Re: [Harp-L] shortlychromatic (George Brooks' response)

["Rick Dempster" <rick.dempster@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Recently, in response to an enquiry about chording on the diatonic, I
posted a list of chords or partial chords that could be played without
bending anything. There was quite a lot there, and that was without
treating any of the combinations as tri-tone substitutions, which is
another story altogether.
This list represents a diverse range of interests, abilities and levels
of achievement. When people talk about playing Miles Davis solos I am
amazed; not that it's something I've tried, mind you, but I can imagine
it might be rather challenging. On the other hand, I read a lot of
discussion about the difficulty of bending holes 2/3 in tune, and people
who doubt the possibility of playing an accurate semitone bend on blow
10.
There are also, I suspect, a lot of people who are talking about
overblowing/drawing, who haven't yet become aware of what is already
available to them without the hard and difficult work of learning the
OB/OD technique (not to mention the added business of gapping etc.
and/or buying custom harps) I also suspect that beyond making some wild
noises, many players out there won't know what to do with the 'new'
notes.
There is a whole body of tunes and songs from the 20s to the 60s that
use, (for this example, in the key of C) the chords C,D,E,F,G,A,B  along
with relative minors, passing diminished and augmented chords etc. etc.
which are challenging, fun to play and can be carried off without any
OB/OD techniques (OK, so the B chord is an exception - but only if
required in the middle octave)
You can also take a twelve bar blues and add changes to it that will
take you into new territory without needing OB/OD technique. Here's an
example (blues in key of G):
G C7 G G7
C C#dim G E7
A7 D7 G G
This is all readily played without OB/ODs, and can be heard in blues
progressions from Bessie Smith & Jimmie Rogers to Be-bop.  The IV chord
(C chord in above example) to the # diminished, then the root chord down
a minor third (G to E above)  and then round the 'cycle of 4ths/5ths'
back to the root is a progression that can be found in heaps of older
styles -country/western (like Hank Williams & Bob Wills) jazz - all
kinds -; 'hokum' style-blues & jug bands and 'pop' right through the
twentieth century pretty much up to the mid sixties (think all that Neil
Sedaka, Mann/Weill/King,  Brill building stuff)
This kind of thing  will teach the value of some 'new' notes, so that
when you do start using OB/ODs, you might know how to put them to use.
My point is that unless you have a handle on what can be done with
what's already there, I can't see a reason for busting a gut to learn
something new. 
Sorry I don't have a website to post MP3s of me playing this stuff. I
am but a struggler too, but I am having some success with playing tunes
with these kind of changes. I do use the odd OB/OD but don't rely to
heavily on them. 
I see Joe Filsko has recorded Tom Ashley  & Gwen Foster's 'Bay Rum
Blues' on his new CD.
That's one that I play a lot, and it is a good example of a tune that
offers a chance to expand one's harmony without getting too bloody
difficult. It's just a simple rag in C, with chords:A,D,G,C .
Typlically, Foster uses tongue blocking, switching and all his other
wonderful ornamental devices to pull this one off. I've been adding the
practice of building lines around the arpeggiated chords:
Note:the forward slash indicates a half-tone bend, so // equals a
whole-tone bend)

A7 Chord: 1d/, 2b,2d(or3b),3d//,4d/,5b,6b,6d =C#E G A  C# E G A (Foster
uses an A augmented 5th chord here
                  which I have mentioned before, drawing holes 6 & 9
-blocking 7/8. If you alternate that with a blow on 
                  6 &  8, blocking 7, you create the impression of a
seventh with a # (augmented) 5th, which sets up a 
                  gravitational field (like the flat seventh) that is
just begging to go to the D chord.
                  
D7/9: Chord: 1b,1d,2b,2d/,3d//,4b,4d,5b,(then 5OB, if you must!-but you
can make do without it) 6d,7b,8d,9b/,10d,10b
           =C D E F# A C D E (F#) A C D F# A C
G Chord:Draw everything plus blow holes 6 & 9
C Chord:Blow everything plus 3d/ and 10b//

In the example of the 'raggy' blues I've given above, the A and D
chords appear, and the E and C# diminished as well. The E ain't too
difficult, arpeggio wise:
1d,2b,3d///,3d,4d,5b,6d/,7d,8d,8b (9OD if you must, you fool!) 10b/ -
but who needs the last two anyway? = D E G# B D E G# B D E (G# B)

The C# diminished isn't much different from the A arpeggio:
1d/,2b,3b,3d/,4d/,5b,6b (6OB,7OD,8b,9b,10b// optional, for penitent
strugglers only)
=C# E G Bb C# E G (Bb C# E G Bb)

A couple of other tunes that I've been messing with lately that call
for this approach are Lovesick Blues ((Hank Williams or Emmet Miller)
and 'San Francisco Bay Blues' (Jesse Fuller)

Anyhow, hope this is of use to someone!
Cheers,
RD


>>> <icemanle@xxxxxxx> 14/12/2006 1:06:22 >>>
Amen, oh my brother. How about just the first 2 semi-tones? Or the
first one?
 
Don't pass Go, don't collect $200 until you get these down first.
 
Check out Kim Wilson. His intonation and pitch on these notes "created
through technique" is pretty good to my ears. 
 
The Iceman
 
-----Original Message-----
From: ptgazell@xxxxxxxxxxx 

 
  I think we all could benefit by just learning to accurately bend the
3rd hole draw note for all three semi-tones. Then lets see what
chromatically we can do with the elusive missing notes. 
________________________________________________________________________
Check out the new AOL.  Most comprehensive set of free safety and
security tools, free access to millions of high-quality videos from
across the web, free AOL Mail and more.
_______________________________________________
Harp-L is sponsored by SPAH, http://www.spah.org 
Harp-L@xxxxxxxxxx 
http://harp-l.org/mailman/listinfo/harp-l