Re: Valves/Windsaversand serious music

[Mike Curtis <wd6ehr@xxxxxxxxxx>]

> I'm not trying to start a religious jihaad.  You just pushed my button
> claiming that "serious" music can only be played on a diatonic if it's
> valved (or words to that effect).

I didn't take it as thus.  You're an honest man, and speak what you feel 
is truthful.  I couldn't ask for more than that.

I used "quotes", meaning that some people define it thusly.  I love blues 
and diatonic harp, and don't speak badly of it.  One does not require all 
notes to make incredible music.  Witness SBWI/II, the Walters, and at 
least three others :-)

> Color me stupid, but if I want a valved harp with a fully chromatic range to
> play "serious" music on, I grab a chromatic.  Just blow, suck and twiddle
> the button - no icky bending to worry about.

I agree, so color me likewise ;-) Problem is - I play in a rack, ergo "No
hands, Ma!"  But I love jazz and chromaticity.  I also love good quality
sound, and want to sound at least as good as someone using a handheld mic. 
To this end, I've spent a lot of time and money devising what I have
today.  I have seriously looked into a foot pedal controlled slide
mechanism for chromatic, but bought a set of bass pedals before I could
pursue it any further. 

When I heard about valved harps a couple years back, I bought one.  I
think it was the electric bill that bit the dust for that one :-)

> To me the whole point of a diatonic is the ability to be slick and
> chromatic, or honk and wail like a bad dog.  I've yet to hear any valved
> diatonic playing that cuts my heart out or turns my knees to water just from
> the sheer tone of it.

Variety of sound is also very important to me.  I use harp on EVERY tune I
do;  tend to keep engagements months or years at a time (ergo I can't play
the same three songs nightly :-) (I've been playing at Perqs for better
than a year now on tuesday nights - and they just gave me Sunday
afternoons as well - a great time slot for a beach resort in spring and
summer - but they have a different band each night the rest of the time); 
play many diverse styles; and most importantly, get bored with just one
"sound".  From the most primitive to the most polished and refined, I want
to be able to do them all, and want them all to sound professional and
entertaining. 

If I weren't getting the sound from the valved harp, it would be simple 
to switch to an unvalved harp.  And when first learning on the valved, 
this is exactly what I did.  But once I had mastered the nuances of 
valved harps, I had no need to switch harps based on valves.

> Maybe not enough people have invested the time in them, but my gut feeling
> is that the valves change the characteristics of the instrument and take
> away that raw, bleeding edge when you need it. 

Actually, there are some things I'd define as the "Raw, bleeding edge" 
that I can do only on valved harps.  Of course, it may be that we see 
"blood" differently :-)


 -- mike