Re: [Harp-L] Some questions for chromatic players..

Joe and Cass Leone <leone@xxxxxxxx> · Thu, 16 Apr 2009 02:49:05 -0400

On Apr 16, 2009, at 12:14 AM, sam blancato wrote:
Note: I also submitted this post Slidemister but I'm new to that  
site; I

thought I might get some pretty good responses on this list.
Hi People,
I've been taking another stab at developing my chromatic skills  
these days.

That's good. Some wood workers can only use machines. I like to also  
use skeives, chisels, and rifflers. The proper tool for the proper job.
I have a hell of a time TB-ing a chromatic to get nice, clean  
octave splits,

very frustrating for a guy is really comfortable TB-ing every which  
way on a

short harp.

This is common, especially for players who started on diatonic. A  
chromo has an ever so slight spacing difference, different holes, and  
different 'Indexing' point. (note: indexing is the way a player can  
tell where he/she is on the mouthpiece by various methods. Which  
include, but are not limited TO: working/spacing off the left end of  
the instrument. Using a thumb against the nostril. Using the same  
grip all the time. etc.)
In any case, get comfortable with the chromo before attempting octave  
splits. We crawl before we walk. Have your face get used to the  
chromo and the chromo get used to your face. Work on taking the  
chromo away from your mouth and upon returning it to your lips, be  
able to hit the hole you want.
  But I can do a TB embouchure on single notes just fine so I'm

setting aside the octave splits goal for now and working on the  
ultimately

more important stuff like learning to play from written music.

That's a good idea. When I worked on my first sides (in Italy) back  
in the 50s, I couldn't read and had to mesermize the tunes. It was  
tedious. A good example why it is advantagious to read is: We were  
going to do a tune at SPAH. The tune was in F and we all had C  
chromos. The president of spah kept telling me I wasn't loud enough.  
So, I took the music to my room, re-wrote it into G and that night I  
played my part on a Bb chromo. I now had the volume. If you can't  
read music, you can't do those sorts of things.
  My goal is to play jazz standards and other swinging styles where  
I can play melodic

stuff.  "How deep is the Ocean?", "Lover Man", "Tenderly", "Round  
Midnight";

that kind of stuff.

I do this music. A good example of why people make the mistake of  
using the word 'Key' when describing how difficult a tune is, would  
be to study these 2 tunes. 'Round Midnight' and 'Take 5'. BOTH are in  
Eb minor. BUT, Round Midnight is easy while Take 5 is tricky. Why?  
They are both in the same key right? Well, it's not the KEY a tune is  
in. It's the WAY the notes lay. The waterfall section in Take 5 is a  
tricky part. Now. in D minor. it would be easy, but the tune is  
supposed to be done in Eb minor, so there you are...stuck.
So, the first thing you should do when attempting a new tune is to  
study it. Figure out how it lays and decide what articulation (slide  
and breath switches) will work best. (note: to ME, best usually means  
easiest...but not always...depends on the tune).

Some questions are coming up for me about chromatics and I know  
there're

folks on this list that have answers so here goes.
What is "Bop Tuning"?

Bop is 'Bee-Bop'. It is an alternate tuning. If a player is just  
starting out, they might find it advantageous, but a seasoned player  
will avoid it IF they have a deficient brain and can't remember the  
difference while they are playing. I am too set in my ways, and avoid  
it. I am not saying that it doesn't have merit. I see one glaring  
fault though. You would NOT be able to replace a chromo at a music  
store.
  I know nothing about this at all.  Wishful thinking

has me hoping that it's a tuning configuration that eliminates the  
doubling

of 'C' every 5th hole so that you have two Cs in a row - this  
annoys me a

lot.

There are (basically) 3 ways to handle the THREE Cs. If  
stairstepping, depeding on what note is coming up AFTER the C, you  
may want to use the HIGHER C (hole 5) as an index point. And while  
waterfalling, you may want to use the LOWER C (hole 4). Depending on  
how the notes are coming up, you may also want to use the DRAW C  
slide IN (hole 4). I prefer to call this note the B# to keep it clear  
in my head. There are also tricks with the BLOW F slide IN (hole  
2)..but let's not get ahead of ourselves.
In conclusion, note layout of a tune is more important than key when  
it comes to chromo. That's because, unlike other instruments. you  
also DRAW to get notes, AND sometimes you change holes, AND sometimes  
you change slide positions. Just remember that every note is an  
address. I also play other instruments and they are all blow and the  
notes never change (well... except for a few that are duplicated  
where the octaves shift...but that's beside the point)
With a chromo, the articulations will change EVERY time you change key.
Then I wonder if that's such a desirable thing.  Does it make playing
written music harder or easier?

I am not familiar with the tuning to give an opinion. But as for  
making written music harder. I would think not. After all, you will  
HAVE to learn the addresses of all the notes beforehand...anyway.  
Then whatever you're reading, you're transferring your articulations  
to that piece. Possibly the different note layout could present  
challenges for certain tunes? But I can't give an example. Remember  
(again) it's not the KEY a piece is in, it's the NOTE layout. Some  
tunes are not chromo friendly. 'Nola' is damn tough in ANY key.
By the same token, some tunes shouldn't be played on chromo. My wife  
recently listened to a tune I had left in the car's player. When she  
came home she told me to tell the guy who was playing it that "He  
shouldn't play that on a chromatic..that's only good on diatonic".

