[Harp-L] re: a question

["Jonathan R. Ross" <jross38@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Chris wrote (in regards to playing in all keys on a single harp):

>Of course Howard Levy can do it.

He can?  I haven't heard him do it, and while I haven't heard as much of
Howard as Chris, I've heard a fair amount.  Howard is a great player,
but I've not heard him be able to transcend the real limitations of the
instrument in regards to timbre and intonation of altered notes. 

>I think playing everything on one harp is silly and short-sighted
>while a great exercise in and of itself I think it's mostly an
>exercise in arrogance.

Agreed.

>I believe without a doubt nearly anything can
>be playing in any on any diatonic.

I do not.  I've yet to hear it done and frankly I've been hearing people
try for ten years and not really get any closer to this goal.  I believe
that it is beyond the capabilities of the instrument, and has become a
false goal which needs to be reconsidered.

>I pick harps and position based on appropriateness and situation.

Which is something I'd love to hear you discuss more, such as giving a
few examples of choices and such.  I think this is one of the least
talked about yet most important areas of harmonica playing.

>To be clear, I don't change harps in the the middle of a song to
>:"make the changes" I will change harps in the middle of "song" if
>that song segues into another ie

I don't see why changing harps in the middle of a song, a melody or a
bar is something which isn't considered as a possibility.  To me it
would open a whole new dimension to what one can play especially in
terms of the timbre and intonation issues which come with playing the
diatonic in complex musics.  I think that even playing a single diatonic
in a highly complex song has not yet been shown to be a truly viable
path--there are always intonation and timbre issues which get in the way
of the music rather than enhance it, even for the best.  Sometimes when
listening to the top "overblowers" (as it were) I find myself thinking
that there are some great musical ideas here, if only the instrument
would get out of the way and let them out.  To me the limitations of the
diatonic need to be acknowledged as real and that they often preclude
successful playing of complex pieces unless many techniques are brought
to bear including but not limited to bends and overbends, changing
harps, alternate tunings and probably more I'm missing.



 oo    JR "Bulldogge" Ross
()()   & Snuffy, too:)
`--'