Re: [Harp-L] Blazing fast Country chops - and altered tunings

[Joe and Cass Leone <leone@xxxxxxxx>]

On Nov 29, 2004, at 9:29 PM, Phil Gazell wrote:

> I don't know anything about the tuning other than that he (Charley?) 
> said he "really needed to pay attention when he was playing it." Of 
> course, even one note different in my case could cause a "Long and 
> Embarrassing National Nightmare." In any event that conversation took 
> place between periods at a hockey game, which had more of our 
> attention than harmonicas.
>
> PT Gazell
 The problem with cutting the #5 UP a semi-tone is that when you DO 
need the regular F (like on a C), you can always bend the F# (the one 
you "made") down a semi tone to get back into the "regular" Richter 
tuning, BUT don't try this on very fast passages.
 A tune like Rocky Top, John Henry or numerous other "qusi blue grass 
type" tunes will quickly show you the folly of trying to chug this #5 
with the bend already IN there. It's hard enough trying to catch ANY 
one of the bends already IN a note on a tune as slow as Pine Top Boogie 
(CONVINCINGLY), let alone to catch (and RE-catch) this bend on a 
"burner". The 4-5 trill will also be a hair looser.
 Yes, I would say that switching off ANY combination of tunings would 
require some serious concentration. Playing a C chromo and F diat at 
the same time during a tune doesn't present any problem as they are SO 
different.
 Charlie used to do his chromatic work using a chromo tuned the same as 
the tune he was doing. He is getting away from THAT also. When I came 
back to playing after a 25 year lay-off, I endeavored to "catch" up 
with him. I was heart sick the other day, when, although I thought I 
got pretty close, Charley has actually IMPROVED and since I hadn't 
heard his stuff in years, I was hit right in the "laBanza" while 
listening to some of his newer stuff. I might have caught up to SOME 
(remember that word..some) his older stuff, but the new stuff is MUCH 
more involved. OBS NOW contains about 129 "extra" notes, and the 
intervals between notes has been filled with MORE notes. Hey, what can 
I say, the kid is really great. He has a place nearby down here in Fla 
now, and we keep "just" missing each other. (Lucky HIM).
smo-joe