Re: [Harp-L] stevie wonder newspaper story

IMHO I really don't like when poeple start talking about which instrument is more difficult than the next all instuments played well with feeling are equaly important surely one can compare the fingering technique of a trumpet compared to a saxophone but what about  creating pitch through embochure and air pressure. would one dare to say sax is harder than trumpet?   The diatonic harmonica  i think is the closest  thing to the human  voice,  the nuences of tone, passing notes ect. make it a very powerefull expressive instrument. perhaps people refer to it as a toy because you can buy one for apx. $25 and learn to play well enough to command applause and respect from an audience, learning by ear (in some cases) that other poeple playing instruments that cost thousands of dollars and require years of musical lessons to master feel they are more deserving of.  It's all envy and jelousy.  I just enjoy making music don't ever feel that you don't have the
 right to call yourself a musician because you play a blues harp  if you're ever in doubt just listen to little walter.  The Chromatic is a beautiful instrument and i love playing it and i hope to master it one day as i hope to master diatonic.   George Smith used to say you should practice on the Big one as much as you do on the little one. 

----- Original Message ----
From: Joe and Cass Leone <leone@xxxxxxxx>
To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Tuesday, November 27, 2007 10:36:59 PM
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] stevie wonder newspaper story



On Nov 27, 2007, at 3:01 PM, Philharpn@xxxxxxx wrote:

> I see that the Reporter of the Newspaper Story on Stevie Wonder  
> repeats that
> canard that the chromatic is harder to play than the diatonic.***

But that's the reporter..and....the reporter is wrong. Having played  
both for more years than I care to remember, I can assure you that  
while the diatonic may be easier to get something (tangible) out of  
in short order and the chromo takes some extra effort, when going for  
proficiency, the diatonic is tougher. Inasmuch as many many notes/ 
nuances/phrasings/timbres/shakes/slurs/smears/gliss'/etc have to be  
manufactured..and this has to be done in most cases, spot on and on  
the fly. Missing is the luxury of using the slide as a tool.

Btw: I am 2/3 chromo - 1/3 diat player AND, unlike most players, I  
started on chromo first.

> ( see BF
> quote below**). Anybody who says that grossly misunderstands the
 basic
> differences* and similarities between the two harps.
>
> This reporter further obfuscates matters by bringing up circular  
> breathing.
> Circular breathing works on exhale notes -- horn players use it and  
> Sinatra is
> reputed to have used it. I don't know how many people use circular  
> breathing
> on the harmonica but I would wager it is a very small number if for  
> no other
> reason that it doesn't work (if at all) very well on inhale notes,  
> a good
> portion of the notes played on the harmonica.

The more astute chromatic player will pick more 'draw' keys and  
therefore the statement on circular breathing is uninformed.
>
> Granted this is the popular press, aimed at the general public, but  
> the
> danger of this type of dribble is that it seems over into the  
> harmonica world and
> some kid going to the Stevie Wonder concert who thought Wonder's  
> technique was
> difficult is now convinced it is impossible.

Ha ha, don't make me laugh, I have chapped lips.  :)
>
> The chromatic gets a bad rap -- it is NOT all that difficult to  
> play on its
> own. Compared to the blues harp, Marine Band, Richter-tuned harps,  
> it is not
> all that different.   And if you want to play songs more  
> complicated than folk
> songs right out of the box, you can "find" all the notes on a  
> chromatic --
> which is something you could never do on a blues harp unless you  
> are an
> experienced player.
>
> Which is to say: If you can play a Marine Band harp, you can  
> certainly play a
> chromatic. And if you can play a piano or guitar, you also can  
> certainly play
> a chromatic.
>
> And perhaps more people should take up the chromatic. Some songs  
> sound best
> with a lot of bent notes; others lose their sweetness unless every  
> pitch is the
> same timbre (instead of a mix of bent and unbent notes). Some songs  
> sound
> better on guitar; others on the piano.

The right tool for the job. :)
>
> For all practical purposes both harps are the same -- if you focus  
> on the
> complete 2nd octave*.    How DIFFERENT can the two harps be if the  
> chromatic
> consists of the same notes as holes 4-7 and the same blow-draw  
> pattern.
>
> People who find the chromatic "difficult" are those who do not  
> "understand"
> its layout. (How difficult can the 4-7 hole module repeated be?  
> They also
> "expect" the chromatic to have a layout for the first octave just  
> like a blues
> harp. It does not. Consequently, it "does not bend" like a  
> diatonic. (The original
> chromatic was Richter tuned -- just like the Koch chromatic and  
> Hohner Slide
> Harp -- and offers all the bending of a blues harp plus the  
> precision of a
> slide chromatic for half-step notes except for A in the first  
> octave, which
> requires a bend).
>
> The only redeeming feature (beyond spelling Stevie Wonder's name  
> right) is
> the quote from Randy Singer explaining Stevie's chromatic technique  
> of jabbing
> the slide.

Actually, Stevie 'chips' his notes, and THAT is what makes his style  
most noticeable.
>
> I just hope this news story doesn't scare too many people away from  
> the
> chromatic.

Then people should do as I did. I started as a punk boy and never  
read or listened to ANYTHING harmonica related. I listened and read  
everything ELSE.
>
>
>
> Footnotes:
>         *Yes, fans the 1st octave and 3rd octave are "incomplete"  
> -- lacking
> notes and offering bends generally not available.
>
>
>          **"Chromatic has up to 16 holes compared to the 10 holes  
> on diatonic
> harmonica, so it offers a wider ranger of sounds. But chromatic  
> harmonica is
> also significantly harder to play."
>
>          ***It helps spread the misinformation about the alleged  
> difficulty
> of the chromatic when the source Mel Melton who leads the Wicked  
> Mojos and then
> he piles on by stating (as if it is a fact) this bit of nonsense
 about
> circular breathing being required to play the chromatic: "So  
> chromatic is a totally
> different monster, a lot harder to play. It takes a lot more  
> oxygen. You
> really have to learn circular breathing."

Ridiculous. I was a trumpet player until my face was smashed in an  
accident. I currently dabble in clarinet, the saxs, and flute. While  
I can do circular breathing, I would say that I haven't used it in a  
long long time and NEVER needed it with harmonica. Your INHALE notes  
are tantamount TO circular breathing. That's what a harmonica is all  
about..in AND out..sounds like a circular system to me...eh wot?

While I don't recall back to Sept 1942 (when I was hung upside down  
by my ankles) and smacked on my behind, I thing I started crying and  
I can guess that I immediately started using circular breathing.

Just proves that not all writers know what they're talking  
about..........

smokey-joe



>
> Phil Lloyd
>
>
>
> In a message dated 11/26/07 10:32:46 PM, randy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
 writes:
>
>
>>>
>>> http://www.newsobserver.com/442/story/786481.html
>>>
>>
>
>
>
>
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