[Harp-L] Jesse James

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi all,

This is a heads-up to watch for an upcoming PBS documentary on Jesse
James.  I recorded all the harmonica parts yesterday, and there's a lot
of harp in the score.

Most of the harp parts were played on a CX-12 chromatic in C, a
Dorian-tuned Lee Oskar D harp (draw 3 and 7 reeds flatted 1/2 step) in
second or 3rd position, or a Minor Paddy Richter-tuned Lee Oskar in E
minor (2nd position).  I was amazed to find that I could read the charts
with the latter two harps; I guess you hang around with these wierd
tunings long enough and they rub off on you.  

I also played a duet on the traditional folk song "Jesse James" with
banjo player Eric Weissberg, using standard C and G harps in second
position.  That piece runs under the titles.  

Finally -- and I've been waiting for this for years -- the composer
wanted to do some heavy electronic processing on the harp for two cues. 
So I brought out the Digitech RP-200, dialed up my "Kong" patch, which
is basically a low octave double on top of the Boutique amp model, and
played a low D harp through my Labtec AM-22 into it.  The composer laid
a long delay on top of that.  The sound was definitely Kong-ish, meaning
very, very large and ominous.  

The hardest part of this gig was the breath control -- there are a lot
of parts where I was asked to play a drone note, or two, for 32 measures
or more.  I did a lot of negotiating about where, exactly, I was allowed
to breathe, because there's no way I can hold a note that long, let
alone 2 notes.

I'll advise later on when this documentary will air. Usually it's 2-3
months after the recording session, so stay tuned.

Thansk, Richard Hunter
hunterharp.com