Re: [Harp-L] Cajun Harp? (and accordion)



Playing in octaves on an octave harp will create the same 4-voice reed
voicing as the standard, 4-stop Cajun accordion, which has one set of low,
or bassoon reeds, two sets of middle, or clarinet reeds and one set of high,
or piccolo reeds.  This is the harp I use most for Irish, Old Time and the
odd Cajun tune, as it's loud and familiar to those more used to listening to
accordions than harmonicas.
The Cajun accordion, known here in Ireland as the melodion, has as long a
tradition in Ireland as it has in Louisiana, though largely replaced by the
2-row button accordion.  Johnny Connolly, with whom I used to play for
ceilis in the '80s, is perhaps the best known melodion player here today.
 Cajun music is actually quite popular in Ireland, especially in Connemara,
where Cajun-style songs in the Irish language are often played.

Best regards,
Rick

On Tue, Sep 15, 2009 at 4:00 AM, <harp-l-request@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

>
> Message: 9
> Date: Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:16:57 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Cajun Harp? (and accordion)
> To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
> Message-ID: <909175.40927.qm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
>
> fjm -
>
> No, you didn't misread my post. I'm surprised that Jerry views his
> harmonica style as emulating an accordion. It doesn't sound that way at all
> to me, and he never mentioned it to me during the times we've stayed up late
> talking about music.
>
> Yes, it is possible to use a diatonic harmonica to imitate the note and
> chord patterns of a diatonic accordion; I thought I amde that quite clear.
> It's just the sound of the multiple reed banks that the harmonica can't
> match.
>
> Winslow
>
> Winslow Yerxa
>
> Author, Harmonica For Dummies ISBN 978-0-470-33729-5
>
> --- On Sat, 9/12/09, fjm <bad_hat@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> From: fjm <bad_hat@xxxxxxxx>
> Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Cajun Harp? (and accordion)
> To: "h-l" <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Date: Saturday, September 12, 2009, 7:55 AM
>
> Winslow writes:
> > Cajun harp is a very specific harmonica style that does not try to sound
> like an accordion
>
> > The three best representatives of the pure Acadian style are Jerry
> Devillier, Isom Fontenot, and Arteleus Mistric.
>
> This confuses me.  Perhaps I've misread it?  Jerry Devillier is all about
> playing the accordion parts on a harmonica.  At least that's what I took
> away from his teach in session at SPAH.  He was using a boom box and a CD
> and playing the accordion parts off of the CD and then playing either note
> for note along with the part or stopping the recording and playing the
> accordion part.  Cajun Fais Do Do on Arhooolie has a couple of the Isom
> Fontenot cuts on it.  I sure wish Jerry's stuff was documented.  If the
> point is it is not technically possible to play exactly the way a diatonic
> accordion does then I understand.  No it isn't but you sure can do a good
> job of faking it if you're Jerry Devillier.  fjm
> _______________________________________________
> Harp-L is sponsored by SPAH, http://www.spah.org
> Harp-L@xxxxxxxxxx
> http://harp-l.org/mailman/listinfo/harp-l
>
>
>
>
>



This archive was generated by a fusion of Pipermail 0.09 (Mailman edition) and MHonArc 2.6.8.