Re: [Harp-L] "A-Train"

[Jonathan Ross <jross38@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I think fjm gave a pretty good list of some other instrument's  
limitations.  Something like "A-Train" is one that only someone  
trying to play it would find on a harmonica.  Look at the description  
of the notes on a piece of paper and it's easy to say, "oh, you can  
play that", but try to do it on the instrument itself and it quickly  
becomes apparent that paper and reality are two different things.   
I'm sure that people who play other instruments could give similar  
examples they've run into (I played tympani and stuck to the  
repertoire, so while I played some hard things, nothing like this  
came up--same with mallets; my main other instrument now, mbira, is  
not a chromatic instrument).

This is why transcriptions from one instrument to another can be so  
hard to do right--some things just work on some instruments and not  
on others.  Take pianos and organs.  Both are played with the same  
keyboard layout, but take a piano piece and play it on the organ or  
vice-versa and more often than not it just doesn't sound good.   
That's because the piece is exploiting the instrument it was written  
for, and to change to another instrument you have to significantly  
rework the piece to have it succeed musically.  "A-Train" can be  
thought of as a transcription: it was written to take advantage of  
what saxes and horns can do well, and to play it on the harmonica  
requires a reworking.  My suggestion would be to play some sort of  
backing or just lay-out during the head and let someone else take it,  
since you can solo over the piece wonderfully on the chromatic (as  
the Les Thompson version shows wonderfully).

Most other instruments I've tried don't have a problem with "A- 
Train", and I think fjm hit the nail on the head in that it is  
essentially a legato issue.  A complex legato, but still a legato  
issue.  And that is going to be a weakness for any bi-directional  
instrument.



 ()()    JR "Bulldogge" Ross
()  ()
`----'