[Harp-L] Was Over blow survey

["Robin Willis" <niborsilliw@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hiya,
Atonal/tonal is a really big subject but just for clarity. I love
Coltrane... all of his stuff. I guess what I was trying to get at was that
if you listen to say "My Favorite Things" which is a good example because
it's 1. a tune that is not exactly a jazz standard and 2. has everything we
are talking about here; emotionally based, tonally exploratory and licks...
 when he has really gone as far as he can exploring things using the
"normal" language of jazz improvising he tries to move beyond notes and
scales. Once he is in this world it does seem to be more or less and for
lack of a better phrase "lick based" and by that I using techniques and
patterns specific to his instrument. I think in this piece he's exploring
where he will finally take his music. Which I agree with was beyond notes,
beyond scales and certainly beyond licks. He chose the instrument he did
because it could take it where he wanted to go.

So what am I getting at?  good question... a sax can just do things that are
nearly impossible on a diatonic richter tuned harp. This is simplistic but
on the former types you blow and and move fingers where as on the later you
have to blow, suck, move your mouth, bend, over blow... But back to the
emotional thing what does work (for me) is the "harp" used in a pentatonic
based way. Honestly Little Walter moves me, Charlie Musselwhite moves me,
Kim Wilson... and on and on... It's the right instrument for job. In my
original response I left our another area that for me works really well for
our friend the 10 hole... or 12 hole as the case maybe. Celtic music... but
let's leave that for another day.

Robin






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