Re: [Harp-L] My First Chromatic

[Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

See below for replies.

--- Jonathan Metts <jonathan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> I've been playing diatonic harmonica for four years and am primarily
> self-taught.  This Christmas, I got my first chromatic harp, a Hohner
> Super
> 270 Chromonica.  Now a few quick questions:
> 
> 1. What's a good overall resource website for the chromatic?

Check out G's chromatic harp website:

http://www.angelfire.com/music/HarpOn/

Also Dave Gage's site:

http://www.chromaticharmonica.com/

YOu can also check out my series of articles at harmonicasessions.com,
starting with the February 2005 issue:

http://harmonicasessions.com/feb05/index.html

> 2. Should I mod this harp right away?  If so, what's the first thing
> to do?

No. First get acquainted with it as-is. Some of the issues you may feel
will be the result of your unfamiliarity and lack of developed
technique, and not issues with the contsruction or setup of the
instrument.

> 3. If I mostly want to play like Stevie, what is the most important
> thing to
> learn?

Aside from his hellacious tone and groove? There are certain slide
ornaments he likes to use, which are detailed in my October 2005
harmonicasessions article: 

http://harmonicasessions.com/oct05/chromatic.html

Also, learn the six-note blues scale in C and G, using the slide
wherever you have a choice between a slide-in and a slide-out version
of C or F, and you'll pick up on a lot of what he does as far as note
sequences go. Blues scales in A, D, E, F, and Bb are also fairly easy
and will help with some of Stevie's recordings.

> 4. Is it normal for most of what I play on this thing to sound
> Arabian or
> like an accordion?

What do you mean by that?

> 5. Are the bends supposed to be so small and touchy, prone to
> squealing or
> choking?

No. A chromatic can actually bend notes much farther than a diatonic
can (despite what Vern Smith wrote), but it requires greater finesse
and, in general, a less aggressive attack. 

Choking means you're hitting too hard. The reed valves on a chromatic
prevent the blow and draw reeds from acting as a shock absorbers for
each other, so a single reed gets the full force of your attack. Back
off and attack with a light cough from the throat. The farther back
your attack comes from, the bigger the sound.

Squealing - and this is true whether you're bending or not - means
you're contorting your mouth into a resonance shape that is feeding the
reeds energy they can't use - you're shaping your mouth into a note
that the reed can't play. As it can't dissipate the energy through
normal vibration, the reed squeals. This places stress on reeds and
contributes to early reed failure. 

Relax your mouth, throat and tongue and just breathe through the harp.
Get rid of any pinching, pressure, or tension.  Work on allowing the
tone to become large and full without any force or effort while
breating in a full but relaxed and normal way. This will give you the
basis for developing your bending technique. Cultivating a throat
vibrato on this foundation will give you another element in developing
bending.

Winslow


 
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