Re: high-end diatonic blues

[Thomas Hinkle <hinkl_th@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Mon, 12 Jun 1995, Henry Gould wrote:

> A friend of mine gave me a homemade compilation of early harp blues from
> the 20s & 30s.  Unfortunately no list of players or song titles.  What
> was interesting to me was that 90% was being played very soprano -
> up at the high end of the harp.  Some amazing trills & bird-sounds
> often thrown in.  This is high-end old-timey stuff you don't hear in
> your average contemporary r& b playing today.  Annie Raines I
> heard playing some on the G Keillor show.
>    Any words to the wise on this from you wise dilated harpolaters
> out there?  I haven't even tried playing like this yet (though I do
> the occasional high-end bend).  Is this old style mostly straight
> or cross- harp?  Has this thread been worn thin and unraveled
> already?   --Henry Gould

Proabably it's mostly straight harp.  When playing straight harp the high
end bends are equivalent to normal bends down low.  I often use the high
end of the harp playing cross harp as well, but there's really not as much
available in terms of variety of possibilities.  

				-Tom-