Seydel NONSLIDER Chromatic DE LUXE STEEL Harmonica - Orchestra Tuning

Is there a chromatic harmonica ... 

... with direct tone response like a Blues Harmonica?

... that works WITHOUT slider and WITHOUT valves*?

... on which techniques like bending or overblow are playable?

The answer is YES. We name it the NONSLIDER Chromatic DE LUXE STEEL. The instrument is equipped with a newly designed mouthpiece that opens up many new possibilities for the players to play chromatically, no matter if they have played chromatic harmonica or diatonic blues harmonica before!

The NONSLIDER Chromatic is a very reliable instrument that is virtually maintenance free. 48 tuning stable, stainless steel reeds guarantee a great sound and a long playing pleasure. Furthermore, stuck valves or a jammed slider are things of the past.

* Please note: In order to achieve an optimal tone responses, the reeds of the LC, LD and LF variants, as well as the C 'Orchestra tuning' are equipped with valves (full and/or half-valving). Bending of certain half-valved notes is still possible - all valved blow notes can additionally be bent down in pitch. Overblows are not playable if the reeds are valved.

How does the NONSLIDER Chromatic principle work?

With the help of the newly developed double-row mouthpiece, the semitones are reached simply by tilting the instrument. A slight angling down or up is sufficient to reach all chromatic notes by directly playing the corresponding holes on the respective row.

The notes on the lower row of holes are the same like in the "slide-pressed position" on standard chromatic harmonicas. The instrument is tilted down or up, or the player changes the position of his lips (pointed-mouth technique/lip-pursing) to reach the right notes.

"Tilting" the instrument to reach all semitones - just holes - no slider!

After a little bit of practicing-time, playing comes quite intuitively and automatically, even for players who have been using a slider for years.

What is the tone structure of the NONSLIDER Chromatic?

The NONSLIDER Chromatic is built in the common solo tuning and is equipped with SEYDEL's durable stainless steel reeds. In addition, since the tone slider is no longer needed, the instrument is extremely airtight and allows very dynamic playing.

What new playing options does the NONSLIDER Chromatic offer?

The NONSLIDER Chromatic opens up great new playing options, which you have been looking for unsuccessfull so far with chromatic harmonicas so far! The valves typical for chromatic harmonicas have been removed completely. This makes techniques playable that are otherwise only known from the Blues Harmonica*.

* Please note: In order to achieve an optimal tone response, the draw notes of keys LC, LD and LF, as well as the C variant in 'Orchestra tuning' are equipped with valves (internal valves = half-valving). This improves the response of the blow notes and preserves the bending-function of certain draw notes, plus all the half-valved blow notes can additionally be bent down (overblows are not playable then).

Tone Table: NONSLIDER Chromatic - solo tuning in C/C#, as with a chromatic, but optionally with many additional achievable bending and overblow tones:

Bending tones and overblows work just as well as on the Blues Harmonica: These alternatively playable tones considerably expand the tonal color of the instrument and thus the possibilities of the player's musical expression. Many of the tones can be produced in different ways.*

* Please note: In order to achieve an optimal tone responses, the reeds of the LC, LD and LF variants, as well as the C 'Orchestra tuning' are equipped with valves (full and/or half-valving). Bending of certain half-valved notes is still possible - all valved blow notes can additionally be bent down in pitch. Overblows are not playable if the reeds are valved.

Technical data:

• innovative CNC milled double row halfmoon-shaped mouthpiece with 2 x 12 round holes (replaces the slider pack)
• maintenance free and air tight: low air consumption and very dynamic playing
• full, loud sound and fast direct tone response 
• stainless steel reeds (48 pcs.): durability and tuning stability even under heavy use
• solo tuning in C: the 12x2 channels correspond to three full octaves of standard chromatic instruments
• equal temperament, concert pitch a' = 443 Hz (pitch drops slightly if played with a certain pressure)
• very airtight construction (without slider)
• no valves in the keys of G, A, Bb, C and D: absolutely insensitive to moisture
• LC, LD, LF and C orchestra are valved for better tonal response, enhanced blow-bending functionality
• tolerance-optimized reed plates made of German silver yield excellent flatness 
• corrosion-free stainless steel cover plates
• robust, high-precision CNC milled comb made of acrylic glass with optimized cells for ideal tone response; semi-transparent orange
• together with a suited harmonica holder the NONSLIDER Chromatic can be played handsfree (please refer to the tips section above)

Please note: all  parts of the NONSLIDER Chromatic are made from anti-corrosive materials.