The Echo Celeste Tremolo

While I was undecided what chromatic harmonica to replace the Hero, I bought an Hohner Echo Celeste key of C for $16.00, for the purpose of recalling the martial and latin music I used to play in the Butterfly.

Like the Butterfly, the Echo Celeste is a tremolo.  I had no problem handling it, but the technique of tongue tapping the lower holes to produce an accompaniment effect is no longer there, although  I could still play the clear single notes.

Notes chart.  The Echo Celeste has 24 holes and on the top side are engraved the  numbers from 1 to 12, as shown in the image below:

The numbers indicate the position of 12 active slots composed of two holes each, which means the harmonica can produce 24 notes, making it a 3-octave instrument.

Compared to the Hero, the notes chart of the Echo Celeste is almost identical to the notes chart of the Hero with the slider out.  Here is the notes chart of the Echo Celeste:

The playable holes alternate with the blank holes for both upper and lower layer, and only one note can be played in each playable hole.  In other words, any hole in the above picture that has no indicated note is a blank hole.  No note can be played in this hole, whether blow or draw.  This is the same architecture as the "slider out" notes of  the Hero, and in this sense the two harmonicas are practically identical.

I easily got tired of the Echo Celeste because most of the tabbed songs I have compiled could not be played properly because of semitones - i.e., flats and sharps.  As soon as I got my first Hohner Super Chromonica Chromatic 270/48, I decided to hand over the Echo Celeste to my grandson.

In the meantime that my orders have not arrived, I thought of exploring the inside of the Echo Celeste. I unscrewed the cover and the first thing I noticed were the screws that attach the reeds plates to the comb.  The idea that the construction is more advance than the Super Chromonica 270 got into my mind and immediately I got an inkling that perhaps the comb is not wood like the older 270/48 , but synthetic or plastic.  I continued to unscrew the rest and presto, a very modern harmonica comes into view.

Architecture.  Shown below is the diassembled view of the Echo Celeste.

The architecture is solid – plastic comb with thick (1mm) reeds plate, attached to the comb by ten miniature screws that thread to the opposite reeds plate. This design allows complete access to the innermost section of the harmonica and makes cleaning and sanitizing a very easy operation. Compared to the Hero, the Echo Celeste is durable and far superior in construction.

It's been a long time since I played a C tremolo so I tried to do the tongue tapping technique on a medley of Filipino folk music - Doon po sa amin, Leron-leron sinta, Pamulenawen, Magtanim ay di biro, Aten ku pung singsing, Sitsiritsit alibangbang, and Bahay kubo, and this is how the Echo Celeste responded:

Looks like I could still do it, so I thought I must have one really good tremolo and all of a sudden my grandson lost his harmonica.  I will probably buy him a shorter, one-octave chromatic harmonica, which he says he prefers,  for a Christmas gift.