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- Subject: BHF '94 Report
- From: "JACK ELY"@mrgate.mec.ohio.gov
- Date: Mon, 18 Apr 1994 11:40:00 EDT
- A1-type: DOCUMENT
- Posting-date: Fri, 22 Apr 1994 00:00:00 EDT
Warning! This is a Jack ELy post and it's Looooooong. But HARP-L has been kind of slow the last couple of days anyway. Report on BUCKEYE HARMONICA FESTIVAL '94 Hello harmonica fans, Well it's over, whew! Lots of work - I almost had all the harmonica socializin', playin', plannin', workin', worryin', phone callin', phone call returnin', stickin-my-neck-out-for-big-bucks'n, etc. that I can take. I said almost. It was a gas and if you missed it - well you missed it, kind of. We plan to have audio & video tapes available RSN (real soon now). We have to work out royalty details before we start dubbing tapes. Although BHF is a 2 day festival I got almost a week's worth of harmonica. 4/5/94- Things started early for me and the SHORT HARP SIG. We flew Eddie Gordon in on Tuesday so he could make a special visit to the Tuesday evening meeting. There were eight of us including a visitor from Connecticut (typically 4 - 6 is a good turn out for the Short Harp SIG). Eddie gave us some pointers on playing the special tunings like "country" and "melody" tuning. Also talked and demonstrated how you can make a song sound better - and maybe fit the harp better by playing in 2nd or 3rd position. (Don't ask me to get technical here). I should have recorded this session because I take lousy notes. Question: What can I do when my mouth gets dry when I play. Answer: Try a salt water gargle just before you play. Some carry a little atomizer or spray bottle of salt water and use it between songs. Other Eddie Gordon topics: (Most of the following was compiled by my E-mail buddy and fellow Short Harper, Jeff Boggs, from Dayton, OH). (1) Double stops and other tonguing techniques such as the twiddling (wagging back and forth) of the tongue. His use of double stops, creating two note chords, gave the music character, making it sound distinctively cajun or dixieland or bluesy. Also, the double stop bend fiddle sound was stunning. The latter accomplished by blocking one hole with the tongue and playing the holes on either side (sometimes referred to as fifths) -- and then bending the lower of the two notes - giving the audio illusion that both notes are being bent. (2) He demonstrated an embouchure exercise and a diaphragm exercise. Embouchure: Purse your lips out as far as possible (like reaching for a kiss) and then open your mouth real wide stretching your jaws and facial muscles, putting all the muscle in it that you can. Repeat several times. Strengthens and makes your facial muscles supple - improving your embouchure. Diaphragm: Take a deep breath, let it out. Take another deep breath, let out a very small amount - and then breath in and out real fast, panting like a dog except with you lips pursed. Notice how your lower abdomen, not your chest, moves in and out. (3) He pointed out that playing the harp was the same as singing thru the harp. (meaning you can be as expressive as the human voice - shaping the sounds and applying vibrato, as vocalists use, on the harmonica). (4) He demonstrated circular breathing (which I was not convinced that it is actually what we think it is -- breathing and blowing at the same time). (5) He suggested experimenting with mixing reed plates to get various harps. (I'm working on this one) Also, retuning. (6) He demonstrated that not playing or the space between phrases of notes is important in varying the music and once again giving it character. (Amen). (7) He demonstrated the use of the hands with the harp, pointing out that beginning playing with the hand uncupped and then cupping can be as effective as beginning cupped and then uncupping. 4/6/94- Wednesday we had a similar treat except this time for the chromatic fanatics. Eddie gave us pointers on conducting a good (productive) group practice session. Also gave us some ideas on stage presentation. Rather than individual mics (of varying quality) for 12 or more harmonica players, as we now do, he suggests we put 3 on a mic and invest in some good cardioid mics (i.e., Shure SM58) and get some boom mic stands. He encouraged us to continue using our new found ukulele virtuoso, Mack Tooil. He feels the uke and chord harmonica compliment each other and adds a dimension to our sound. 4/7/94- Thursday was a day of preparation, setting up sound, etc. for the official festival kick off Friday Morning. Thursday evening, local club members enjoyed dinner and an evening of socializing and getting to know our professional entertainers -- "Dinner With the Stars", a BSHC tradition. The evening highlight for me was when Ron Kalina asked me for a lift to a local restaurant (94th Aerosquadron) which is near Port Columbus and is styled after a WW I era French farm house. Ron was invited there to sit in with the Rick Brunetta band for a couple dance sets. Well, to my surprise and delight, the band was a BIG band, 16 pieces plus vocalist, and Ron's harmonica (he's also a studio musician and can cut the charts with the best of them) was an exciting addition - the crowd loved it. Needless to say, I stayed for the show. 4/8/94- Friday officially opened BHF '94 - The Janis Center doors opened at 9:00 A.M. and