[Harp-L] chromatic blues and W. Clarke

[kurt crandall <kurtcrandall@xxxxxxxxx>]

Gary -
   
  As I long time admirer of William Clarke and his style of blues this thread is of great interest to me. I couldn't agree more with your assertion that the chromatic is and should be treated as a "true instrument." You are also right to point out that many blues players (myself included!) fail to use a single chromatic harp to play along with blues and swing numbers in any/every key. From a musicianship standpoint playing in more than one key is a major goal of mine (and probably will remain so for a long time - so much to learn so little time) - however, the reasons to use different key chromatics for different key songs (ala 3rd position) extend beyond mere musicianship. You touch upon this only briefly in your post -that is, there is a distinct sound that can be achieved when playing chromatic in 3rd (even with liberal button use) that cannot be achieved by playing with only one chromatic. 
   
  I went and listened to your clips and must say your playing is really great  - even more impressive to think that you played all of those songs and styles using a single chromatic. however, I think that if you were playing more amplified blues (like Clarke) the sound would just not be the same IMHO. I know that you mention in your post that when you amplified your chromatic in a blues setting you could not tell the difference between chromatic and diatonic. Hmmm.. must say that in my experience I definitely hear a difference when I amplify my chromatics - maybe it is because I am using octaves a lot - not sure... For me it is this variation in tone/sound that I like - breaks up the night and gives the audience (and me!) a different sound to listen to....
   
  I am interested in what others have to say... I still consider myself a neophyte on the chromatic so I always enjoy the input of accomplished harp-l members...
   
  Kurt Crandall
   
  www.kurtcrandall.com
  www.myspace.com/kurtcrandall
   

       
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