SSCH-56#1 : Exploring the SSCH-56 Suzuki Chord Harmonica

 These times, I'm exploring my SSCH-56 Suzuki Chord Harmonica

SSCH-56 Suzuki Chord Harmonica is a very interesting instrument, kind of hybrid between a chromatic harmonica and a chord harmonica.

It enables you to play major, minor, diminished and augmented chords.

Layout

The harmonica layout is the following :

There are markings on the top of the instrument to identify major chords and minor chords :

I materialized them by the black stripes on the above tablature.

Some chords

For instance, here is C major :

Here is D minor :

Diminished chords are on the second hole of the Major block.

For instance, here is A semi-diminished chord or Am7b5 or AØ :

You might meet this chord on a minor 2 5 1 (or II V I) chord in G.

Augmented chords are on the second hole of the Minor block.

It might seem strange to get this configuration because we could expect the diminished chord to be on the Minor block, and the augmented chord on the Major block : diminished is in fact "very minor" because of the diminished 5th and augmented is "very major" because of the augmented 5th.

Dominant chords blocks

It is due to the Dominant chord layout which defines the global layout of the instrument.

You can  mentally visualize the instrument as a 3,5 blocks instrument, with 3 complete dominant chords and the first two notes of a major chord.

Let's check holes 1 2 3 4, you will get F A C Eb, so F7 by drawing holes 1 2 3 4 :

You'll get G7 with drawing holes 1 2 3 4 in the second block :

Notice you can not play Major Seventh chords on the instrument

48 chords

Totally, you have :

1. 3 dominant chords
2. 3 major chords (actually 1 3 5 notes, but not the tetrad 1 3 5 7)
3. 3 diminished chords
4. 3 augmented chords

which gives 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 = 12 chords. But as you can blow and draw and also use the pusher, you'll get 12 x 2 x 2 = 48 different chords (in all keys).

What about the final half ? It is helpful to terminate the final minor chords because if it were a 12 hole harmonica, you'd only get a two note minor chord on the right part of the instrument (two note chords are named double stop on a diatonic harmonica). 

Note that you have 8 notes at the end of the instrument. You have 56 different notes on the instrument. That's why the instrument is called SSCH-*56*.

Intervals

Finally, let's see the intervals between the notes.

You can notice here that 2 minor thirds separate the notes of a diminished chord, here A dim :

You can notice that 2 major thirds separate the notes of an augmented chord, here Eb Aug :

As you may know, the succession of intervals for a major chord are M3 and m3. For a minor chord, it is the opposite, m3 and M3.

Tetrads (4 note chords)

I find it safer to play 3 note chords on the instrument, except for the dominant chord and the semi-diminished chord.

You can play some "Minor melodic chords" like Cm7M, but it is very rare to see it (on the contrary of Cm6 which is another kind of melodic minor chord) :

The 4 note augmented chord has a major seventh : 1 3 5# 7. Lik,e Cm7M, it is quite rare to see it. It is more frequent to see a diminished seventh on augmented chords (dominant with augmented 5th).

Next time, we'll keep on exploring and appropriating this wonderful instrument, also learn to play some classic jazz changes and standards.

Notice that I am not a suzuki endorser despite I really like the quality of their instruments.

You can my youtube channel and contact me if you want some advice or lessons : https://www.youtube.com/c/baobazz