[Harp-L] OB's/Intonation

[<alliance@xxxxxxxxx>]

Regarding our friend Richard Hunter's post below . . .First off, the idea of
basing a discussion/debate on "fully chromatic playing" on diatonic, is
problematic at best . . . Realistically, there are very few guys actually
playing (or even attempting) "fully chromatic playing" on a diatonic.  As
our good friend The Iceman would be the first to acknowledge, playing
'Summertime' in second position is hardly an unfettered leap into the
unknown these days.  

 

Whenever we as a community get into this discussion/debate, it seems like
all sense of perspective and reason flies out the window . . . The gamut of
players working to incorporate overbends into their approach to playing runs
through every sort of established harmonica musical style.  Most are not
abandoning reason and good taste.  Instead, they are taking relatively small
and reasonable steps in each of the realms of music they are exploring.  

 

Listen to Carlos del Junco, and you can't say that there isn't real progress
being made within the blues idiom by incorporating the overbends . . . On
any night, and at any time, Joe Filisko or Dennis Gruenling will use them if
it involves the right note at the right time.  Trust me, the 'listening'
public isn't thinking that their tone is diminished or that they are
butchering the tune . . . 

 

Again, the integration of the 'overbend' approach is an ongoing WORK IN
PROGRESS, not a finished story . . . 

 

As George Brooks pointed out, players want to play the diatonic because it
has a different emotional range of tone and colors than chromatic . . . 

 

Trust me, the venerated and venerable generation of blues pioneers played
harmonica a whole lot different than their "Marine Band" tooting ancestors;
and it's pretty clear that 'intonation' problems were with them every step
of the way . . . yet things ended up working out pretty well for those guys,
and that extension of what the diatonic harmonica was capable of. 

 

As far as the public's acceptance, and 'ear' for this type of playing . . .
(my opinion) . . . all it will take is a well played part on just one 'hit'
song (doesn't matter what style, could be hip hop or rock or country or
pop), and the so-called uninterested "public" will be whistling a different
tune . . .  

 

Now, of course, the same thing can be said for playing minor tuned harps, or
doing the very emotional, very original, (and achingly beautiful) thing that
Richard Hunter does in his solo harmonica pieces . . . Trust me, if the
public ever got a whiff of that in the right context, we'll have Richard
Hunter lunchboxes, and Richard Hunter's 'Book of the Month' selection on
Oprah . . . (You go boy!!!) . . .

 

Regards,

Paul Messinger

Chapel Hill NC

 

Message: 3

Date: Fri, 20 Jan 2006 16:29:26 -0500

From: Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>

Subject: [Harp-L] Re: Intonation and bending/overblow notes ,
iceman's

            summertime

Cc: Harp-L <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>

Message-ID: <43D15636.40475459@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>

Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

 

I've said a lot about this topic in the past, and my opinions haven't

chanegd much.

 

Ultimately, whether fully chromatic playing on the diatonic is a viable

-- let alone leading -- approach is likely to be determined by three

factors:

 

1) Acceptance by musicians, and not just harp players -- all the other

people harp players play with are going to have to agree that it sounds

great.

2)  Acceptance by the public.

3)  Maybe, as per Joe Filisko's comments some time ago, development of

instruments that make fully chromatic playing on the diatonic easier and

more reliable.

 

Regarding point 1, there isn't much demand for this stuff by musicians

other than harp players at the moment, and not overwhelming demand by

harp players either.     

 

Regarding point 2, the public at the moment seems most enamored of

players who play diatonics in a more or less traditional style.  But the

public is always late to the party anyway.  

 

Regarding point 3, who knows?  It's just as likely that we get a

chromatic harp that's easier to use, or a chromatic harp that has a

diatonic's tone.  Or nothing new at all. 

 

Conclusion: fully chromatic playing on the diatonic isn't taking over

the world soon.

 

Thanks, RH