Re: [Harp-L] Possible extinction of Chromatic

[Mark Crowley <Mark.Crowley@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

2  cents -

it amounts to exposure.  a majority of diatonic players i have heard opine that a chrom is too similar to a button accordian. I presume they mean they  -think- its limited in expression for their brand of 'honkin blues''

i doubt many of these players ever picked up a chrom and blew into it.  I got the shock of my life when i got my 1st cx as to how far it could bend - i never knew it was possible to do that. but i am not anywhere near a honkin blueser.

I think a lot of diatonic players at the last sydney harmonica festival (great event put together by doug l) may have been surprised to see brendan power and christian marsh casually switching from chroms to diatonics within solos - i may be wrong but that was my memory of the jam led by jim conway to give us a display of diff styles within one blues song - "variations of the head"

i may be wrong about brendan doing it for that specific tune....


i had good fortune to catch christian in a blues band on weekend - its aggravating (for a much lesser player) to see him casually bop from one to the other - i think i counted  a chrom and two diff short harmonicas in one solo(?).  Theres nothing forced about the changes - its like water flowing down a stream but he has got the practice behind him to make it look that way. and know exactly where he is on each one.

you come away with the inspiration to practise scales/stuff on all your harmonicas - its not really about "a"harmonica or "the" harmonica but about making lines from whatever yu want and like and are able to wring the sound from.

if diatonic players don't want to play a chrom - that''s their loss - i believe it only further informs and advantages your playing overall. its certainly going to help yr tone surely.

i'm sure if guitarists could more easily change guitars in a song they would be doing that too.


crowley