Re: [Harp-L] who's blowin' reggae

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Michael Rubin wrote:

<...I love being in a reggae band because the music is great and because harp
<has rarely played an active role in it.  There was a harp player in Bob Marley's
<band by the way, he focused on flute.  It really frees me up to play my own style
<without worrying about being untraditional.
   
<  I mostly play 2nd and 3rd with overblows (although I have occasionally played 
<an unusual position for fun), a little chromatic.  I double or harmonize some hyorns
<lines. I use a bassman with a Yamaha Magic Stomp effects box that gives me around
<10 usable effects.  I can add delay, volume swell, crunch, faze sounds.  I also 
<play thru the vocal mic for some sweeter tones.  
   
<  Although there is certainly lots of minor tunes in reggae, we play plenty of major
<songs.  I find that just like blues, there are musical handshakes to be found repeatedly
<in reggae and the more I listen and play it, the quicker I recognize what the band
<is going to do next.

That about covers it.  I especially like the effects stuff.  If you're going to play something outside the blues, you might as well use some sounds that you wouldn't hear in a traditional blues band.

Regards, Richard Hunter