Subject: [Harp-L] Neil Young, Water & Marine Bands (Videos)

[EGS1217@xxxxxxx]

Most interesting, Richard. I read your blog posts faithfully and thoroughly 
 enjoy your own playing, both on harmonica and guitar.
 

Here are a couple of other Neil Young vids I came across in my recent  
explorations. Thought some might enjoy them too. :)
 



Heart of Gold at Carnegie Hall just 3 months ago:
 
http://zumic.com/music-videos/50627/neil-young-live-carnegie-hall-1-6-2014-y
outube-videos/
 
 

and Harvest Moon:
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2MtEsrcTTs
 

not from the same show, obviously.
 
 

Just tossing in (irrelevantly) my own favourite performance of Harvest Moon 
 by Cassandra Wilson which I love to play along with (on chromatic):
 
http://www.whosampled.com/cover/68150/Cassandra-Wilson-Harvest-Moon-Neil-You
ng-Harvest-Moon/
 
 

and a really well-filmed (with great sound) 29 minutes long BBC concert  
from 1971. Neil was only 25-26 here. Well worth it for anyone who's a fan  
(actually, the earlier clip Randy posted with his fumbling with the several  
harps in his pocket is from this concert). Nice to see that clip again  in 
context.
 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWlD7R9VdrM#t=398
 

Enjoy!
 

Elizabeth
 

"Message: 11
Date: Tue, 22 Apr 2014 08:43:47 -0400
From: rrsleigh  <rrsleigh@xxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [Harp-L] Neil Young, Water & Marine  Bands
To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx

Randy - Thank you so much for posting the  link to the Heart of Gold video. 

Gave me goose bumps & took me way  back. I used to do a solo act that 
included this song. I could already play  "fancy" on the harmonica even in a rack 
when I first stated playing out, but  this song sounded ridiculous unless I 
did the simple straightforward approach  that Neil used.

I also used to dunk my marine bands in water all the time  in those days. 
If the harp was brand new, i did not have to, but after a while  most of my 
harps needed the boost that came from the water treatment.

A  few years ago I heard an interesting fact that made me re-visit dunking 
harps in  water. I was told that it was a common practice for someone 
playing the triangle  in a symphony orchestra to put a drop of water in the gap of 
the triangle to  make it sound better. I don't know if this is true, but it 
got me to thinking  about what water does to a harmonica besides making the 
pearwood comb  swell...

First I found an old marine band that was the vintage that Neil  Young used 
in the seventies & put it in a glass of water, knocked out the  excess, 
racked it up and started playing "Heart of Gold". The sound of the harp  seemed 
different than my custom marine bands...

So I tried comparing a  Special 20 dry & then dipped in water...

There is a definite  difference... it plays easier & sounds richer. What's 
going on? Since water  does not make plastic combs any different, my answer 
is that surface tension  makes the water cling to the reeds near the end of 
the slot, increases  compression & also does some x factor to the tone 
quality...

It only  lasts a few minutes, but that is enough time to play the average  
song....

So with the Marine Band, you get this combination of the vented  cover 
plates, the comb swelling a bit, and the water closing up the end of the  slot a 
little, plus changing the vibration somehow....

Almost makes me  want to start soaking my harps again - with a corian comb, 
no worries on  destroying the comb. Might add a nice "wet tone" for some 
numbers... but you  would not want the slots to be embossed real tight.

Check it out - might  give you another thing to add to your bag of tricks

Richard  Sleigh
http://www.rsleigh.com
http://www.hotrodharmonicas.com