Beginning Tremolo by Tony Eyers

In October 2020, I was part of the HarmonicaUK Virtual Festival. I was planning to talk about my Major Cross tuning; however I was asked to do a tremolo seminar instead. Which I did. Likewise, there was a call for tremolo articles for this edition - again I've raised my hand. While I'm mostly a diatonic player, specialising in traditional tunes, I've been playing tremolo since 2008, when I was given one at the Asia Pacific Harmonica Festival. I like the tremolo and have performed and recorded with it. That said, I'm far behind tremolo specialists like Donald Black, the Murphy Brothers, and the scores of astonishing tremolo players BEGINNING TREMOLO I heard at the Asia Pacific Harmonica Festival. However, I do have a perspective these By Tony Eyers players do not: how to approach the tremolo from a 10-hole diatonic background. My HarmonicaUK seminar had this theme, which this article repeats. You could always watch my HarmonicaUK seminar, found via "Tony Eyers Tremolo" on YouTube. Or save the effort and read on. The tremolo is initially daunting to a 10-hole player. Many holes (42 or 48), all so small and close together. Not so bad though. The tremolo is a double reed instrument, meaning that you play two holes (i.e., two reeds) at once, giving the distinct tremolo sound. Hence the two rows of holes each have the same reed set, with each reed pair tuned more or less in unison for the Asian style tremolos which most Irish players use. So, you're actually dealing with only 21 (or 24) holes. Each tremolo hole has a single reed only, either blow or draw, unlike the 10-hole, with two reeds per hole. Hence the 21-hole tremolo has 21 individual reed pairs, very similar to the 10-hole diatonic, with 20 reeds. The similarities go further, greatly easing the transition from 10-hole diatonic to tremolo. The 21-hole and 24-hole tremolos have essentially the same layout, the 24-hole version has an extra note at the bottom and two extra ones at the top. As far as I can tell, the Irish tremolo players mostly use the Tombo Premium 21. Seydel makes a nice 24-hole Asian style tremolo, called the Skydiver, shown here. Most tremolo players grip the instrument with two hands, one at each end. I hold it like a regular diatonic, with both hands cupped around the instrument. Try both methods and use whichever works best. My way looks odd, with this long instrument protruding from the hands. However, a mic can be cupped for live performance. We begin with a scale. Take a 10-hole diatonic and a tremolo in the same key (e.g. C). Play a 4 blow on the 10-hole, then find the

same blow note on the tremolo. This is your starting point. Now play a slow scale on the 10-hole, starting at hole 4, ending at hole 7. Find your previous starting point on the tremolo and try the same scale. It should work. The 7 draw follows the 6 draw on the 10-hole scale,and the same pattern applies for the tremolo. It is common to miss holes with your first tremolo attempts. The feeling is disconcerting, like stepping into empty space. However, repeated attempts should eventually produce the tremolo equivalent of the hole 4 to 7 10-hole scale. With this milestone reached, try a tune. Again we start with the 10-hole diatonic. Pick an easy first position tune. Play it through several times on the 10hole, then find the same starting note on the tremolo and repeat the tune. Go back and forth until you have it, try a simpler melody if your first attempt doesn't work. Even "Mary had a Little Lamb" if need be. Eventually the penny will drop. The moves for first position tunes, at least between holes 4 and 7, are basically the same on the tremolo. With the first tune under your belt, others will follow. Blues players will have less joy with the tremolo, as the double reed setup precludes note bending, hence standard second position moves based on the 2 draw are more or less out. However, the tremolo equivalent of third position has possibilities for blues. To explore this, play a scale starting on a 10-hole 4 draw and ending on the 8 draw, the middle part of the 3rd position blues space. Now find the equivalent tremolo starting point and play the same scale. The layout is the same and can be a base for third position tremolo blues. There is clearly more to this. For details, maybe you should watch my HarmonicaUK seminar on YouTube: https://harmonicatunes.com https://www.youtube.com/user/HarmonicaAcademy