies and reed organs.
Tremolo harmonica are probably the most common form of harmonica. It is widely used in folk music as well as in many parts of East Asia. In the West it is widely used in traditional folk music, both in Europe and in South America . In China , Japan , Korea , Taiwan and other parts of Asia, however, the tremolo harmonica is used in almost every form of music, from folk music to classical music - in fact, accordions that are especially suitable for ensembles are made. Players often use several different harmonicas at the same time by holding them on top of each other in order to be able to play notes and chords that would not be present on any of the individual instruments.
Most of the harmonicas are based on the so-called Viennese system , which is named after the city of Vienna , where such harmonicas first appeared. In this design, the two striking tongues are distributed over two tongue plates (an upper and a lower one) and are blown on via a common cockpit. In practice, however, each tongue has a separate cell. In contrast to the diatonic harmonica, which is built according to the Richter system, the slide and jacks do not have a common pulpit. This enables the player to play one tongue in isolation, while normally the player is blowing both tremolo tongues together; This creates the possibility for different types of bends and other effects, which are only made possible by selecting individual tongues and not others. It is also possible to play without the tremolo effect by only playing the top or bottom row of tongues while the other row is kept closed with your lips. In fact, this is actually mainly used for effects, and the instrument is mostly played as if the two tremolo reeds had a common cockpit.