[Harp-L] Sam Hinton

[Jonathan Ross <jross38@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I finally got around to downloading Sam Hinton's latest CD to my  
iPod: "Sam Hinton: Master of the Solo Diatonic Harmonica".  The fact  
that there are over 120 songs which needed their names written down  
and all was the only reason I hadn't done it sooner.

To say that Sam Hinton is an amazing player is a massive  
understatement.  Few people in history have had the control of a  
harmonica he has.  The ability to play bass, chords and melody at  
once is something which people talk about in regards to the  
harmonica, but few do.  Most self-accompanied harmonica is just  
chords and melody--a daunting enough task to say the least.  But  
Hinton adds a layer I'd not encountered before: all three at once.  I  
really have no idea how he does it.  Well, I do, but it's stunningly  
hard.

Of the many reasons to buy this double-CD set, not the least is the  
extensive liner notes--to say that they are exacting would be an  
understatement.  The key of the instrument is given for each song as  
well as the type of instrument (when a minor diatonic is used, it's  
noted).  This makes attempting to learn from the CD (which is almost  
set-up as an instructional, with Hinton introducing each song--but in  
no ways academic in the bad sense) much simpler.  Of course, I say  
attempting because what he plays is very, very difficult.  Nothing  
radically new or innovative in terms of the common techniques  
mentioned (no overblows, relatively few bends) but convincing  
yourself that your tongue can in fact do what he's doing is not at  
all easy.  I sometimes think we get focused on the new and forget  
that some of the older techniques are every bit as hard to master.  I  
just imagine what would happen if someone were to mix these  
techniques of self-accompanied tongue-blocking (chord, bass, melody  
at once) with the more recent inventions of overblows, more extensive  
bends (relatively more recent than Hinton's style, which lies at the  
root of the instrument) and electronic effects--I have a feeling  
that's something I'd be very interested in hearing.

Now back to looking at the patents for the Pipe Harmonica or  
Calliomonica and try and figure out if I can actually make it.  I'd  
love to have one of the prototypes Hinton has so I could copy it, but  
alas, I bet he keeps those things under tight lock and key--I know I  
would.  I know how to make a flue pipe work on the draw (blow, of  
course, is easy: see the recorder, pipe organ, etc...), but this  
particular design is more than a bit tricky to figure out.

Oh, in case anyone has ever wondered how to play the Chordomonica:  
buy this CD.  The chord-melody approach works brilliantly with the  
instrument.  I knew that from when Paul Davies (a great traditional  
self-accompany style player in his own right--if you're at SPAH or  
Buckeye, get him to play some stuff on the Vineta for you--amazing  
stuff) played one for me, but I've not heard it on CD before, and it  
really shines here.

For the CD, go here:

http://www.samhinton.org/






 ()()    JR "Bulldogge" Ross
()  ()   & Snuffy, too:)
`----'