[Harp-L] Jimi Lee's Harps

[Rupert Oysler <orupert@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hey all,
This is is response to some recent speculation about what 
harps/tunings/etc. Jimi Lee is playing, posted with his blessings. He 
plays stock/standard Seydel harps, and he of course adjusts and fine 
tunes them to his own personal playing. Even though he overblows 
fluently (since the 1970's) he employs some tunings to enhance playing 
melodies seamlessly on diatonic. There are three basic types:
-Standard richter tuned harps, for straight-ahead blues etc.,
-Country tuned (5 draw raised half step) for some more melody intensive work
-Natural minor tuned for more complex "jazzy" tunes, and of course minor...

These tunings are available stock from Seydel, and he also uses some of 
them in Superlow (LLF, LG, LAb, LA, LBb., LC etc.) harps, and sometimes 
retunes Stainless Steel Reed harps (1847), because of the greater 
longevity and preferred tone/response. The Superlow tunings are 
available on the Seydel "configurator" in Favorite and Session (brass 
reed models), and the 1847's (stainless steel reeds) will be available 
in these alternate tunings on the configurator very soon.

Jimi uses the natural minor tuning in a very interesting way for "jazzy" 
"old standard" type tunes, by playing them in what would be essentially 
11th position for a "normal" harp- as in draw 3 lowered one-half step 
(i.e. playing Bb on a C harp). In the natural minor tuning draw 3 is 
already lowered 1/2 step, so using this as the tonic, he has a very 
melodic scale available from draw 3 up through the octave at draw 7.  He 
uses this for songs like "Scotch and Soda"....Also, if the song 
modulates to a bridge in the relative minor (like G minor for the Bb 
tonic), then he can smoothly play with this in "cross harp" centered on 
the draw 2....

I'm sure he would be willing to answer specific questions off-list, 
since he spends a good deal of time teaching at workshops/jam camps etc. 
If you haven't checked out his website http://www.jimileeband.com/ it is 
highly recommended, and you can reach him through there.

He is an awesome musician, and harp player, and an incredible guy, and 
he gives of himself 1,000% ..... Jimi is a real gift to the harp community!

--
Rupert Oysler
www.seydelusa.com