Richter tuning

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Richter tuning is a system of choosing the reeds for a diatonic wind instrument (such as a harmonica or accordion). It is named after Joseph Richter, a Bohemian instrument maker who adopted the tuning for his harmonicas in the early 19th century and is credited with inventing the blow/draw mechanism that allows the harmonica to play different notes when the air is drawn instead of blown.

Richter tuning is designed as a compromise between diatonic melody and harmony. The lower portion of the harmonica is designed to play the tonic and dominant chords on the blow and draw respectively (in the key of C, this would be the C major and G major chords). The remainder of the instrument is tuned to, in this example, blow entirely in the key of C major, with each successive note following the sequence

C E G

and the four notes not in the C major chord arranged on the draw in the sequence

D F A B.

For example:

hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
blow note	G	C	E	G	C	E	G	C	E	G	C	E	G	C	E	G
draw note	B	D	G	B	D	F	A	B	D	F	A	B	D	F	A	B

The above diagram shows that Richter tuning has some missing notes, notably A and F are absent from the lowest octave (draw notes in holes 3 and 4). By comparison, solo tuning includes all the major scale notes (C D E F G A B C) for all octaves.