[Harp-L] Re: Loud (Chromatics)

["Jonathan Metts" <jonathan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I've had similar trouble getting started on the chromatic and making it 
sound like a real instrument rather than a little machine that plays notes. 
I think it has a lot to do with your own tone (which seems to be produced 
differently than on diatonic harps).  If you work on the attack (start soft 
and get louder, or vice-versa, on every note), using slight bends in and out 
of some notes, the timing of when to press the button between notes, and 
especially vibrato, I think these all come together to make the chromatic 
sound more musical.  Maybe it is harder to get that sweet sound out of the 
chromatic because the valves prevent all the nice overtones that come easily 
when playing the diatonic.  Chromatic experts can now correct every single 
thing I just wrote.  ;-)

Jonathan