[Harp-L] Jazz Fusion on a Diatonic

["John F. Potts" <hvyj@xxxxxxx>]

It's very possible to play jazz fusion and other types of what i call  
"R&B style jazz" on diatonic.  I've been sitting in with a couple of  
electric jazz bands and doing quite a bit of tis sort of material  
over the last couple of years.  Sometimes i play straight into my amp  
with no effects except a delay set to slap back in the effects loop,  
but i also use a Micro POG and a RotoSim (singly and in combination)  
between the mic (Shure 545 Ultimate) and the amp  which more than  
allows me to keep up with the electronic effects of the guitar, and  
fits well with this style of music.  One has to think out the box  
somewhat, and be able to play over chord changes other than the  
standard I-IV-V blues stuff, and be able to catch grooves that are a  
little different than the usual blues or rock grooves, but it's not  
all that hard to do. I'm often playing natural minor (fifth position)  
and Dorian minor (third position) and i have to use straight harp  
occasionally (without bends), but a lot of the time second position  
works just fine and I can actually get quite a bit of mileage out of  
the blues scale, or some variation thereof.

I don't overblow, but i can get around fairly proficiently in 5  
positions (1 through 5) and passably in 12th.  The trick is to pick a  
position that gives you a mode that works for the particular tune,  
then bend when necessary for the other notes you need and know when  
to lay out completely.  Also, it really helps that the other  
musicians in these bands are not only knowledgeable, but also really  
supportive and sympathetic and select material i can handle, even  
though some of it it may challenge me the first time through.   
Occasionally, i need to use 2 harps on different passages of the same  
tune. But there's all kinds of interesting stuff you can easily do on  
a diatonic like playing chord extensions in a Dorian minor tune on  
the high end in third position, for example, if you know what notes  
are extensions of which chords (i don't have the best ear for  
precisely identifying chords on the spot, so this is something of a  
work in progress for me, but it's very doable).

I know enough basic music theory to understand what the jazz guys are  
telling me when they talk about chords, scales and modes, and I ask  
questions and listen carefully when they take the time to explain  
stuff.  I have a pretty good sense of groove, I can play lines at the  
same speed as a sax when necessary, and i can use mic gripping/ 
handling technique to get some pretty interesting electric sounding  
effects even when I'm not using the pedals, so all of this technique  
really helps me keep up with the band on material that's not  
ordinarily played on harmonica.  However, I don't have the best  
melodic sense and my technique is more consistent and better  
developed than my note selection, so I'm still somewhere on the early  
arc of the learning curve. But the other musicians are helping me  
along and the audience seems to really like it when I play.  I've  
never really played the harmonica like a harmonica anyway, so this  
stuff is really interesting and fun.  And using the pedals is almost  
like playing a different instrument, so I change my technique and  
phrasing when i use them which is very stimulating and a lot of fun  
to do.

Now, if a harp player is into bullet mics and tube amps and aspires  
to playing "Juke" note for note, this sort of music would require a  
radical change in approach since it's not something that closely  
resembles what has been been played by the ODBGs we all admire.  BUT,  
yes, IMHO it's very doable on a diatonic.

FWIW.

JP