Re: [Harp-L] Howard Levy Amazing Grace- The "Drone" part

[Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

Without listening to th track, you description answers its own
question.

On a C harp, G is available as both Draw 2 and Blow 3. You can use this
as your drone note. No matter what else you're playing, you can keep G
sounding. 

When you are playing notes in holes 2, 3, or 4, you just keep the drone
note sounding as a neighboring hole (or maybe the drone note is the
melody note at some points).

When the melody is more than one hole above the drone, you tongue block
and play the drone out of the left side and the melody out of the right
side. You have to remember to shift the left side to either Hole 3 for
the blow G or Hole 2 for the Draw G.

When you're playing Blow 1 as the melody note, you tongue block with
the blow G on the right and Blow 1 on the left.

You don't have to switch between tongue blocking and pucker, either.
For the close combinations, like Blow 3 and 4, or Draw 2 and 3, you can
just play a two-note chord out of whichever side of your tongue block
is convenient.

The only time it would be really difficult to keep the G drone going
would be when you're playing a bend in another draw note, especially,
say, Draw 3 bent down two semitones. When you do that, Draw 2 is going
to go down in pitch as well. Howard has excellent control on this, and
I've heard him play Hole 3 bent down 2 while bending Draw 2 down either
one or two semitones. But keeping Draw 2 unbent while bending 3 is
something I've not heard him do. (Though I have heard Joe Filisko play
a split of Draw 1 and Draw 3 and bending 3 down 2 semitones and while
leaving 1 unbent.)

Winslow

--- James <wasabileo@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> http://www.ccnow.com/cgi-local/sc_cart.cgi?6668507999293871
> 
> For $1.00, you can purchase Howard Levy doing this traditional hymm.
> Its incredible. The melody seems simple We all know it. Howard is
> playing G on a crossed C harp The real clincher is this part where is
> playing the melody but sustaining an almost "bagpipe" drone at the
> same time. Has anyone tried this technique. How does this work? Its
> almost your playing the harp from both sides of your mouth at the
> same time. Thats the best way I can describe it. 
> Thanks for any comments
> 
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