the coffee pot was on. Morning hours were spent meeting and greeting and jaming in the large multipurpose hall. Registration and sales tables were staffed and F & R Farrell Co. was doing business, he had a crowd around his 16' table the whole feastival, selling harmonicas and related items like they were going out of style. -- meanwhile, final sound system tweeking and some sound checks were going on in the auditorium through lunch hour. At 1:00 P.M. the BHB (Buckeye Harmonica Band) kicked off the open mic sessions and we had wall to wall harmonica music with many groups participating until dinner time. After dinner was our first evening concert featuring Harmonica Chazz (Charlie Henderson from Richland, SC); the Harmonica Junction Quintet (Al & Judy Smith - Akron, Rudy & Doris Michelin, & Bob Forgione - Detroit) 1989 harmonica champion of Ireland, John Murphy; Mo Vint, Canada, did his one man show with self recorded backup; and the Don Les Harmonicats (Don Les, diatonic, Bud Boblink, chord, Frank Robinson, bass). A great 3 hour and 45 minute show. Afterwords a bunch of entertainers and 'groupies' went to Max & Erma's for burgers and conversation. Some interesting points about a couple of the acts: Mo Vint wears an Engineer's suit and rolls out a replica of a steam engine, almost big enough to ride in. The cab containes his various harmonicas, tape machine, mixer and is even rigged with an amp & speakers which he uses on outdoor shows. His act is so popular with resorts, fairs, malls, etc. that he has to turn down work. He travels the USA and Canada year round and says he is busier than he's ever been. He says booking a harmonica act these days is tough so he bills himself as a singer who happens to play harmonica. Mo plays all the harmonica parts on his backup tracks (no pun intended) and does live vocals and harmonica over them. Another act that I really like (I saw them at SPAH in 1993 and decided to see if we could hire them) was originally called the Qwazy Quintet - now known as Harmonica Junction. There was something very nostalgic about seeing five people huddle around one mic - reminiscant of the Borah Minevitch Rascals and later Johnny Puleo's Harmonica Gang playing over one of those old radio mics. Quite a visual effect and a unique sound. 4/9/94- Saturday morning opened with a panel of professionals fielding questions from the audience - this has been a popular seminar format and we use the auditorium so everyone can attend. The two hour session provided plenty of information on all aspects of harmonica playing and show business and was dotted with humor from the panel. I acted as moderator, repeating questions over the PA and directing them to the proper panel member. Near the end of the session I asked the panel to introduce themselves once more and gave them one more question -- "How were you influenced to start harmonica, what are you doing with it now, and will you share a funny or strange show biz related story". This produced some interesting anecdotes. This seminar will be transcribed from tape and published in monthly installments in the Harmonica Dispatch. I may post the transcripts here later for those who don't receive HD. The afternoon was open mic time again. After dinner was our second concert night with Chazz opening the show again with another selection of solos on the 2'chord harmonica. He was followed by Harmonica-Nection (Bob Williams, Val Bachleda & Gordon Mitchell, all of Detroit); the Hot Shots, Al (formerly from San Jose) and Judy Smith, both now residing in Akron - Their highly polished act with their precision choreography and schtik is always a show stopper; The incomparable Eddie Gordon, Fresno, CA, played diatonic, chord, chromatic, harmonetta and Millioniser (harmonica synthesizer) all with astonishing virtuosity. Our MC, Sandy German, Cincinnati, joined Eddie along with Bud Boblink for some impromptu numbers. Few would want to follow that act but our headliner for Saturday, Ron Kalina, Los Angeles, CA, was up to the challenge with his mastery of harmonica and keyboards. Sometimes playing harmonica and keyboard simultaneously - other times showing us more state-of-the-art entertainment by using programmed effects on midi keyboards. He also uses the fairly new Yamaha QY20 very effectively. (The QY20 is an orchestra in a box about the size of a VHS video tape, very powerful. The show ran 1 hr. 15 min. over the scheduled 3 hr. time but no one seemed to mind. After the show a large group again went to Max & Erma's to wind down. +------------------------------------------------------------------------+ + Jack N. Ely, Operations Mgr. Internet: SYS_ELY@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx + + Ohio Department of Education ely.j@xxxxxxxxxxxxx + + Information Management Services BITNET: N/A + + 2151 Carmack Road UUCP: mecsys!ely + + Columbus, Ohio 43221 Voice: (614)466-7000 FAX: (614)466-0022 + + ________________ + +"Have harmonica, will travel." [|OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO|]=<] + + Wire Cat Daddy, Columbus /_________________/ + + Buckeye State Harmonica Club+ +"If Music is the international language, Columbus, Ohio + + then why not the harmonica to speak it?" + +------------------------------------------------------------------------+
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