Re: Echo model

[G.Jackson@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

> 
> Recently obtained a Hohner ECHO 54 (16 hole), key of C-G. 
> Produces a unique & very pleasing sound.  Hohner provides scant
> info pertaining to this model, a layout of notes is about all,
> as far as I've seen.  Wonder if anyone is willing/able to provide
> some insight and/or pointers about learning to play the Echo,
> along with the appropriate types of songs, and possibly any
> relevant literature.  Have heard Mickey Raphael play one, both on
> record & in person, adds an interesting dimension to the music. 
> 
> If this has been discussed prior on HARP-L, I missed the boat. 
> Input would be helpful & most appreciated!
> 
> olson%kinesiology@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> 

I don't know much about the ECHO, which is a tremolo tuned instrument,
but I have an East Germany Bandmaster which I will talk about in a bit
in relation to your query.

I use the tremolo tuned ones for dance music. Which is I belive what
they were intended to be used for when they were created.

I play English (morris) dance music, Celtic, Northumbrian dance and folk
music on my Bandmaster.

If you want to here a tremolo  being played in Northumbrian folk music
at  it's very best, try and get hold of any recordings of The Shepherds
(Trad. Northumbrian dance music).  Or Jez Lowe and the Bad Pennies.
(Trad. and contemp. folk music). 

For Irish music, I have a cassette at home called "LARK IN THE CLEAR AIR"
(I think)! It's  described on the cover as music for small instruments.
Some tracks are better played than others.

There are others ,but I can not bring them to mind just now.

The Shepherds are all retired Northumbrian shepherds. They also stopped
performing as the Shepherds last year, as they are not getting any
younger. Will Atkinson plays Honer tremolos and he is now 81 or 82 years
old! The other two instuments are Northumbrian Pipes and fiddle (violin
to some of you, but fiddle to the rest of us :-).

They did in fact perform together last August at the annual Whitby Folk
Festival (Yorkshire, U.K.) but I seemed to be a special event as they
were not billed as the Shepherds, just under there indivual names.

BANDMASTER REVEIW (SORT OF). 
Will and Brendan Power gave a mouth organ workshop at Whitby, which I
was lucky enough to attend. 

Will was really impressed with my Bandmaster. Especially as it costs
about 16 U.K. pounds rather than the Honer Echo's 35 to 40 U.K pounds.

It is a three octave, double sided C/G, they are East German. Well it
used to be East Germany anyway!

It is a very loud beast (usefull outdoors and in a band) and is not as 
"wet" a sound as some of the Honer ones. (The two reeds are not detuned
just as much).

Having said that,my F Golden Melody does not have a very wet sound, in
fact it is lovely. My Honer Band Harp  on the other hand is so detuned
it sounds awful, out of tune almost, if I play slow airs on it. 

The Bandmaster is extremely robust and best of all, it is tuned like a
chromatic, so you get the full range of three octaves. For Irish music,
this is considered by many as being one of the most important features.

I only wish they made a D/G tuned one as well, as most folk/morris is
played on D/G instruments.

For the sake of completion and before some else tells me, Irish music
and slow airs are often played on a chromatic (as Brendan Power does),
and some folk is very nice on a diatonic like a special 20 or a Pro
harp.

PLAYING TECHNIQUES.
Well, really just a few little thoughts on the matter.

If a person starts to play with a tremolo first, there can be the
problem of always playing more than one note at once. I mean ajacent
notes here, as you always play two notes at once with a tremolo.
This tends to happen a lot, and some people seem to play them like 
that all the time, a bit like playing in chords in fact.
This is mainly due to the "full, massed accordion band" type of sound 
that this instument possesses. This full sound can confuse some folk in
that they play two or more ajacent notes and is sounds O.K.
I know, because I was one of them, and only playing a standard single 
reed diatonic mouth organ showed me the error.!

Music to play on a Tremolo.
As I said, dance and folk are suitable. Dance music of the sort
mentioned above is very rhythmic by nature, and instruments like the
Anglo Concertina, Button Key Melodion and Accordion are commonly used
for this sort of music (along with flute, tin whistle etc.).

These bellows operated instruments are rhythmical too, particularly the
Anglo concertina and the Melodion as these are both tuned diatonicaly.
This results in a lot of "push/pull" activity on the bellows, which in 
turn results in a very rhythmic feel to much of the music played on
them. If you bear this in mind when thinking about playing dance music
on the tremolo harp (playing dotted notes kind of style) then you should
be well on the way to a good feel for the music.

"A foot on the stairs", was how Will Atkinson described it to me. This
was after he asked me to play the "Keel Row" (a Northumbrian dance tune)
at the work shop. After I played it he said, "Aye, well enough, but it's
a dance tune mind, ye should play it more like this". He then played it
with a strong dotted note feel, very ryhthmically, and got me to play it
again in that way. That's when he said I had a foot on the stairs.

It's a very humbling experience in front of two harmonica masters from
different eras and schools of playing, and the rest of the people at the
workshop as well. I learned my lesson well because of it though!

As for literature on the subject, I'm not sure what you are asking for.
If it's sheet music, then maybe now you have some ideas and pointers.
Otherwise I don't know what to say to you. 

Sorry it's a long post, I hope others will add more though, and that it's
been of some help. 

Gordon.

E_MAIL me at:-   GJackson@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx