[Harp-L] To Winslow Yerxa Re: Elizabeth's questions on tremolo and chromatic

[EGS1217@xxxxxxx]

Thank you Winslow:  In re your response to my: 
 
"Can one tongue block on such an instrument?"
 
"It was designed for tongue-blocking. Listen to some of the  incredible 
old-time French Canadian tremolo tongue blockers from the 1920s  
and '30s on my Canadian harmonica  website:

http://www.angelfire.com/folk/harmonicanuck/

Some of this  may remind you of the Scottish music you grew up with - 
something I play a  fair bit of myself. Scottish and Irish players 
both use this instrument for  trad tunes."
 
EGS:   ...........Incredible music!  I thoroughly enjoyed the  reels. My only 
complaint is that 
there wasn't enough of it!   It  certainly did remind me of the Scottish 
music I grew up with.  Lately I've been experimenting  with my keyboard to 
duplicate the sound  of the bagpipes too.



...."3)  Then my chromatic (Hohner chromonica 10 CG)  which  is probably 
my  favorite for the way I like to play, but  doesn't allow me to accompany  
my favorite guitarist Peter White's CD's (Confidential &  Glow his 2  
latest).  

=====Winslow:

A CG chromatic?  Doesn't aound familiar. A chromatic usually plays in 
one key (like C) with  the button out and a semitone higher (like C#) 
with the button in. Using the  button to alternate between the two you 
can create any scale in any key.  Find out what keys Peter White's 
tunes are in, then find out how to play the  scales for those keys. 
It's not as easy (at first) as playing diatonic, but  some incredible 
playing is possible with this.
 
If he plays a lot in keys like A, E, and D, a harmonica in  that group 
of keys (known as sharp keys because to create a major scale out  of 
the basic C scale you have to raise the pitch - sharp - some of the  
notes) might be best. If he plays in flat keys (where notes of the C  
scale are lowered or flattened in pitch) like F, Bb, Eb, Ab, then a  
you'll probably have an easier time with an instrument in one of 
those  keys.



EGS..........Of course you're correct.   I'd cut  and pasted and forgot to 
remove the CG
 designation.  It is a C chromatic.  Even  though I just attended Peter's 
concert
 here in NY, I was too embarrassed to ask him what key he  primarily plays in,
 and I don't know how to tell, since I do most of my  playing by ear.  I only 
know
 that most of it is not C or G.  Is there any way I  can impose on any of you 
sweet,
 lovely harp-L people to listen to a track or two of  Peter's on his website: 
_www.PeterWhite.com_ (http://www.PeterWhite.com)   (Coast Road Drive  and 
Endless Journey from his latest CD
 Confidential are typical of his usual key) and then  let me know what you 
think?  
 I know this is an imposition........  I would feel  it worthwhile to buy one 
chromatic 
 for the express purpose of playing along with his  music.  
 
In re your:  "A 12-hole is a good idea. These come in the  keys of C (the 
highest-
pitched, like a regular C diatonic), Bb, A, G, F, E,  Eb, D, and low C. 
Again, any
 of these can play in all 12 keys but some will be  more  convenient for 
particular 
keys and styles of music. There are also 14-hole and 16-hole  instruments, in 
C 
only, with extra notes on the bottom end. If you're coming  from a 10-hole, 
those
 beasts might seem endless - the 12-hole is a nice  combination of compactness
 and range.  '
 
EGS.....Again-- I'd pretty much come to the same conclusion --  that a 12 
hole would be
 the best choice, even though my favorite Echo is huge,  24 double hole on 
each side.
 The smaller harmonicas just don't feel adequate to me,  but I've looked at 
the larger    chromatics and my instinct is to  stick with the 12-hole.
 
In re your:  "The black, easy-to-dissassemble model  sounds like the Hohner 
CX-12,
 a 12-hole model that is very highly regarded. It sells  for between $100 and 
$150
 depending on the source, so all 9 keys could set you  back a fair bit.
Winslow"
 
EGS.....I  usually can talk my husband into getting me a "big" gift as a 
combination for my 
birthday and Christmas, but that would be a  wee bit steep.  I could just 
imagine his
reaction!  The set I saw (in black) were somewhere in the  $300 - $400 range 
for the
set of 9 if I remember correctly, but I don't believe they  were Hohner's and 
I can't for the 
life of me find the site where I saw  them.  I remember the selling point was 
that  they 
were specifically made to be much easier to open and work  on than are 
Hohner's.
 If I manage to find it, I'd like to post it to get  opinions from the 
experts here.  It's  still
 so amazing to me to have people of your caliber take the time to give advice 
to ordinary  players like me.  Thank you so very much.