Re: [Harp-L] 10 hole German major valved chromatic

[Mark Russillo <jruss433@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I think you've got the right idea.  Practice.  I came into the diatonic the same way as you did and have been learning to play the chromatic over the last several years.  The thing that motivated me to seek something else (other than diatonic playing) was listening first to Toots, Gallison, Slim and others.
   
  As someone who came up over 30 years playing folk and blues on diatonics, I believe it requires a different perspective.  The pie is equally tasty; the difference is in how one slices it to get some filling as well as crust.  Early on, I was told that you need to play scales and the rest would come to you.  I was also told that you need to play songs and the learning the scales would be less necessary - yet for me, an intermediate strategy has proven most effective in helping me get used to the chromatic.
   
  I found that, in my development of a tone that I am comfortable with, it becomes necessary to play scales and arpeggios to learn where the scale lays on the harp.  However, you also need to pull out some sheet music occasionally and find a song you can learn and play in order to see where that practice is taking or not taking you.  Duke Ellington's "Satin Doll" or Miles Davis's "All Blues" are interesting to play and very instructive with regard to tone, transitions and the basic mechanics of moving around the instrument that we diatonic players (particularly those that have played by ear) take for granted.
   
  If you still find you are short on technique - it's just a 10-hole harmonica - try playing the blues on it.  Trying to treat it like a diatonic is yet another very instructive way of learning where it differentiates from the diatonic.  If it's a "C," then try playing "G" blues on it - you'll learn some wonderful lessons about transition.  If you decide to learn "All Blues," there is yet another lesson to be learned about some basic similarities between Blues and Jazz that will further aid your development in playing the chromatic.  There are rewards here as well!
   
  I'm relatively new at this compared to those chromatic players I've come to admire in the 9 years I have been a member of SPAH, so I really enjoyed hearing about your experiences.
   
  Mark Russillo
  a.k.a. The Rhode Island Kid

fjm <mktspot@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
  I'm not terrible at playing a 10 hole harmonica. I can overblow the 
easy ones, play 1 through 4th position. I have all 10 holes available 
to me, I can tongue block, u-block or play pucker. I manage chords and 
single notes fairly well. There are definite deficits in my playing but 
I'm past intermediate in skill level. None of this translates readily 
to playing a chromatic. I'm not a single note player on diatonic. This 
is not a particularly useful strategy for chromatic. Yes I know there 
are some chords but it's very very different. Tone on a chromatic is 
also entirely different. So is the expression. Trills for instance. 
Much of the expressiveness of diatonic is accessed through bends. I've 
seen Slim Heilpern play, I've heard him talk about playing. It's clear 
to me the strategies he employs are entirely different than what I'd use 
playing the 10 hole. It's really a very different way of thinking. I'm 
not giving up, there's a CX-12 on my desk and I play it daily but there 
is no denying it's a struggle. All you diatonic players out there, 
raise your hand if this fits. You picked up a diatonic and played it 
and it made complete and total sense to you from the very first moment. 
I know this was true for me. It was so completely rewarding. I 
picked one up and I could play music. fjm
_______________________________________________
Harp-L is sponsored by SPAH, http://www.spah.org
Harp-L@xxxxxxxxxx
http://harp-l.org/mailman/listinfo/harp-l