Re: [Harp-L] Well, I own a chord harp

["Rick Dempster" <rick.dempster@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

"bluegrass PIANO".......Yeah...I once heard a symphony orchestra playing bluegrass too!

RD

>>> David Payne <dave@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> 8/05/2008 14:51 >>>
Well, I bought a 20 chord, gonna grow up to be a chord player, gotta grow me a big fro, start shaving it from the bottom up, then halfway through the shaving stick my finger in a light socket so I look like the ultra-cool chord player on that Powerhouse video, who was it, the Seven Philharmonicas or something? 

Anyway, I've been noticing a serious decline in chord players, and I've always felt the chord had applications beyond harmonica trios, etc. figured I have about 60 years of life left in me to perpetuate stuff, so I've been wanting to make myself into a chord player for some time. 
My idea was to incorporate the chord harp and bass harp into bluegrass, I've been playing chord chop rythms anyway on the diatonics. 
I always look at stuff, whether music elements or instruments, and think, "How will this work in bluegrass" You'd be surprised with what is possible I once heard some bluegrass PIANO (the guy was using his left hand for mandolin-like chop chords). The chord and bass harps always seemed to me to be a fundamental match.After playing some bluegrass with the chord harp tonight, it's an even better idea than I thought it was when I thought it was a good idea. 

Well, I've been a chord player for about 12 hours now and play like I've only been a chord player for 12 hours... BUT we had some pickin' this evening, and I hit the chord harp. We had a guitar and me and the chord harp contributed more to the overall bluegrass sound than if I had been playing the mandolin. I was two-beating like a bass fiddle, playing bass notes and chords...   I was hitting, say for F, the blow F that's next to the F chord, then the draw F for the F7 chord, which are one octave apart Fs. On some stuff, I hit the bass note, then the chord. 
Now if you look at the Chordet, you think, this thing probably just plays in F,C,G. But, when we played in E, I just went to the bottom harmonica and hit the bass notes on a two-beat octave of the E minor and E diminished, which are two Es, then dropped to the A minor/Ediminished area and got a true two-beat bassline with the A and the E there for the IV chord, hit the bass B on the B minor chord. And it worked. 

I got the 20 chord-book by Al and Judy Smith, they made their life into a movie, you know, I think Brad Pitt played Al and Angelina Jolie played Judy, and I'm looking at the layout of the bass notes right now. THere are true two beats, like you'd hit on a bass fiddle all over the place, in numerous keys. 

Anyway, I'm having a lot of fun with this. I'm going to get better. Jason Ricci, who absolutely loves his 48 chord and is good at it, was telling me today that I ought to play it in the mirror. Maybe this was so I could know what a jackass I look like, but I'm going to try it and see if it helps. He also said, I think this was how he put it, to put my thumbs on the rivet that's on the bracket to use as a pivot between the two harmonicas to facilitate changing from the bottom to the top harp. That seems like a good idea, so I'm passing it on for the benefit of those less experienced than I, say those who have been playing chord since 4 p.m. EDT today instead of noon.

If I win the powerball lottery in the work pool, my first purchase will be a 48-chord, gotta, gotta, gotta get me one of those someday. 

 If somebody knows of any chord/bass harmonica in bluegrass,I'd love to hear about it.

Oh, that powerhouse video has been on Harp-L a bazillion times, but its awesomeness demands yet another: Check out the hair on the 48-chord player.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YHCiC7IIg8 

Dave
_______________________________
Dave Payne Sr. 
Elk River Harmonicas
www.elkriverharmonicas.com 
_______________________________________________
Harp-L is sponsored by SPAH, http://www.spah.org 
Harp-L@xxxxxxxxxx 
http://harp-l.org/mailman/listinfo/harp-l