[Harp-L] chromatic/diatonic

[rosco <roscoharp@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hey list,
This subject comes up every few years on this list. It's always interesting
to get everybody's take. I think Richard Hunter made my basic point, but
I'll chime in. I've been using overblow/draws extensively  for 15 or so
years. I get better as I go along. (How much I've been woodshedding at any
time is a huge factor in how my OBs sound.) I am not interested in playing
chromatically in 12 positions. Howard is still the only person I've ever
heard do it well. What I find useful is the added abiltiy to play all the
cool notes in 1rst flat,1rst, 2nd, 3rd; and less often: 4th, 5th and 6th
positions. I find that any timbral differences between the notes have
diminished over the years. Bending the overblow/draws allows me to add
expression and vibrato. I hack my way around chromatic and love it, but my
path has been and will be diatonic. I am able to play all the music I
presently want to on diatonic ONLY because I overblow/draw.

-- 
Later,
Rosco
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