[Harp-L] future harmonicas and all that



Sergei Volkov (any relation to Nikolai? :) wrote:

"In order to gain widespread popularity and recognition,
the harmonica must tap into popular music. And popular
music is, essentially, 90% major pentatonic."

Um, sure. One problem, popular music today doesn't celebrate the instrumentalist in any way shape or form. Maybe in the 60's, 70's and 80's, but since at least the mid-90's it's been all about presenting a lead singer in a good way, and whether they use samples, synths, guitars or whatever seems to matter very little to the pop audience. Name a current, major-market act who is thought of primarily as an instrumentalist. I can't. Take John Mayer, he tries to put the focus on his guitar playing, but the emphasis is on his singing. The same is true for Norah Jones, Alicia Keys and their piano playing--it's there, but as an add-on to their singing (sort of in a Nat King Cole way). So, you may occassionally get a Taylor Hicks or John Popper, but the harmonica is an afterthought, sort of an affectation as far as the pop audience goes--I'm sure this annoys the performers mentioned, but it's been that way for a while (Cole wanted to be thought of as a pianist first, but most people view him as a singer first, who just happened to play piano).

The days of Clapton, Page and other instrumentalists as major stars are dead, or at least have been dormant for the last decade plus. And the harmonica, being a rather limited instrument (compared to say, guitar or most keyboards) in terms of how it sits in the mix was never likely to take a leading role even back then and to be just an add-on.

Indeed, it's easy from talking to harp players to get the impression that the harmonica is bigger than reality even in genres like the blues. There, the harmonica is an occasional instrument, and not as central to the musical form as guitars, drums or bass over the last fifty or more years. As for jazz, well, the harmonica is completely and utterly unimportant and unused in the genre, essentially. Basically, there's Toots and that's it--Jazz fans and the jazz public seem basically to have reached a glut in the supply side of things with one harmonica player, and no more need apply.

Now, as for popularity of the instrument, people like the harmonica. That's why so many film scores, advertisements and the like use it. But it will never be widely used in pop music, or really central to any musical style (other than harmonica trios, of course), and it's not because of the tuning used or anything else--it's just because the instrument has a very distinctive sound as well as a set of things it can and can't do well which doesn't lead to all-around usage the way guitars or pianos do (and this is true for both diatonics and chromatics). And there's nothing wrong with that. Popularity is over-rated, especially now that the internet allows everyone to congregate with their fellow obsessives and we aren't all alone in the wilderness.

Segei again:

"What do you think about the 3 blow tuned up one step?
It completes the scale, and gives an additional chord."

Which gives you the Melody Maker tuning (the discussion already mentioned raising the 5 and 9 draws a half-step). I've never really gotten used to it myself, but as I use both the Paddy Richter (which has the raised blow 3) and the Country tuning (with the raised 5 draw), I'll say that they have their pluses and minuses. That extra chord (or chord fragment) is nice, but not if you want the major tonic in the low octave to really drive home trains and other rhythm backing sounds with clarity. Similarly, the more major chord by raising the 5 blow also takes away from the nicely minor chord which fits so well with playing in either of the first three positions. Alternate tunings are best thought of as a trade-off: for everything you get, you loose something. Actually, that's true of all tunings, including the standard German Major diatonic tuning, just since it is the default standard it's easy to overlook what those trade-offs are, and easier to notice them on other tunings. But, no tuning should be seen as an either/or, rather alternate tunings are best thought of as a both/and situation: use whatever works whenever you need it. IMO, of course.

This is Winslow responding to Sergei:

"> On the Richter version to be precise.

I think you mean German Major. Richter is a type of construction"

Woo-hoo:) Finally I see a term I invented purely for harp-l and purely out of my obsessive precision and name-giving taking root. I do tend to go for "German Major diatonic" myself, but "German Major" does have a shorter and more concise ring to it.

"Overbend" never took hold because, while in some ways being more accurate, it's just a horrible sounding word and doesn't have the same aural feeling as "overblow", despite the latter's lack of accuracy.




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







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