Re: [Harp-L] Can y'all figure out what is special about this?



Crooks Bros harp:
http://honkingduck.com/mc/audio/by/title/going_across_the_string

You ought to put some Crooks Bros. on your roots station Jim, if they aren't there already, which I plug despite your festive mood;). Perhaps I was wrong to assume what was going on was obvious, simply because I just happened to pick up on it quickly. If folks want to try to guess it, they should go there now and don't read further, because all will be revealed. 
Despite my love of this old music, I'd never heard the Crooks Bros. before tonight. When I first heard "Going Across the String," I thought 'that sounds weirdly cool and that tone is very rich. What's the deal?''  For about a half second, I thought maybe I was hearing some tongue-block octaves, but no, that sound was consistent throughout and it was not an octave. About halfway through, it hit me, I was hearing two identical notes played at the same time.There's not one, but two harmonicas there playing a very complicated series of notes in perfect syncronation and identical tone. Even the bends are hit precisely the same way to where it sounds like only one harmonica, but a very, very rich one. 
After that, I googled the Crook Bros., twin harmonicas was their trademark sound. 
This is only conjecture, but it is possible Bill Monroe borrowed his twin-fiddle idea from this... Bill was very aware of just about everything that was happening musically... and he did try the harmonica out before the fiddles by having Curly Bradshaw a full-time Bluegrass Boy on the harp.
As for the Crook Bros., it is an amazing, to me, demostration of tightness. 
On the rhythm, all I can hear is one guitar and a ukulele. Anybody hear anything else?
Dave
__________________________
Dave Payne Sr. 
Elk River Harmonicas
www.elkriverharmonicas.com  

----- Original Message ----
From: Jim Greenwald <staggerin@xxxxxxxxx>
To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Sunday, September 7, 2008 9:06:53 PM
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Can y'all figure out what is special about this?

WOW !  Honking Duck's dubs really do sound like crap !
And, no Dave, that's not evidence of the first white man in West Virginia 
playing harp through a Digitech RP200 ;>)

In a festive mood,
Staggerin' Jim
Listen to Roots Harmonica at http://www.live365.com/stations/staggerinjim

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David Payne" <dave@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "Harp L Harp L" <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, September 07, 2008 4:12 PM
Subject: [Harp-L] Can y'all figure out what is special about this?


> http://honkingduck.com/mc/node/312
> I figured it out about halfway through. I'll not say what it is, so as not 
> to deny anybody that "WOW!" moment I had. What it is, though, is 
> incredible...
> 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





This archive was generated by a fusion of Pipermail 0.09 (Mailman edition) and MHonArc 2.6.8.