[Harp-L] A question

[George Brooks <gbrooks1@xxxxxxxxx>]

I have very different views on "the question," depending upon which 
question it is that JR is really asking.  I have carefully read his 
lengthy and provocative posts, and I cannot tell.  He is questioning 
either whether it is a dead end to attempt to play anything and 
everything on a single harmonica or whether it is a dead end to try to 
play sophisticated music on the diatonic at all.

If JR is talking about the former, I think he is venturing into the 
realm of origami.  He has fashioned a paper tiger and then run it 
though with his sword.  I say this because, with the notable exceptions 
of Tinus and Ironman Mike Curtis, no one I know of plays everything on 
a single key harmonica or has doing so as a goal.  The vast majority of 
the people working on playing chromatically will practice in all keys 
but choose one for performance in which the tune lays out well (unless 
they are trying to stretch themselves or prove a point).  I say more 
power to Tinus and Iron Mike, but it's a big handicap to take on, in my 
view.

I have watched Paul Messenger's videotapes of the Howard classes from 
The Golden Ager Of Augusta, have attended seminars at which Howard 
taught, and took a week of private lessons with him.  He does *not* 
advocate playing everything on a single key of harmonica.  Much 
instruction time was spent on how to figure out which positions a song 
will lay out well in and on the importance of choosing wisely.

Turning to the question whether it is a dead end to try to play 
sophisticated music on the diatonic at all, we have a simple aesthetic 
disagreement.  If JR finds Howard's live version of "Masquerade" 
musically unsatisfying because of intonation or timbre issues, there 
will never be a meeting of the minds between us.  I think it's great 
music, and whatever technical issues there are do not get in the way of 
the music for me at all (Chris M. has posted a link to this performance 
twice now).

I believe it is not a dead end, but I also believe that anyone who 
wants to follow this path has to work very hard on the intonation and 
timbre issues.  I agree with JR to this extent:  If you want to play 
music requiring chromatic facility and don't want to work very hard for 
a period of years, I believe that you and your listeners will be 
happier if you try another approach (alternate tunings, XB-40, retuned 
XB-40, button chromatic, saxophone...).

This is not elitism, it is the basic process of learning to play an 
instrument well.  Horn players spend hours and hours working to get 
their notes in tune and to get the timbre of the notes in the high 
register sounding more like the notes in the low register.  Even at my 
high school, which did not have a strong music program, the band room 
had a Conn strobe tuner for the band kids to use to work on their 
intonation.  I understand that it is fairly standard practice for horn 
players to work with a strobe tuner over a period of years.  I practice 
my intonation using both a piano and a strobe tuner.  There are no 
shortcuts.  The diatonic harmonica, to be sure, presents some 
especially difficult intonation challenges, but I'm not at all sure 
that they are any harder than those presented by the oboe.

JR's impatience with the progress to date is regrettable.  I have said 
this before: I think the non-Howard person with mastery of the full 
range of the diatonic harmonica will emerge from the ranks of those who 
have been exposed to the requisite techniques from a very early age.  
The person who is going to change JR's mind, or blow Richard's, is 
probably seven years old now.

I'm sorry that JR finds fault with my intonation/timbre.  I'm working 
on these issues, hard, every day.  I would point out that, although I 
have been playing harmonica for many years, I have only been working on 
playing chromatically for nine or ten.  Half of that time was spent 
wandering in the wilderness, trying to learn without a teacher on stock 
Special 20s.  With good instruments, good instruction, a robust and 
consistent practice regimen, and an uncompromising approach, I believe 
the technical issues can be overcome.  I am confident that 
irreproachable intonation can be achieved through a combination of  ear 
training and practice on the instrument.  The timbre issues are 
different.  A bend is never going to sound exactly like an open note.  
But the differences can be reduced to the point where, for me and many 
others, they are no impediment to the musicality of the performance.

Give it time, JR.

About David's question:  Carlos is reported to work on his own harps, 
and Chris M. has stated on the List that he now uses mostly Golden 
Melodies that he has worked over himself.

George