Re: [Harp-L] a question



On 2/6/06, Chris Michalek <Chris@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

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.
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Hi Chris, hi JT.

I guess that JT has done a great job in showing clearly what his
ideals are regarding to music and the diatonic harmonica.

I once used to think that having as a goal to play everything on one
single diatonic, on a tuning which is as erratic as the German major
diatonic (liked this phrasing, better than Richter) was a silly and
senseless goal. There are other ways to achieve the fluidity and
freedom of playing everything on one harmonica, and the ones which I
consider the best are the chromatic harmonica and the diminished
tuning, if I ever come to such a point.

I talked to 2 harmonica players who defend playing everything in one
harmonica. One of them is annoyingly penetrating about it, maybe
almost too much. But surely none were arrogant. But, after talking to
them, I had to change my mind. I still won't try to play everything on
one single German major diatonic (if, then diminished, as said), but
at least now I can understand their motives and appreciate their
visions.

The most powerful vision to drive such people into trying that is the
wish to be able to control the instrument in such a complete way, that
the instrument does not represent any barrier between the music that
lies within the musician and the acoustic result produced by him. You
do what you want to, because you can. Entertaining yourself with other
keyed harps just gets you out of focus.

This is an ideal objective that one can get very close to, in any
instrument. But, as any ideal, it is utopic.

Surely there were things the greats wanted to do and couldn't, so they didn't.

Of course, there are instruments which pose bigger or lesser
challenges, and there are instruments that are more in tune to one's
ideals. It will always be a compromise.

Both friends of mine are fully aware that they chose a very difficult
path to follow. But they want to make music with the diatonic in a
completely free way. They took the challenge head on, and are working
on it. If they will ever arrive where they want to be, I don't know. I
guess nobody actually arrives there, anyway. What I know is that they
have progressed a lot, and that what they do is amazing. It is also
beautiful, and I envy them in a positive way.

Much of this has to do with the alleged "respect" for the instrument.
If one comes to a session (jam, recording, gig, concert) with only one
diatonic harmonica and can play everything that is asked of him, being
it by having learned the repertoire beforehand or being it by reading
from the score sheet, he is doing only what is expected from any pro
musician, in any instrument. From this point on, the musician will be
respected by the music he makes, not being hindered by the limitations
inherent of his instrument, as justified these limitations may be.
People don't care why it is (virtually) impossible to play one
specific piece in the diatonic harp available at the moment.

So, although I discarded the option of playing chromatically on a
diatonic in C as my choice to play chromatically, I can understand and
relate to those who, fully aware of the size of the challenge they are
facing, nonetheless decide to do so.

It is always a compromise. By not using harps in different keys, you
lose the different characters that the different tunings represent.
But by sticking with one instrument, you have only one layout to
learn, you have the freedom of getting by with only one harmonica.
There are many plus and minus points for each way, which have already
been discussed.

Anyway, it is great to see people pushing boundaries, and it is great
to see people coming back in search of the perfect musical expression,
by any means available.

All the best,
Fernando





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