[Harp-L] Re: Big River Musical

[MilwHarmonica@xxxxxxx]

Hello, Brian.
 
I also played the musical, Big River. Three times, for local southeastern  
Wisconsin amateur theatre groups and for a high school.
 
The first time, I didn' have a bass or chord harp, and didn't know how to  
play them, so I used a 64 chromatic for the bass parts. I created a diatonic  
harp wheel of 6, 10-hole diatonics revolving around a microphone for the chord  
parts of the last (I think) exit tune. I also played jaw harp and tambourine 
in  a few spots. 
 
Of the different harmonica types used (bass, chord, chromatic, diatonic),  
the 10-hole diatonic was used most often in the harmonica book, in many  
different keys, usually in 2nd position.
 
The second time, I had a bass harp and a chord harp and the 10-hole  diatonic 
and chromatic. I think it was Mr. Paparozzi who said in a prior post  that he 
played the musical, with no chromatic. He is a much more experienced and  
talented harmonica player than I am. 
 
The music director gave me the book and an audio recording for practice,  
about a month before the first performance. I made a photocopy of the Big River  
harmonica book for future reference. I still have it, and use it as a tool for 
 my students, to learn harmonica sheet music interpretation.
 
The third performance, I played percussion.
 
I'll get the harmonica book out, and e-mail the key of each tune to you,  off 
list. If you have any questions about the harmonica part, I'll answer them  
as best as I can.
 
John Broecker
 



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