Re: [Harp-L] chromatic choice

[Guy Buxman <beabsurd@xxxxxxxxx>]

 Chris,
How's it going, Bro? This is your prodigal student, Guy. It's great to see
you getting the props you deserve in the harp community.  In addition to
what everybody is saying about your music, I'd like to add that you're also
a very cool guy and a outstanding (and patient) teacher.  Even though I've
only sat with you 3-4 times, what I've taken from you has helped me to grow
beyond my menacing plateaus. I hope you're enjoying your run in Colorado and
I wish I could get out there to enjoy the show.  Looking forward to our next
session and blasting through the next plateau...
- Guy "insert nick-name-here" B.


On 2/9/06, chris smith <harpshredder@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>     Well,thank you all for taking your time to listen
> to my art. Thanks also for the very kind words. I've
> been doing this a
> long time with mixed success (I'm probably doing
> better than
> ever now) so a little encouragement goes a long way.
> I'm usually the one encouraging my students but hey
> we're all
> only human.
>     These recordings are so old I'm ,of course,
> somewhat embarassed by them but I think there's still
> merit.The CD "Down But Not Out" was released in 94 and
> "Livin' On My Own" in' 96 so
> I've been able to perfect the original songs from them
> on literally over a thousand gigs.  When we recorded
> them they were mostly
> brand spankin' new so a lot of phrasing, etc. was less
> than
> optimal. I didn't even play the melody right on " L.A.
> Shuffle" which has some very quick triplets  in it and
> is pretty tricky to play Definitely not a cliche.
> Speaking of which on "Paths I Haven't Tried"  I would
> venture seguing into "The Mooncoin Jig" was not
> exactly cliche either.
>     I think I've pretty exhaustively explained I'm no
> longer an
> OB guy though I like to slide in the raised 9th (6th
> hole OB)
> on occasion. They just don't sound good on my stock
> Marine
> Bands. I think I'll get a Filisko and give it a whirl
> but I have
> such demands on my time a whole new discipline ? I
> don't know.
>     So Chris M. ,my constant prod, to answer your
> question:
> I never even considered playing this (Pass The Test Of
> Time)
> on diatonic. Of course i could have but it wouldn't
> have sounded nearly as good as it does. I'd have to
> bend the low tonic note (for 4th pos.) and other notes
> as well. Because
> my main axe has always been the diatonic and I'm a
> blues
> guy but I've had a reasonable amount of classical and
> jazz
> training. I tend to the chromatic pretty hard not like
> Toots at all.
> When I hear my performance of that song it  sounds to
> me like a blues guy playing a jazzy pop ballad. You
> couldn't get
> the 6ths  I  played on a diatonic either. Also, the
> chrome has
> a pretty thick tone to it. It might have been
> interesting on diatonic scooping some of those notes.
> Chris, maybe you
> could do it that way. I could use another ASCAP check
> !
> I think the way I play chromatic harp like a diatonic
> ( in some
> ways) is my style. Now isn't this an interesting age
> when an
> artist actually defends his work before the world !
>
>   Chris "Hammer" Smith
>
>
> __________________________________________________
> Do You Yahoo!?
> Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
> http://mail.yahoo.com
> _______________________________________________
> Harp-L is sponsored by SPAH, http://www.spah.org
> Harp-L@xxxxxxxxxx
> http://harp-l.org/mailman/listinfo/harp-l
>