Projecting

[Tony Eyers <tony@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Cutting through fiddle tune sessions with harmonica is a major challenge.
There are a number of techniques that can help with this. I'll mention two
of these.

Firstly, a good custom harmonica will solve many problems. Simply put,
an instrument that a master craftsman has spent a day preparing has
got to be louder and more responsive than one out of the box. I use
Neil Graham harmonicas (www.neilgraham.com.au). They cost more,
but provide great value. Given that fiddle tunes are played in a limited
ranges of keys, you can get by with just a few instruments (I have 4).
I rarely need to push my custom harmonicas hard to cut through loud
acoustic sessions.

Secondly, alternate tunings do make fiddle tunes easier. There are
many ways to tackle this. Brendan Power has developed a tuning
called "Paddy Richter", which simplifies first position playing. You
can check it out in his book, "Play Irish Music on the Blues Harp",
available at www.brendan-power.com  (highly recommended). I have
a different approach to harmonica tunings, which is is outlined at my
site, www.harmonicatunes.com  You can also hear some fiddle tunes
at this site, played on retuned custom instruments.

Tony Eyers
Australia
www.harmonicatunes.com