Re: [Harp-L] OB's/Intonation

[Mojo Red <harplicks@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hi gang,

Nice, spirited discussion on the OB and intonation
thing! I can appreciate Cletus' comments, but I
happen to fall more into the Roscoe and Chris camp.

My own opinion (as if anyone really cares), is that
I'd rather hear something played with a lot of
exression and feeling that was hip-deep in the
groove (that might include a few notes that weren't
spot-on intonation-wise), than something played in
perfect intonation that didn't groove. 

Personally, I find some chromatic harmonica music
to get insufferably boring if presented with a
constant, redundant (albeit flawless) pack of scale
runs, despite perfectly intoned pitch. Some of that
stuff just makes me feel nauseated, like I'm
sitting in a dentist's chair waiting to get
drilled. Yeesh!

Conversely, some diatonic stuff I hear using tons
of OBs, though technically waaaay beyond me, sounds
forced, contrived and musically ill-advised. Again,
the dentist's chair.

Let's put it this way. I don't profess to like
~everything~ Howard plays (or Chris or Roscoe or
any of the current OB diatonic masters) because
it's ingeniously played on a diatonic. I like a
great deal of it... because it swings, it has deep
groove or it manages to ~move~ me in some way. 

Conversely, I don't ~hate~ every thing that Toots
or Randy or Bonfiglio or any of the chromatic
masters play, just because it's played on a
chromatic harp. The stuff I like swings, has deep
groove or manages to ~move~ me in some way.

Okay. There's my opinion.
Intonation-Schmintonation.

Harpin' in Colorado,
--Ken M.


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