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Topic: The E-harp |
Stanford Lane
From:
Oklahoma, USA
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Posted 21 Nov 2005 10:14 am |
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| I have very recently become interested in learning about the E-harp. The research that I have done on the Forum has made me even more interested. I sent out a couple of E-mails regarding my desire to locate people and places that I can go to learn more about this instrument and tuning. If any of you have any advice on where I can go to get instructional material, tab and recordings, I would be grateful. |
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Rick Alexander
From:
Florida, USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 21 Nov 2005 12:16 pm
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Hi Stanford,
Ed Alkire Jr. has all the stuff you need to get started - strings, instructional material, charts & CDs. He's a very nice helpful gentleman.
Elbern H. Alkire, Jr.
2763 Brunner Road
Emmaus, PA 18049
U.S.A.
home phone: 610-967-3391
cell phone: 610-393-7558
alkire@nni.com
Also forumites Roy Thomson and Maurie Junod have some excellent material for the tuning.
And the grand lady of the Alkire tuning is Mae Lang. Her husband (& rhythm guitarist) Art has created some insightful charts & diagrams for the tuning, and they also have tapes of their performances. Their playing is well worth listening to.
Art & Mae Lang
8601 Carriage Hill
Shelby Twsp. MI 48317-1411
musiceharp@aol.com
These are all wonderful and talented people.
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Stanford Lane
From:
Oklahoma, USA
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Posted 21 Nov 2005 12:51 pm
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Hi Rick,
You-da-man! I will send out E-mails immediately. Again thanks. |
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Stanford Lane
From:
Oklahoma, USA
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Posted 21 Nov 2005 12:55 pm
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| Are there any thoughts on whether my Carter D-10 will do the job for the E-harp tuning or do I need a steel with wider string spacing? Also, how long should the neck be? |
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George Keoki Lake
From:
Edmonton, AB., Canada
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Posted 21 Nov 2005 3:33 pm
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If I am correct, Graham Griffith has mastered the E-HARP...He lives "down-under" in Aussie-land. He's a fine musician and a very nice chap. I'm sure that were you to e-mail him, ( hoola@hotkey.net.au ) he would be willing to shed some light on the instrument for you.
Sadly, probably the finest E-Harp player, Claude Brownell passed away a few years ago. In my humble opinion, I felt Claude actually surpassed the creator of the E-Harp, (Eddie Alkire), on the instrument.  [This message was edited by George Keoki Lake on 21 November 2005 at 03:34 PM.] |
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HowardR
From:
N.Y.C.-Fire Island-Asheville
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Posted 21 Nov 2005 5:08 pm
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A wonderful swinging player of the E-Harp indeed. Also a warm personable gentleman with a good sense of humor. Sadly missed indeed.[This message was edited by HowardR on 21 November 2005 at 05:08 PM.] |
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Rick Alexander
From:
Florida, USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 22 Nov 2005 9:36 am
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It seems that Eharp players are all really nice people. I've never met one that wasn't.
And they all pretty much agree that Claude Brownell was the best. Mae Lang told me that he tuned his guitar down a whole step from the standard Alkire tuning.
This Eharp has a 23" scale. The strings are spaced 3/8" at the bridge tapering to 5/16" at the nut.
This is a 1959 Valco made Eharp.
But since the Alkire system tends to avoid slants, it probably doesn't matter too much - whatever configuration you're used to is probably going to work okay for you.
RA |
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Stanford Lane
From:
Oklahoma, USA
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Posted 23 Nov 2005 7:04 am
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I have read alot about Mr. Brownell lately, It saddens me that I was unable to meet him. Rick, I'm thinking that you are right when you said that all E-harp players are nice. That's why I believe that I will become a virtuoso over night. This discussion has given me so much more insight than I would have had otherwise.
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Willis Vanderberg
From:
Petoskey Mi
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Posted 3 Dec 2005 5:26 pm
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Hey Stanford;
Wellcome to the E-Harp club.I presently have a standard E 9th chromatic tuning on mine but will go back to the original Alkire tuning shortly.
I think they have a very unusal tone.
Having played through a lot of different amps it always sounds good to me. |
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Roy Thomson
From:
Wolfville, Nova Scotia,Canada
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Posted 3 Dec 2005 6:33 pm
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From time to time I play with the Alkire tuning but I do not know the luxury of owning an Eharp. I use the back neck of my Carter which has a 3" string span at the pick up whereas the Eharps have a span of 3 1/2".
I find that pretty wide for my liking. Please correct me if I am wrong.
The tuning is great for chordal playing
and I have done several solo arrangements
using it,,, the undernoted is a link to a seasonal song I recorded. All my best to the lovers of this great set up.
Please email me if you have a problem with the link and I will email you the MP3. Download time is a minute or so?
roythomson@eastlink.ca http://freefilehosting.net/?id=qdHwkq3f |
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Rick Alexander
From:
Florida, USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 3 Dec 2005 7:41 pm
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Roy, it's a 3 3/8" string span at the pickup - at least it is on mine.
It is wide, but you get that "familiar" string spacing . .
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| That's why I believe that I will become a virtuoso over night |
Stanford, that was over a week ago. Your playing must be absolutely unbelievable by now! |
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Stanford Lane
From:
Oklahoma, USA
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Posted 3 Dec 2005 7:54 pm
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Well!!! This week I broke down and bought a National E-harp from Gruhn Guitars. I look forward to its arrival.
Hey Roy, thanks for the imput on this and the Leavitt tuning. If you have any suggestions for using the Leavitt tuning on this E-harp or my 12 string let me know. |
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Dave Van Allen
From:
Doylestown, PA , US , Earth
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Posted 3 Dec 2005 11:13 pm
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About 10 years ago I found my E-Harp at a guitar show... an Epiphone made one...
a couple years later I had the adventure described at this link
http://dvanet.net/alkire.html
I have not followed up on the tuning as I expected at the time, but I have something to look forward to in my retirement... |
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Stanford Lane
From:
Oklahoma, USA
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Posted 12 Dec 2005 9:22 am
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| I received the National E-harp that I purchased from Gruhn's. I played a Christmas show with it on Saturday. It is great. The string spacing is the same as my National D-8. Having an additional two strings makes melody playing really easy. Now I can start focusing on the Alkire tuning. |
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HowardR
From:
N.Y.C.-Fire Island-Asheville
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Posted 12 Dec 2005 9:42 am
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| Quote: |
| Claude Brownell was the best. Mae Lang told me that he tuned his guitar down a whole step from the standard Alkire tuning. |
That's because he had a 30" scale! No shortage of sustain there.
Claude Brownell had a custom made 10 string non pedal steel made for him by the late Freeman Cowgar of the defunct Cougar Steel Guitars. Freeman was a nice gentleman also. |
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