I have a Suzuki Chormatix 16 harp (C).  It plays okay but it's not  
very loud

and I have a tough time hitting the notes hard so I can get clean,  
staccato

notes. Is this me or does the harp need work?

Chromos are generally not as 'meaty' as diatonics. Especially for an  
experienced diatonic player.

I also have two Hohner 270 Super Chromonicas, one in C and one in  
G.  The G

has a cracked comb and is kind of airy around the crack.  Does  
anybody sell

a plastic or other material comb that I can buy as a replacement?

Mike Easton has new old stock combs, but I don't know about plastic.  
You should be able to seal the cracked comb easily enough.  
Carpenter's glue should do it. Anyway, don't start by playing junk.  
It will dissuade you from practicing.

The Hohners actually play louder and cleaner.  The slides on these  
harps

seem to work better too although they are tighter and take more  
push to

operate.

Hohners generally are louder. My Herings are even louder. As for  
push, your spring can be adjusted for less torque. I (myself) have  
always replaced the springs with a #2 safety pin. My dear dead friend  
Jerry (Murad) used outside springs. I tried them. They got in the way.

The C Hohner is a standard C and I want to get a Tenor C.

Why? Tenors are really 'droney'.
  Since I seem to

like the 270s and they aren't giving me any trouble (except the  
cracked comb

on the G) and play louder and brighter than the big Suzuki should I  
just go

and order another 270 in Tenor and have done with or is there  
another harp

near in price to the Hohner ($136.00) that one of you players out  
there has

found to be just so much better?

I think the Hohners are fine. I also use Herings.

Is there a good Chromatic harmonica method book out there that any  
of you

have found especially helpful?

I am not versed in this arena. Maybe Winslow would know. I hear Dave  
Barrett has some stuff that's good? I can't vouch for it. What I DO  
know is that most books I have seen are pretty basic. The Mel Bay one  
(by Phil Duncan) is supposed to be ok. He has several OTHER players  
as contributors to that book). Remember, just because someone is a  
super player, that doesn't make them a good teacher..and vice versa.  
Most top pros didn't write books. They are either too old, are too  
busy, or can't be bothered.
  I have Richard Martin's book and I plan to
make use of it and, if fact already have.

The Martin from Ohio or the one from England?
And it seems okay except that the

book is actually a collection of reprinted articles from some  
magazine so

the instruction is a little disjointed.  Any suggestions would be  
really

helpful.

I also have some comments about playing chromatic that I wanted to  
share.
Since I started really working out with the chro, certain facts  
stand out

that I really haven't read much discussion on here or on other  
lists.  To

practice articulation and to get used to the utterly arbitrary  
(seems that

way) breathing patterns, I'm learning Paul Delay's "Why Can't You  
Love Me?"

Playing the chromatic is really DIFFERENT.  I mean, yeah, it's  
similar in so

many ways to the short harp too.  But, setting aside the musical  
aspects for

a minute, the physical stuff has some really big differences.

Big difference is the use of the right hand (for right handers) which  
was heretofore used for cupping, choking, quavering. Now we add a  
button. In my case, a LOT of button. Since I almost never play a  
chromo in it's 'home' key...a LOT of button.
  My TB embouchure has to be a lot tighter on the chro than with a  
short harp to get

good articulation and it seems like I have to keep my diaphragm  
much tighter

too.

When you say tighter embouchure, I hope you're not saying that you  
PRESS it tighter to your lips. That's not good. You only want to  
stand as close to the chromo as absolutely necessary. Especially at  
the beginning. Other wise, your lips will pay dearly. As for the  
diaphragm, I see no reason to tighten up. I would relax.
Since bending only gives you a very slight dip in pitch, throat
vibrato is very different too.

Right, and no exaggerated warbling. Warbling is for diatonics.

Musically, I can really see how some kinds of jazz and swing would  
really

sound great on a chromatic but I can also see how some other stuff  
wouldn't

sound right.

Yeah, like I was saying above.
There are some beautiful ballads that would sound great on

chromatic; I have some of Charlie Parkers stuff from the Dial vault  
that

would sound perfect on a chromatic but his faster stuff (the Verve  
stuff and

Savoy stuff) would not sound good at all.

Try Cannonball Adderley instead. OR Lee Morgan. Or Freddie Hubbard.
  The point is I don't think
everything works.

No it doesn't. I have to laugh when I go somewhere and someone is  
trying to tackle a tune that doesn't use the nuances of the chromo to  
best advantage. Chromo is a subtle instrument. While it CAN be used  
in some cases it's not an rock instrument, it's not a noisemaker.  
Scrapple from the Apple should be left to the sax. Grazing in the  
Grass should be left to Hugh Masakela.
  I've heard some really fast stuff played on the chro,

some of the Delay and Toots stuff and even done by buy these great  
musicians

it leaves something to be desired.  Toot's work on the Bill Evans  
record

seems to work really well though.

I 'll say it again. It all depends on the tune. I play both  
instruments. Sometimes on the same tune. Each one has it's own  
distinct personality, and I like to exploit that.
smokey joe & the Cafe s (the Harborside, no. Ft. Myers,  
Fl....featuring Craig Chrissman)
Okay, 'nuff said for now I guess.
Sam Blancato, Pittsburgh

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