[Harp-L] future harmonicas and all that

[Jonathan Ross <jross38@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Sergei Volkov (any relation to Nikolai?  :) wrote:

"In order to gain widespread popularity and recognition,
the harmonica must tap into popular music. And popular
music is, essentially, 90% major pentatonic."

Um, sure.  One problem, popular music today doesn't celebrate the  
instrumentalist in any way shape or form.  Maybe in the 60's, 70's  
and 80's, but since at least the mid-90's it's been all about  
presenting a lead singer in a good way, and whether they use samples,  
synths, guitars or whatever seems to matter very little to the pop  
audience.  Name a current, major-market act who is thought of  
primarily as an instrumentalist.  I can't.  Take John Mayer, he tries  
to put the focus on his guitar playing, but the emphasis is on his  
singing.  The same is true for Norah Jones, Alicia Keys and their  
piano playing--it's there, but as an add-on to their singing (sort of  
in a Nat King Cole way).  So, you may occassionally get a Taylor  
Hicks or John Popper, but the harmonica is an afterthought, sort of  
an affectation as far as the pop audience goes--I'm sure this annoys  
the performers mentioned, but it's been that way for a while (Cole  
wanted to be thought of as a pianist first, but most people view him  
as a singer first, who just happened to play piano).

The days of Clapton, Page and other instrumentalists as major stars  
are dead, or at least have been dormant for the last decade plus.   
And the harmonica, being a rather limited instrument (compared to  
say, guitar or most keyboards) in terms of how it sits in the mix was  
never likely to take a leading role even back then and to be just an  
add-on.

Indeed, it's easy from talking to harp players to get the impression  
that the harmonica is bigger than reality even in genres like the  
blues.  There, the harmonica is an occasional instrument, and not as  
central to the musical form as guitars, drums or bass over the last  
fifty or more years.  As for jazz, well, the harmonica is completely  
and utterly unimportant and unused in the genre, essentially.   
Basically, there's Toots and that's it--Jazz fans and the jazz public  
seem basically to have reached a glut in the supply side of things  
with one harmonica player, and no more need apply.

Now, as for popularity of the instrument, people like the harmonica.   
That's why so many film scores, advertisements and the like use it.   
But it will never be widely used in pop music, or really central to  
any musical style (other than harmonica trios, of course), and it's  
not because of the tuning used or anything else--it's just because  
the instrument has a very distinctive sound as well as a set of  
things it can and can't do well which doesn't lead to all-around  
usage the way guitars or pianos do (and this is true for both  
diatonics and chromatics).  And there's nothing wrong with that.   
Popularity is over-rated, especially now that the internet allows  
everyone to congregate with their fellow obsessives and we aren't all  
alone in the wilderness.

Segei again:

"What do you think about the 3 blow tuned up one step?
It completes the scale, and gives an additional chord."

Which gives you the Melody Maker tuning (the discussion already  
mentioned raising the 5 and 9 draws a half-step).  I've never really  
gotten used to it myself, but as I use both the Paddy Richter (which  
has the raised blow 3) and the Country tuning (with the raised 5  
draw), I'll say that they have their pluses and minuses.  That extra  
chord (or chord fragment) is nice, but not if you want the major  
tonic in the low octave to really drive home trains and other rhythm  
backing sounds with clarity.  Similarly, the more major chord by  
raising the 5 blow also takes away from the nicely minor chord which  
fits so well with playing in either of the first three positions.   
Alternate tunings are best thought of as a trade-off: for everything  
you get, you loose something.  Actually, that's true of all tunings,  
including the standard German Major diatonic tuning, just since it is  
the default standard it's easy to overlook what those trade-offs are,  
and easier to notice them on other tunings.  But, no tuning should be  
seen as an either/or, rather alternate tunings are best thought of as  
a both/and situation: use whatever works whenever you need it.  IMO,  
of course.

This is Winslow responding to Sergei:

"> On the Richter version to be precise.

I think  you mean German Major. Richter is a type of construction"

Woo-hoo:)  Finally I see a term I invented purely for harp-l and  
purely out of my obsessive precision and name-giving taking root.  I  
do tend to go for "German Major diatonic" myself, but "German Major"  
does have a shorter and more concise ring to it.

"Overbend" never took hold because, while in some ways being more  
accurate, it's just a horrible sounding word and doesn't have the  
same aural feeling as "overblow", despite the latter's lack of accuracy.




 ()()    JR "Bulldogge" Ross
()  ()   & Snuffy, too:)
`----'