[Harp-L] Equal Temperament

["John F. Potts" <hvyj@xxxxxxx>]

Per David Fairweather:

All it takes is a bullet mic, a distortable amp and somebody who  
knows what they're doing and ANYBODY can hear the difference.....

So even if your a master of advanced position play,  why wouldn't you  
also carry a Just Intoned harp in your bag for times when the music  
calls for it?   If you're sitting in with a classic blues band at a  
biker bar and the band breaks into "Born in Chicago", is that really  
the situation when want to show off your 12th position chops on an  
Equal Termperament harp?

Per Chris "Hammer" Smith:

Well, the minor blues scale calls for a significantly lowered b3rd   
b5th , and b7th so ( EG, in 2nd pos. on C harp, key of G I play 3rd  
hole draw half step bend Bb @ 432 cents).Playing at normal concert A  
440 pitches won't sound "ballzy". This is why the Marine Band has  
been the blues harp of choice for so long.

Gentleman:

Well, taking fjm's suggestion that i "work my own program", this is  
how I approach the situations you guys describe and why:  First of  
all, personally, I don't use a bullet mic.  For this kind of music  
(Chicago blues) I use a 545 Ultimate and when I want dirt, I tight  
cup the mic and hold the face of the harp in close proximity of the  
grill of the mic and I get a more than adequate amount of ballsy,  
gritty distortion if and when i want it.  Also, my harps are tuned to  
A442 and i have no problems with intonation.  The  pitch tends to  
flatten a little under breath pressure as the harp is played, even w/ 
o deliberate bends.

Playing major key blues, you may want a "blue" third (quarter tone  
bend) a true minor third, a flatter than true minor third or  
sometimes a major third.  Same variations for the bends on the flat  
fifth.  Sevenths are generally  played a true half step flat or  
flatter than that.  No problem--I BEND for these blue note variations  
as needed. And it's easier for me to bend to the pitch i want using  
an ET harp in SECOND position because I'm starting with a draw note  
at true concert pitch, not one that's raised or lowered several  
cents. So, since i have an accurate starting point, i can put the  
bend at the pitch i want it to be at accurately--or not so accurately  
as the case may be, since a certain imprecision is part of the  
aesthetic of Chicago blues.

I play plenty of down and dirty Chicago style blues in SECOND  
position, and have regularly played with authentic blues players who  
are usually black, often originally from the deep South (U.S.), and I  
seem to consistently do just fine w/my ET harps.  The comment i  
usually get from these guys is something like "Boy, i ain't never  
heard nobody play blues like that--you got your own style."  But no  
one has ever complained that what i play is not blues nor do i ever  
hear that I don't "play right" which is the term generally used by  
these guys for someone who doesn't play authentic blues.  i function  
effectively in a deep blues environment w/ my ET harps, because I  
DON'T PLAY CHORDS.  I may play some split interval double stops in  
lieu of chords and which actually have a very full and big sound.  i  
know some players claim these split intervals sound "rough" on an ET  
harp, but that has not been my experience.  Now, i primarily LP, but  
when i move to TB for split intervals, i shift the face (holes) of  
the harp deeper into my mouth past my teeth which fattens and deepens  
the tone somewhat and probably smoothes out the sound.

So,  if i'm playing with some authentic blues players who want to do  
"Can't Lose What You Never Had" "Got My Mojo Working" "Sweet Home  
Chicago" "Walkin' by Myself" or similar material (I've never actually  
heard an all black blues band call "Born in Chicago" to be played on  
stage, but if you have, i'll take your word for it), I'll play my ET  
harps in second position, bend living hell out of them, avoid playing  
chords, and fit right in. And if they want to play some Otis Rush  
minor blues (which are in a NATURAL minor key), I'll play Fifth  
Position for that--on my ET harps, of course--which works perfectly.

I'm not claiming that this is the only way to do it by any means.   
But this how i do it and this is why i don't carry anything but ET  
harps to use for playing down and dirty electric blues in SECOND  
position.

FWIW,

JP