[Harp-L] Blues on the chromatic

[Damien Masterson <damienzm@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

It's always a good idea to check the archives as well. There are 
several postings on this subject from a couple of years ago.

  Blues on the chromatic is a very subjective thing. What kind of blues 
are you listening to? Are you one of these guys that heard Little 
Walter and decided that was all you ever wanted to do with your life? 
Nothing wrong with that. Listen to him, George Smith (who does little 
for me personally on chrom) or William Clarke, others mentioned. Do you 
prefer rock blues? Do you like twisted stuff? Are you a classic, black, 
Chicago fan or a Stevie Ray Vaughan person? The truth is, these are all 
very different sounds, very different chords and types of energy. What 
is "The Blues", anyway? Some think it's one thing, few can agree. Try 
Paul Delay's chrom playing and see what you think. The Harmonicats 
recorded some nice blues. What kind of Blues do you like? That will 
narrow it down quite a bit.

   I love to play the blues on the chromatic. I like my blues chromatic 
playing better than anyone out there. Hubris? Maybe. I love Bill 
Barrett and there's Stevie Wonder, who is not typically playing "Blues" 
on the chromatic, although one might argue technique-wise there's 
little difference. I would. Do I have recordings of my best chromatic 
"blues" playing? Not really... If I'm going to kick down 10 grand for a 
record that expresses who I think I am, I'd rather try something 
different. I respect people who use their instrument's potential in the 
Blues, and have grown beyond the D minor draw chord/octave blowing that 
was popular over 60 years ago. Everyone poses with a chrom, don't they? 
Ignorance truly is bliss.

As wide an appeal the harmonica has, there's not a huge market for 
people stepping outside the extremely limited paradigm, and even the 
old diatonic masters are for the most part currently parked on their 
couches. Every time I tried to record something fresh and innovative 
using chromatic in a "Blues" vein, it was shunned by Blues club owners 
as "too jazzy" and written off by Jazz people as "blues" or soul, or 
whatever. Maybe I just sucked. I'll never know. My point is, it's a 
tricky area. In the archives, you'll find JP Pagan giving a great 
review of me playing blues chromatic in Barcelona. I wish I had a 
recording of that night! I love Jimi Hendrix, originally found the 
"Blues" from Led Zeppelin before I discovered the old cats. For 
whatever reason, I am not capable of writing or producing a kickass, 
cliché "Blues" album. Every time I try, I screw it up by trying to make 
it more "Interesting"... In my mind, what's interesting about that 
music is the passion and on the edge balance of emotion and delicate 
restraint that allows someone to  express themselves so completely 
without harmony or their chops getting in the way. Obviously not so 
easy... Maybe that's why the apparently limited diatonic, with it's 
richter tuning, has been the choice harp for raw expression. Too much 
freedom can really bog you down!

     If you want to hear some different Blues on the chromatic, check 
out Bill Barrett's "Backbone" as well his other recordings, from my 
albums: Intercâmbio: "Joe's Fried Chicken" (Featured on Raw Record's 
"San Francisco's Best Blues" compilation), my searing chromatic solo on 
Cubacambio: "In my time", Half the solos and intros on Scrapbook, 
especially "Jaded", "Student Loan" and "Funk ala Fax", and solos from 
"Pocket Pool" and "Uh-Oh" on my ne'er to be released "Blue World Order" 
project. I'll post some links later.
   Are they 12 bar shuffle blues? No. Do they sound like "Juke"? Hell 
no. But if that's what you're looking for, then maybe you should be 
asking different questions. Mike Turk and Howard Levy can play 
spectacular blues on diatonic harmonicas, but most of us have grown 
beyond the blues harp of our forefathers. Not to dismiss it's beauty 
and appeal. Listen to it. Study it. Learn as much from it as you can. 
Then take a theory class, practice and learn how to create your own 
thing. For all of the flack John Popper gets for being limited in 
scope, he did what few of us are capable of: Developed his own way to 
play the blues harp, developed his own sound and became an icon. Few on 
this list can boast the same. Sucks, huh?

    For those of you who honestly want to hear some "blues chromatic", 
I suggest you do a couple of things: Expand your horizons on what the 
"blues" are, Spend some money and support some chromatic players out 
there. Take a risk! You know who we are! I'll give you a money back 
guarantee. Listen to new music a few times, don't write it off right 
away, the best stuff is often an acquired taste, or over your head. I 
finally get music that turned me off 10 years ago. And lastly - if you 
are playing harmonica and interested in the chromatic - get out of your 
box and expose yourself to some scary, freaky music. Go to the other 
extreme! Some of the best "Blues" I have heard have come from African 
records. Labels will stop making sense. Your wife will hate your music. 
Your kids will be scared. You won't be able to listen to the radio much 
anymore. Hang in there - It's worth it!

Damien Masterson  http://www.damienmasterson.com
or enter my name in any search engine
415 305 7138   damienzm@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Damien Endorses Hohner Harmonicas and Audix Microphones